By Joan Tierney

King County Bar Association recognizes Julie Orr and Harold Booker as Pro Bono Award winners. Julie Orr is Pro Bono Coordinator at Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP., (DWT) and volunteers in KCBA’s Community Legal Services Committee and Programs.

As Pro Bono Coordinator at DWT, Julie joined the Seattle Area Pro Bono Coordinators Committee, and by the following year, she was the Committee’s co-chair. Always an innovative leader, Julie and her colleagues began assessing the need for interpretation services for non-English speaking clients. This work paved the way for the creation of the Language Bank, now housed at the Seattle University Access to Justice Institute, through which pro bono attorneys have access to volunteer interpreters. Under Julie’s leadership, the Pro Bono Coordinators also created an e-mail referral listserve that became a model for a Portland listserve.

At DWT, Julie recently introduced a pro bono component into the firm’s New Associate Training that incorporates KCBA’s Housing Justice Project, CASA and an immigration project. She coordinates the firm’s monthly legal clinics at the Downtown Emergency Service Center. Julie’s compassion and insightfulness with clients stands out for Victoria Cherniak, KCBA’s Homeless Project Manager. Victoria recalls a recent case where no one would believe a client who insisted she had been given LSD for a childhood mental illness. Julie listened, researched the issue, and discovered that LSD had been used experimentally for the client’s diagnosis.

Julie has been a tireless pro bono advocate. She recruits and trains paralegal volunteers for KCBA’s Social Security Overpayment Project. She volunteers with HJP, conducting intakes, screenings and research for the attorneys. She helped develop the Kinship Care Solutions Project, designed to provide pro bono attorneys to third parties seeking custody of children. Julie has also co-created the Pro Bono Opportunities Guide for the statewide advocate website developed by Northwest Justice Project, providing information on volunteer opportunities for lawyers seeking ways to provide service to the community.

As a leader in the pro bono community, Julie has served as co-chair of KCBA’s Community Legal Services Committee, as presenter to the Pro Bono Institute Conference session on Law Firm Creation of Pro Bono Intranet Sites, and as moderator at the Institute’s conference session on Law Firm Paralegal Pro Bono Coordinators. Julie recently returned to her alma mater, Edmonds Community College’s Paralegal Program, where she spoke about pro bono opportunities to the paralegal students.

In describing Julie, the words “inspirational,” “hard working,” and “dedicated” immediately come to mind. She is a true friend to all of us who have the privilege of working with her on her various committees and projects.