Washington Council of Lawyers and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Task Force are collaborating to bring a new initiative to family law practitioners in D.C. this September. The Family Law Career Development Program is a 12-month intensive mentoring program for newer family law practitioners. It’s also a way for family law attorneys to give back to their community by providing critical pro bono representation to D.C. families unable to afford a lawyer.

Lawyers who wish to participate in the Family Law Career Development Program can apply here. The deadline for applications is 5 pm on Friday, September 27.

The Family Law Career Development Program will address the critical need for legal services in family law cases in DC. Pro se litigants often have trouble navigating complicated issues of child custody, visitation, and child support because they are understandably unfamiliar with the law, courtroom procedures, and the rules of evidence. The presence of a skilled lawyer is important to ensure cases are correctly decided, parties feel the legal process was fair, and that the judges have heard the evidence and arguments on both sides of each case.

The goal of the Family Law Career Development Program is to provide an intensive professional development experience to family law practitioners in the District of Columbia and to foster a commitment to pro bono service. The participating attorneys will agree to take on two family law pro bono cases and will be paired with a supportive Mentoring Law Firm. Some of the most respected and knowledgeable family law practitioners in the area will serve as Mentoring Law Firms: Delaney McKinney LLP and Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP.

“The Family Law Career Development Program will help fulfill the core goal of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Task Force – increasing access to justice by expanding the number of lawyers providing pro bono representation in our local courts,” explains Ronald S. Flagg, Chair of the Task Force. “It combines two key elements that the Task Force is seeking to promote – innovative pro bono programs and leadership to initiate and carry out that innovation. Many thanks to the Washington Council of Lawyers and the Mentoring Law Firms of Delaney McKinney LLP and Feldesman Tucker Liefer Fidell LLP for providing the leadership for the Program.”

The Family Law Career Development Program is a great way for anyone practicing family law, or considering a career in family law, to expand their subject matter expertise while also giving back to their community.  Apply today!

See our press release here.