Legal Aid DC and the Amara Legal Center announce that Amara’s DC staff and operations will move to Legal Aid, where work will continue to serve sex trafficking survivors and sex workers. The transition, starting Oct. 5, 2026, will create a new project at Legal Aid and expand access to needed legal services for DC residents harmed by the commercial sex industry.  

“The Amara Legal Center is a natural fit for Legal Aid DC. We have a common mission of advocating for survivors of crime or violence who are seeking justice and safety through the legal system,” said Vikram Swaruup, Executive Director of Legal Aid DC. “We are excited to have their talented staff’s expertise and knowledge on trafficking to expand our work and bring comprehensive legal help to even more people in our community.”

Over the past decade, Amara has built a community-based legal practice focused on providing specialized, trauma-informed legal help to survivors of sex trafficking and to sex workers in the DC area, while also raising awareness of human trafficking. Amara and Legal Aid identified an opportunity to bring together their respective expertise and experience to learn from each other and ultimately expand survivors’ access to free legal support.

Legal Aid will launch the Amara Legal Project, staffed by three attorneys and a project coordinator from the Amara Legal Center. Housed in the Family Law and Domestic Violence Unit and working across all Legal Aid’s practice areas, the team will focus on providing trauma-informed and specialized support to people affected by sex trafficking or sex work.  

“Providing comprehensive services for survivors of sex trafficking has always been at the center of Amara’s mission,” said Amara Executive Director Caroline Ackerman. “As a project within Legal Aid, we can now carry out our mission on an even greater scale — serving more survivors and expanding our legal practice areas to meet their complex legal needs.”

Survivors of sex trafficking face a unique set of challenges, and many do not self-identify due to trauma or stigma. As part of this transition, Amara’s staff will provide additional in-house training for Legal Aid’s staff on these issues and ensure that Legal Aid effectively serves this population, meets survivors' legal needs, and helps clients achieve justice and healing.

The Amara Project will continue to assist DC clients with topics including civil protection orders, family law matters, criminal record sealing, and debt issues. These clients can also access the wide breadth of services offered at Legal Aid, including help with humanitarian immigration relief, housing issues, and public benefits.

With expertise from the Amara team, Legal Aid will also introduce victim-witness advocacy services, working with clients to navigate the criminal legal system and prepare to testify. Clients will continue to have access to case management and other holistic services.

The Amara Legal Project will also conduct community outreach activities, train Legal Aid staff and community partners on signs and impacts of sex trafficking, and advocate for policy changes to protect the rights of sex trafficking survivors and sex workers.

The Amara Legal Center will ramp down its work in DC and Maryland over the next several months, including its office at 1629 K St. NW.

About Legal Aid DC: Legal Aid DC is the District’s oldest and largest general civil legal services organization. Legal Aid provides free legal services to low-income DC residents on issues including housing, domestic violence and family law, public benefits, consumer law, and immigration. Through its Systemic Advocacy & Law Reform program, Legal Aid advocates for policy changes and pursues affirmative litigation that benefits its wider client community.  

About the Amara Legal Center: The Amara Legal Center was founded in 2013 and provides free trauma-informed legal representation, access to support services, and advocacy for a more equitable legal system for individuals impacted by sex trafficking or involved in sex work in the DC-metro area.