About Us
CLADC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-partisan, Christian legal services organization incorporated in 2007.
Money should not be the “price” of justice, but in a less-than-perfect world, it often is.
Washington, DC, has one of the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the nation, which means that many residents cannot afford typical attorney fees of $300-600 per hour to settle their legal matters.[1] They struggle to move past old criminal records, negotiate with negligent landlords, file for Social Security benefits, and manage inheritances.
Many cases have poor outcomes. Injustice persists — all for want of an expensive attorney.
Christian Legal Aid of DC steps in to resolve this inequity.
We provide free legal advice and services to low-income residents in the District by organizing legal clinics and connecting them to attorneys so they don’t have to navigate the legal system alone.
In 2023 alone, we provided legal aid to more than 650 people at no cost to them. Learn more about how the work of CLADC helps to fill the Justice Gap.
With our free legal services, our clients get access to the justice that would otherwise be denied them because they can’t afford an attorney.
CLADC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-partisan, Christian legal services organization incorporated in 2007.
Money should not be the “price” of justice, but in a less-than-perfect world, it often is.
Washington, DC, has one of the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the nation, which means that many residents cannot afford typical attorney fees of $300-600 per hour to settle their legal matters.[1] They struggle to move past old criminal records, negotiate with negligent landlords, file for Social Security benefits, and manage inheritances.
Many cases have poor outcomes. Injustice persists — all for want of an expensive attorney.
Christian Legal Aid of DC steps in to resolve this inequity.
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Putting our Christian faith in action
Here are some of the ways we work out our faith at CLADC.
“Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” — Isaiah 1:17
We are present.
Everyone who calls CLADC asking for legal help is treated with the respect all people are due as God’s image bearers. We listen to their stories and connect clients to our legal aid or another legal service when the situation is outside of our expertise.
We pray.
The staff and volunteers pray for every client’s situation during times of private and team prayer. Sometimes clients want to pray with us during their consultations. We are glad to do so and consistently offer to pray together.
We provide personal relationships.
Our clinics and follow-up consultations are opportunities for our clients to be heard and receive guidance. Rather than feel limited by their poverty, they receive empathy and practical help.
We partner with fellow Christians.
Though CLADC does not exclusively aid Christians, many of our clients are rich in faith as brothers and sisters in Christ. As we mutually encourage and pray for one another, we “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
* Sources
Edelman, Peter B. (2019). Delivering Justice: Addressing Civil Legal Needs in the District of Columbia. Washington, DC: D.C. Access to Justice Commission, p. 1.