By Dan Gandara and Brandie Silva

Through funding by the King County Bar Foundation, volunteer lawyers provide thousands of hours of valuable legal services to provide a legal safety net for those in our community who cannot afford legal representation--often at times of personal and family crisis. KCBF is also one of the largest sources of minority law student scholarships at the University of Washington and Seattle University.

Contributions from attorneys and judges are critical to pro bono legal services and the funding of minority law student scholarships. These contributions accounted for 42% of KCBF’s income in 2003-2004. Last year:

• KCBF pro bono programs served 9,096 King County residents.
• 1,420 attorneys volunteered 23,199 hours of free legal services.
• The donated time generated $4,618,346 in legal services.
• KCBF awarded $91,100 in scholarships to minority law students at Seattle University and University of Washington, helping 30 students of color move closer to a career in law.
• The Future of the Law Institute enrolled 58 high school students to the two-day program introducing them to the law and legal careers.

KCBF needs your help. We need volunteers to participate in our annual Phonathon during the week of April 25-29. KCBF Trustees will donate their time during that week to call fellow lawyers and thank them for their past commitments and ask for their ongoing financial support. If you would like to volunteer an hour or two to help make calls at the Phonathon, please contact Brandie Silva at (206) 267-7008 or brandies@kcba.org.