By Caroline Fleming

On May 17, DC Ward 8 Councilmember LaRuby May will host a record-sealing and expungement fair in Anacostia. At the fair, volunteer lawyers will help DC residents with the complicated process of sealing or expunge criminal records. If you’re a DC lawyer or legal professional interested in pro bono work, it’s a great way to volunteer for a discrete period of time.

The fair supports the broader movement in DC to make it easier for people with criminal records to get jobs. In particular, the 2014 Ban the Box law prohibits certain DC employers from asking about criminal history on their initial application forms, and allows them to ask about criminal convictions only after making a conditional offer of employment.

The fair will take place on Tuesday, May 17, from noon to 8 pm, at the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center on the campus of St. Elizabeth’s East (2730 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE). Councilmember May welcomes DC residents to participate both as clients and volunteers. If you have questions, you can call her office at (202) 724-8045.

Caroline Fleming (@caroline_in_dc) is a government lawyer and the Editor-in-Chief of East of the River Profiles.