With law firm revenues trending back up, civil legal services groups in Washington are crossing their fingers that law firm giving follows suit. Poverty rates in D.C. have remained stubbornly above the national average, U.S. Census data show. According to administrators at local nonprofit organizations, the demand for free legal assistance has jumped as more families navigate unemployment, homelessness and everything in between.
The D.C. Access to Justice Commission warned in an annual report released this month that despite a slow economic recovery, local civil legal services providers remained severely under-resourced.
