Legal Aid DC and the Legal Aid DC Union, made up of nearly 80 attorneys and legal support staff, signed the organization’s first collective bargaining agreement on June 6, 2024.  

Under the agreement, Legal Aid DC will raise salaries, increase parental leave, expand health benefits, offer a one-time $3,000 bonus for certain multilingual employees, and more. Under the contract, entry-level attorneys at Legal Aid will make $71,054, with additional salary increases after each year of service. Legal Aid employees will receive 18 weeks of paid parental leave, with the option to use other available leave for an additional eight weeks. 

Legal Aid’s staff unionized through the National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), UAW Local 2320, and Legal Aid voluntarily recognized the union in December 2022.  

From start to finish, bargaining took 14 months, a short turnaround time for reaching a first contract, thanks to the dedication of those involved in negotiations and a shared commitment to a collaborative and constructive process. Both the union and Legal Aid’s Board unanimously approved the agreement.  

Moving forward, union representatives and Legal Aid supervisors will continue to collaborate through a Labor Management Committee.  

The collective bargaining agreement is effective starting June 3, 2024, and will be in effect until June 3, 2027.