An Act to provide for the representation of indigents in judicial proceedings in the District of Columbia
PL 86-531 (H.R.10761), enacted 06/27/1960

74 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-531-JUNE 27, 1960 
229 
specified in the policy for calculating cash surrender values, if any, 
and paid-up nonforieiture benefits, provided that for any category 
of ordinary insurance issued on female risks, adjusted premiums and 
present values may be calculated according to an age not more than 
three years younger than the actual age of the insured: 
Provided, 
however, That in calculating the present value of any paid-up term 
insurance with accompanying pure endowment, if any, offered as a 
nonforfeiture benefit, the rates of mortality assumed may be not more 
than those shown in the Commissioners 1968 Extended Term Insur-
ance Table: Provided further, 
That for insurance issued on a sub-
standard basis, the calculation of any such adjusted premiums and 
present values may be based on such other table of mortality as may 
be specified by the company and approved by the Superintendent. 
After the effective date of the amendatory Act of 1960, any com-
pany may file with the Superintendent a written notice of its election 
to comply with the provisions of this paragraph after a specified date 
before January 1, 1966. After the nling of such notice, then upon 
such specified date (which shall be the operative date of this para-
graph for such company), this paragraph shall become operative 
with respect to the ordinary policies thereafter issued by such com-
pany. If a company makes no such election, the operative date of 
this paragraph for such company shall be January 1^ 1966." 
(b) Clause (iv) of the fourth sentence of subsection (e) of such 
section (D.C. Code, sec. 35-705b(e)) is amended by striking out 
"decreasing". 
(c) The last sentence of subsection (g) of such section (D.C. Code, 
sec. 36-705b(g)) is amended by inserting immediately before the 
period at the end thereof the following: ": Provided, however, That 
the operative date of the last paragraph of subsection (d) shall be as 
stated therein". 
Approved June 27, 1960. 
Operative date. 
62 Stat. 33. 
62 Stat. 34. 
Public Law 86-531 
AN ACT 
To provide for the representation of indigents in judicial proceedings in the 
District of Columbia. 
June 27, 1960 
[H. R. 10761] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemJbled, That this Act may 
be cited as "The District of Columbia Legal Aid Act." 
SEC. 2. There is hereby created a Legal Aid Agency (hereinafter 
called the Agency) for the District of Columbia, to provide legal 
representation of indigents in judicial proceedings in the District 
of Columbia, as provided in section 3. 
SEC. 3. The Agency shall make attorneys available to represent in-
digents in criminal proceedings in the United States District Court 
for the District of Columbia and in preliminary hearings in felony 
cases, and in cases involving offenses against the United States in 
which imprisonment may be for one year or more in the Municipal 
Court for the District of Columbia, in proceedings before the Coroner 
for the District of Columbia and the United States Commissioner, 
in proceedings before the juvenile court of the District of Columbia, 
and in proceedings before the Commission on Mental Health of the 
District of Columbia and proceedings in the courts arising therefrom. 
The Agency shall from time to time advise each of the courts and 
tribunals named in this section of the names of the attorneys em-
ployed by the Agency who are available to accept assignments in said 
court or tribunal. The judges or other presiding officers of the several 
The District of 
C o l u m b i a Legal 
Aid Act. 
Legal Aid Agen-
cy, creation. 
Counsel 
digents. 
for in-
230 
PUBLIC LAW 86-531-JUNE 27, 1960 
[74 ST ATs 
Board 
tees. 
courts and tribunals may assign attorneys employed by the Agency 
to represent indigents, such assignments to be upon a case-to-case 
basis, a group-of-cases basis, or a time basis, as the assigning author-
ity may prescribe. Each such court and tribunal will make every rea-
sonable effort to provide assignment of counsel as early in the pro-
ceeding as practicable. 
E1 i g i b i lity for 
gj,(, 4 ^pj^g legal representation services hereinbefore described shall 
legal services. 
, 
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Standards and bc provided ouly to such pcrsous who first subscribe and state m writ-
procedures. 
^^^ upou oath that such pcrsou has been unable to hire an attorney 
and is further unable to pay modest attorney's fee; except that the 
aforesaid sworn statement in writing shall not be required of patients 
in proceedings before the Commission on Mental Health of the 
District of Columbia and proceedings in courts arising therefrom. 
This oath may be administered by any person under law authorized 
and empowered to administer oaths. 
The Board of Trustees may 
provide more detailed standards and procedures consistent with the 
rules and policies of the respective courts and tribunals, to carry out 
the provisions of this section: Provided further, That any person mak-
ing a false oath on any material matter required herein shall be fined 
not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, 
of Trus- 
SEC. 5. The powers of the Agency shall be vested in a Board of 
Trustees composed of seven members, each serving a term of three 
years. Each trustee shall be appointed, for a full term or for the 
balance of an unexpired term, by a panel (of which four members 
shall be a quorum) consisting of— 
the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 
District of Columbia; 
the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the 
District of Columbia; 
the Chief Judge of the Municipal Court for the District of 
Columbia; 
the Chief Judge of the Municipal Court of Appeals for the 
District of Columbia; 
the President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia; and 
the Judge of the juvenile court of the District of Columbia. 
Said panel shall be presided over by the Chief Judge of the United 
States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (or his designee, 
in his absence). 
The Board of Trustees of the Agency shall be appointed initially 
as follows: three members for three-year terms, two members for 
two-year terms, and two members for a one-year term. 
Thereafter 
each appointment (except an appointment for the balance of an 
unexpired term) shall be for a three-year term. Each appointee shall 
hold office until his successor is appointed and qualifies. 
SEC. 6. The Board of Trustees of the Agency shall appoint a Direc-
tor of the Agency, who shall be responsible for the supervision of the 
legal work of said Agency, and perform such other duties as the Board 
of Trustees may prescribe. 
The Director shall be a member of the bar 
of, and qualified to practice law in, the District of Columbia. 
The 
Board may delegate to the Director such powers of the Board as 
the said Board may find in the interest of good administration. 
Said 
Director shall receive compensation of $16,000 per annum, and shall 
hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees. 
Personnel. 
g^c. 7. The Director, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, 
shall employ such professional and office staff as may be necessary 
properly to conduct the business of the Agency, subject to the avail-
ability of appropriated funds. 
The Director shall, with the approval 
of the Board of Trustees, make assignments of the professional per-
sonnel of the Agency so as to provide the best practicable handling of 
D i r e c t o r , 
p ointment. 
^i S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-531-JUNE 27, 1960 
231 
the case load involving Indigents in the courts and other tribunals 
specified in section 3. All attorneys employed to represent indigents 
by the Agency shall be members of the bar of, and qualified to prac-
tice law in, the District of Columbia. 
The salaries of all employees 
of the Agency, except the Director, shall be fixed by the Board of Trus-
tees, following the salary scale for employees of similar qualifications 
and seniority in the office of the United States attorney for the Dis-
trict of Columbia. 
SEC. 8. The Director, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, 
may employ volunteer attorneys, without salary, who shall be reim-
bursed their out-of-pocket expenses properly incurred in the course 
of their employment. Service of individual as a volunteer attorney 
pursuant to this section shall not be considered as service or employ-
ment bringing such individual within the provisions of sections 281, 
283, 284, or 1914 of title 18 of the United States Code, or section 190 
of the Revised Statutes, nor shall any person serving as a volunteer 
attorney be considered, by reason of such service, an employee of the 
government of the District of Columbia for any purpose. 
SEC. 9. All salaried employees of the Agency shall give full time to 
the Agency work. The Director, with the approval of the Board of 
Trustees, shall fix the requirements upon the time of volunteer at-
torneys, and shall fix the office hours of the Agency. 
No salaried em-
ployee of the Agency, including the Director, shall engage in any 
private practice of the law, and no such employee shall receive a fee 
for any legal service. 
SEC. 10. The Board of Trustees of the Agency shall, on June 1 of 
each year, submit a report of the Agency's work for the past year to 
the Congress of the United States^ to the Chief Judge of the United 
States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia^ to the Commis-
sioners of the District of Columbia and to the Administrative Office 
of the United States Courts. 
Said report shall include a statement 
of financial condition, revenues, and expenses for the past year, pre-
pared by a certified public accountant or by a designee of the Adminis-
trative Office. 
Said Board shall also forward a copy of the report 
required by this section to each member of the panel described in 
section 5, and such panel shall meet with the Board of Trustees and 
Director not later than August 1 of each year to review the work and 
financial needs of the Agency in the light of the report submitted the 
previous June 1, as required by this section. 
SEC. 11. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, 
there is authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year, out of any 
moneys in the Treasury to the credit of the District of Columbia, such 
sums as may be necessary; except that not to exceed $75,000 shall be 
appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1960. Such sums 
shall be appropriated for the judiciary, to be disbursed by the Ad-
ministrative Office of the United States Courts to carry on the busi-
ness of the Agency. 
The Administrative Office in disbursing and 
accounting for said sums will follow, so far as possible, its standard 
fiscal practices. The budget estimates for the Agency shall be pre-
pared in consultation with the Commissioners of the District of 
Columbia. 
SEC. 12. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act shall 
take effect on the date of its enactment. 
(b) Sections 6, 7, and 8 shall take effect on the date of enactment of 
the first Act appropriating moneys to carry out the purposes of this 
Act which is enacted after the date of enactment of this Act, and sec-
tion 3 shall take effect on the sixtieth day after the date of enactment 
of such appropriation Act. 
Approved June 27, 1960. 
V o l u n t e s e f at-
torney s. 
Dual employment 
prohibited. 
Report to C on-
gress et at. 
Appropriation. 
Effective date.