Legal Aid DC is launching a new entry-level hiring initiative to recruit a class of attorneys who will start together in September 2025. The initiative will provide current third-year law students, clerks, and fellows the opportunity to secure a public interest position months before their graduation or the conclusion of their clerkship or fellowship.  

The new initiative marks a departure from Legal Aid DC’s current practice of posting for an attorney position only when there is a vacancy. It will allow early-career attorneys a new opportunity to start their direct legal services career in poverty law.

“There are so many law students, clerks, and fellows who want to do legal services work in DC, but who can’t afford to take a chance that an opportunity will be available during the summer,” said Legal Aid DC Executive Director Vikram Swaruup. “They often end up taking a different job with the government or another agency that hires in the spring. Now, they will have the same opportunity to join Legal Aid.”

Depending on their interests and experience, as well as community need, attorneys will be placed in one of Legal Aid’s direct legal services practice areas: Housing, Public Benefits, Family Law and Domestic Violence, Immigration, Consumer, or Reentry Justice. The program will start with an intensive, weeks-long training program that covers a range of litigation and casehandling skills and substantive law to prepare new lawyers for legal practice.  

Applications will open in January 2025, with offers made by March 2025. The new group of attorneys will start at Legal Aid DC in September 2025. For more information about working at Legal Aid, visit our Careers page.

If you are a university or association interested in hosting a Q&A session with a Legal Aid DC representative about this opportunity for your students or members, please contact recruitment@legalaiddc.org.