Our community's need for pro bono representation in King County is still great and continues to grow. March is "Volunteer Recruitment Month," which means now is the ideal time for attorneys to take advantage of the King County Bar Association's bountiful and exciting pro bono programs.
Some attorneys shy away from engaging in pro bono work due to concerns about an unmanageable time commitment or about practicing outside of their comfort zone. These concerns can be alleviated, however, through involvement with the KCBA Community Legal Services (CLS) Programs.
These programs are designed to engage attorneys from all different backgrounds and skill sets in pro bono opportunities. The KCBA staff and the CLS projects’ experienced attorneys provide manageable and structured experiences for attorneys who want to make a difference in the life of someone who needs legal assistance. Through attorney involvement, "Justice for All" can become a reality in King County.
The KCBA first became involved in providing pro bono activities in 1939 with the formation of the Legal Aid Bureau. Today, the CLS Program provides 10 volunteer-based pro bono opportunities for attorneys and professional legal staff.
Many of these opportunities are discrete and require no more than two to three hours once a month, although all of the projects embrace intense involvement by any attorney who would like to be more involved. No matter what your specialty, your practice or comfort level with pro bono work, this is the time for you to consider getting involved with one of the following programs:
Neighborhood Legal Clinics: Attorneys volunteer for a two- to three-hour evening shift every six to eight weeks. The clinics provide assistance in the areas of family law, elder law, immigration, bankruptcy and other areas, and assist with domestic violence issues. Administrative volunteers also are needed. The next CLE will be on March 14. Contact: Rebecca Fogarty, Program Manager, 206-267-7029 or CLS@KCBA.org.
Volunteer Legal Services: VLS attorneys represent clients on a wide variety of legal issues and typically handle two cases per year. The program also trains volunteers in specialized areas such as Social Security overpayments, vacating criminal records, and public and subsidized housing grievances. Call 206-267-7100 or send an email to CLS@KCBA.org to volunteer.
Volunteer Attorneys for Persons with AIDS/HIV: Provides civil legal representation, education and advice to low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS. VAPWA attorneys provide legal assistance on a wide range of issues, including estate planning, health-related issues, insurance, debt defense, bankruptcy, housing, family law, civil rights and discrimination. Contact: Connie Ritchie, VAPWA Program Manager, 206-267-7025 or CLS@KCBA.org.
Housing Justice Project. Attorney and legal assistant volunteers make a three-hour commitment per month, usually for a year. Attorneys represent indigent tenants in ex parte eviction proceedings in Superior Court in Seattle and Kent and help tenants draft responses to eviction complaints. Attorneys also may volunteer for weekday evening counseling with indigent tenants. Contact: Merf Ehman, 206-267-7019 or CLS@KCBA.org.
Family Law Mentor Program: Volunteer attorneys represent low-income clients in contested dissolution hearings or parentage proceedings where child safety is an issue. Each case is pre-screened by KCBA staff attorneys. This program teams inexperienced or non-family law attorneys with an experienced family law attorney. Contact: Susan Chua, Managing Attorney, 206-267-7020 or CLS@KCBA.org.
Legal Services for the Homeless: Attorneys provide legal counsel and advice at local shelters and transitional housing programs. While local law firms usually volunteer at clinics held at the homeless shelters, there are opportunities for other attorneys to get involved, including starting a clinic through your firm. Contact: Ana Selvidge, Program Manager, 206-267-7042 or CLS@KCBA.org (please include "Homeless" in the subject line).
Newcomers Resource Project: Provides access to civil legal assistance and resources in areas other than immigration to newcomers, immigrants and refugees living in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Through its Wage Claim Project, NRP also provides strategic legal assistance to immigrant and refugee workers who are owed back wages. Volunteer attorneys also give presentations at monthly wage claim workshops.
Kinship Care Solutions Project: Volunteer attorneys provide direct representation to relatives and other caregivers in non-parental custody cases. Project clients are generally low-income, King County residents or have a case in King County Superior Court. The Project requests that volunteers accept at least one case per year. Mentors are available for attorneys with no previous family law experience. Contact: Judy Lin, 206- 267-7039 or CLS@KCBA.org (please include "Kinship" in the subject line).
Self-Help Family Law Program: Volunteer attorneys help people with low to modest incomes to represent themselves in uncontested family law actions. Volunteers help clients complete all of the legal paperwork involved in these matters. Volunteers are not required to represent clients in court. Contact: Tanya Wanchena, 206-267-7021 or CLS@KCBA.org (please include "SHP" in the subject line).
Domestic Violence Revision Squad: Volunteer attorneys represent DV victims in motions for revision or reconsideration in cases in which a protection order has been wrongly denied or is insufficiently protective of the children. Unless a volunteer has extensive relevant experience, each must complete the Revision Squad training before joining the panel. Contact Joanna Plichta, pro bono counsel at Foster Pepper, plicj@foster.com.
More information on each of these programs is available on the KCBA Web site: www.kcba.org.
KCBA's pro bono programs provide an ideal avenue to become involved in our community. Please talk to an existing volunteer or contact the KCBA, but no matter what, get involved.
Kaustuv M. Das practices intellectual property law at Merchant & Gould, P.C., in Seattle. He also serves as the co-chair of the KCBA's Community Legal Services Committee and volunteers at the Housing Justice Project in Seattle.
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