By Khesia Taylor
Since 1978, the DC Bar Pro Bono Center—a DCBF grantee partner organization—has been the largest provider of pro bono legal help in the District of Columbia. The DC Bar Pro Bono Center, led by Executive Director Kelli Neptune, is often confused with the DC Bar Foundation, but they are a separate and distinct entity, providing free legal assistance to individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses through volunteer lawyers. Throughout the year, the Center hosts training sessions for attorneys and paralegals who want to take on pro bono cases either through the Center or another DC-based legal services provider.
One area where the DC Bar Pro Bono Center makes an impact is estate planning and probate. DC residents with low income often do not have the resources to address these issues, so several legal organizations in DC work together to provide free legal services for residents who need help with estate and probate legal issues. The DC Bar Pro Bono Center works closely with the DC Affordable Law Firm and Legal Counsel for the Elderly to provide these services. Murray Scheel, managing attorney at the DC Bar Pro Bono Center, says a new program launched earlier this year helps address specific issues. “The program helps people understand their options for estate planning, which includes explaining the issues, identifying how to plan for potential incapacity, or making arrangements for wealth succession after they pass.” He says they get connected to a trained volunteer to draft estate planning documents, such as a health care power of attorney or last will and testament.
Another part of their probate work includes helping surviving family members or beneficiaries through the probate process after someone dies. “If a person passes away and leaves property that does not pass by operation of law to a designated beneficiary, it has to be probated. This is also true for bank accounts or other types of property,” says Scheel. “The law mandates a certain process that a person has to go through to wrap up a deceased person’s affairs, and it can be a very complex process.” A program is currently in development that will assist DC residents with low income through the probate process.
In June, the DC Bar Pro Bono Center, in collaboration with the DC Affordable Law Firm and Legal Counsel for the Elderly, began offering free legal support at the probate division of the DC Superior Court. Two days a week (Tuesday and Wednesday mornings), someone from each organization is available to answer questions about probate on a walk-in basis. Murray sees approximately three people per week, and the Court also refers people to them outside of their scheduled hours at the Court.
Finally, in April, the DC Bar Pro Bono Center participated in “Securing Your Legacy,” organized by Gabby Majewski, executive director at the DC Affordable Law Firm, and Hill East Civic Association. Scheel says, “The DC Affordable Law Firm, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, DC Bar Pro Bono Center, Christian Legal Aid, and Legal Aid DC all coordinated to have an event where we provided educational sessions to the public on basic estate planning tools, the foreclosure process, tax foreclosure, and other probate topics.” These organizations plan to repeat this event in a similar form in other settings in the future. For example, they are collaborating at this time with the DC Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) to hold a similar public education event on October 23, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Emery Heights Community Center, 5701 Georgia Avenue NW.
Murray Scheel emphasizes that the DC Bar Pro Bono Center’s estate planning and probate efforts are collaborative with other legal aid and community organizations. They work together to provide education and legal support to DC residents through challenging and complex processes.
Please visit the DCBF website to learn more about how the DC Bar Foundation supports grantee partners like the DC Bar Pro Bono Center.