Washington Lawyer: Pro Bono Custody Victory Keeps a Family Whole

Jeremy Conrad explores how an aunt was able to get civil legal help through a referral from one of the Children’s Law Center attorneys placed at Children’s National Hospital.

When Chictarah Johnson’s older sister passed suddenly in July 2024 at age 38, Johnson was quick to accept responsibility for two children who were left without a parent to support them — her teenage niece, whom she had already taken into her home during the previous school year, and her toddler nephew. Not long after her sister’s passing, Johnson brought the kids to Children’s National Hospital for annual checkups required in advance of the school year. There, she met Ashley Close, a Children’s Law Center staff attorney supporting the organization’s Healthy Together program, a medical–legal partnership with the hospital.

“Pediatricians and community partners refer families to Children’s Law Center, or parents and caregivers might reach out to us directly when their child is facing a health-harming legal need, such as unhealthy housing issues, [or for] educational supports for students with disabilities, access to health care, or disability benefits or other income supports,” says Tracy Goodman, director of Healthy Together. “However, more D.C. families need legal support than we can help. We’re thankful to have the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, other legal services organizations, and law firms and corporations from across the city — and country — working together to support children and families when they need it.”

Close, now a staff attorney with Legal Aid DC, was approached by a doctor who, during a visit, identified Johnson as an individual in need of civil legal services. Doctors are often able to identify nonmedical issues that children are dealing with in the process of providing medical services, Close says. “People trust their doctors. When you’ve built a relationship with a doctor, there’s a degree of trust that makes a family much more comfortable being referred to a lawyer,” she adds.

In the case of Johnson’s niece and nephew, the referring doctor had previously treated them and recognized that their mother’s passing had potentially significant legal implications. Johnson’s legal needs fell outside of the services offered by Children’s Law Center, which focuses on housing conditions, special education, and public benefits. But Close knew that she could refer Johnson to the Family Law Assistance Network, a joint project of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, DC Affordable Law Firm, and Legal Aid DC.