Rule 48 of the D.C. Court of Appeals Rules allows law students to engage in the limited practice of law in D.C. on behalf of indigent persons as part of a clinical program so long as the court or administrative tribunal permits the appearance.
A “clinical program” is limited to a law school program for credit, held under the discretion of a faculty member of such law school, in which a law student obtains practical experience in the operation of the D.C. legal system by participating in cases and matters pending before the courts or administrative tribunals.