Accelerating Access to Legal Help

This year, the District took a big step toward greater access to justice with the launch of the DC Resource Bridge. Hosted by Legal Aid DC in partnership with the DC Bar Foundation, the DC Resource Bridge is a one-stop intake and referral service for DC residents seeking free or low-cost legal help.  

DC is home to dozens of legal services providers, but finding the right one for a specific legal problem can be a big hurdle. Residents can spend hours researching, calling different organizations, and retelling their often-traumatic stories. The DC Resource Bridge simplifies the process. When a caller reaches the DC Resource Bridge, a trained Navigator collects their information and then connects them directly to the legal services organization that is best suited to assist them.  

One caller, for example, was seeking help with a child custody trial that was scheduled for the very next day. She reached the DC Resource Bridge after being turned away by other providers, and spoke to a DC Resource Bridge Navigator, who marked her case as time sensitive. Within four hours, she was referred to Legal Aid and spoke with an experienced Family Law attorney, who was able to represent her the next day and keep her from having to maneuver a fraught situation on her own.

The DC Bar Foundation tapped Legal Aid to lead the DC Resource Bridge in March following a six-month pilot program, and the phone lines opened for callers at the end of September. The program launched with 19 referral partners and four Navigators and initially focused on the key practice areas of family law, public benefits law, foreclosures and consumer law, and DC Court of Appeals matters.

The DC Resource Bridge will expand to add new staff, new partners, and new areas of law beginning in early 2026. Eventually, a DC resident will be able to reach out to the DC Resource Bridge and get connected to help with any type of civil legal issue.  

And soon, residents will also be able to connect with the DC Resource Bridge in person; the program will have a home in our expanded office space in Anacostia.