The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia is pleased to announce that Jamie Long has joined Legal Aid as the next Steptoe Housing Law Fellow!

As part of Legal Aid’s Housing Law Unit, Ms. Long represents low-income tenants to prevent evictions and preserve access to safe and affordable housing in the District.

“We are delighted that Ms. Long has chosen a career in public interest and that she will be serving as the next Steptoe Housing Law Fellow,” said Paul Lee, Pro Bono Counsel at Steptoe. “In supporting this fellowship at Legal Aid, our goal is to expand pro bono legal services available for the preservation of affordable housing in the District; continuing our long history of partnering with Legal Aid to serve our community. Ms. Long has shown that she is not only an effective advocate for her clients, but that she also inspires others with her passion for serving marginalized populations and those living in poverty.”

Prior to joining Legal Aid in November 2020, Ms. Long was an associate at Arnold & Porter, where she represented pro bono clients in housing and immigration matters. During her time at Arnold & Porter, Ms. Long spent nearly a year as a loaned associate in Legal Aid’s Housing Law Unit. Ms. Long received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and spent a semester during law school externing in the Consumer Unit at Legal Aid, assisting our consumer law attorneys to protect our clients’ limited income and assets.

“Ms. Long’s experience assisting low-income District residents with eviction, foreclosure prevention, and consumer debt collection has meant that she was able to hit the ground running and greatly expand Legal Aid’s current ability to help clients retain housing in the midst of a world-wide pandemic and public health emergency. Ms. Long’s demonstrated commitment to and passion for social justice made her a wonderful fit for this position,” said Heather Latino, Deputy Legal Director at Legal Aid.

The Steptoe Housing Law Fellowship supports Legal Aid’s Housing Law Unit, which works to prevent evictions, address dangerous housing conditions, and preserve affordable housing in the District. Unlike many other fellowships, the Steptoe Housing Law Fellowship is open to applicants with experience, as well as recent law school graduates and judicial clerks.

Public service at Steptoe has been an integral part of the firm’s history, ethos, and operations. For 23 years, Steptoe maintained a loaned associate program at Legal Aid. In addition, Steptoe has represented hundreds of pro bono clients referred by Legal Aid in the areas of housing, family law, and public benefits, among others.