- Center offers assistance to unrepresented litigants -
The Landlord-Tenant Resource Center was launched recently and will hold an Open House Monday, June 7 to let the public know about the services offered there. The Resource Center is located in the DC Superior Court and is an initiative of the DC Bar Pro Bono Program. Resource Center lawyers are available to assist the many unrepresented individuals - tenants as well as landlords - who are involved in the some of the 50,000 landlord/tenant cases filed annually in the District of Columbia.
WHAT: Landlord Tenant Resource Center Open House
WHEN: 3 pm, Monday, June 7
WHERE: Court Building B - Room 102, 510 4th Street, NW
WHO: Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus G. King III Civil Division Presiding Judge Steffen Graae Civil Division Deputy Presiding Judge Joan Zeldon DC Bar President Shirley Ann Higuchi Mark Herzog, Supervising Attorney, DC Bar Pro Bono Program
The Resource Center volunteers help those in Landlord-Tenant Court who do not have attorneys by:
• helping self-represented persons understand court proceedings
• advising on how best to present cases in court;
• assisting with preparation of pro se pleadings;
• providing information on how to obtain continuances and retain counsel;
• making referrals to legal service providers in appropriate cases; and
• informing low-income litigants about financial and social service resources that might be available to them.
The Resource Center currently operates from 8:45 am to noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and is expected to expand to include Wednesdays later this summer.
The DC Bar would like to thank the participation of the following firms for their assistance with this project: ARNOLD & PORTER, LLP; DICKSTEIN SHAPIRO MORIN & OSHINSKY, LLP; FRIED, FRANK, HARRIS, SHRIVER & JACOBSON, LLP; McDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY; PERKINS COIE, LLP; SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM, LLP; and WILMER, CUTLER & PICKERING, LLP