Only 2 Percent of D.C. Tenants Have Lawyers in Court, Report Says

A report concludes that low-income residents in Washington, D.C., don’t know where to find legal help and don’t get the aid they need in civil cases.

The report said only 2 percent of tenants in landlord-tenant court and 2 percent of parties in domestic violence cases are represented by lawyers, the Washington Post reports.

The report (PDF) was prepared pro bono by DLA Piper for the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission, created by the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2005 to improve access to legal services for the poor.

Commission chairman Peter Edelman said law firms in the city could help by donating money to hire lawyers or designating senior lawyers to do pro bono work.