While Legal Aid DC directly represents and advises clients on individual legal issues, our staff is committed to helping shape policies that have a larger impact on District residents. We seek structural solutions that will create lasting, positive change for our client community — and we aim to be a meaningful part of the conversations around needed changes to laws, government policies, and court practices. 

Legal Aid DC is considered a nationwide model for integrating systemic change work with individual advocacy. We work with government agencies to shape policies and regulations, pursue budget recommendations and legislative initiatives, and work to reform practices in the high-volume courts that adjudicate our clients' disputes. Legal Aid DC attorneys also sit on a variety of bar and court committees, commissions, boards, and task forces, helping to shape the law and policies that impact persons living in poverty in the District of Columbia and beyond.