By Kaustuv M. Das

Although it has been a little more than 15 months since the Washington State Civil Legal Needs Study was released and despite the effort of the many attorneys involved in pro bono work, the need for additional pro bono representation in Washington and King County has not diminished.

If you have shied away from volunteering because you fear an unmanageable time commitment, are concerned about getting outside your comfort zone or are simply looking for a different way to get involved, the King County Bar Association/Foundation Community Legal Services (“CLS”) program has something for you. The bar staff and CLS projects’ experienced attorneys will provide a manageable and structured experience for you to make a difference in the life of someone who needs the assistance and allow you to participate in making “Justice for All” a reality in King County.

The KCBA first became involved in providing pro bono activities back in 1939 with the formation of the Legal Aid Bureau. Today, the CLS program provides at least nine separate programs for volunteer-based pro bono services. Many of these programs require no more than two to three hours of volunteer time once a month, although all of them allow you to get more actively involved if you so desire.

February is “Volunteer Recruitment Month,” so, no matter what your specialty, your practice or comfort level, this is a terrific time to consider getting involved with one of the following programs.

Neighborhood Legal Clinics
At Neighborhood Legal Clinics (NLC), attorneys volunteer one evening for a two- to three-hour shift every six to eight weeks. There are currently 25 neighborhood clinics -- 13 specialty and 12 general -- at which volunteer attorneys provide free legal advice to anyone needing help in half-hour sessions.

The specialty clinics provide assistance on family law, elder law, immigration or bankruptcy. The general clinics address those issues in addition to a wide variety of other legal issues. Non-attorney volunteers, such as law students, paralegals, legal assistants or secretaries, are needed to provide crucial administrative support at all locations. Currently NLC has a waiting list for general clinic attorneys.

Generalists attending one of the new volunteer training/CLEs receive priority in placement. The next is scheduled for March 24. Attorneys specializing in family law, bankruptcy, immigration and elder law or who are bilingual are greatly needed and may receive placement right away.

NLC provides free, monthly brown bag CLEs on substantive issues that commonly arise in the neighborhood clinics. Contact Cathie Caldwell, the NLC program manager, at cathiec@kcba.org or 206-267-7029 to further discuss volunteer and training opportunities.

Volunteer Legal Services
The Volunteer Legal Services (VLS) program allows a more concentrated commitment to fewer clients over the course of a year. VLS attorneys represent clients on a wide variety of legal issues and typically handle two cases per year.

Not only does VLS allow attorneys to get involved in “typical” civil actions, but the program also offers specialized projects focusing on Native American wills, public and subsidized housing grievances and Social Security overpayments.

VLS provides a number of free CLEs on substantive issues that often confront program attorneys and their clients. For more information about VLS or to request a volunteer application, please call Tracy Demers at the KCBA at 206-267-7100 or send an email to tracyd@kcba.org.

Volunteer Attorneys for Persons With AIDS/HIV
Volunteer Attorneys for Persons with AIDS/HIV (VAPWA) provides civil legal representation, education and advice to low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS in King County and Washington.

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. VAPWA also provides free CLEs to its volunteer attorneys.

For more information about VAPWA or to request a volunteer application, please contact Carol Maki, VAPWA program manager, at 206-267-7025 or by email, carolm@kcba.org.

Housing Justice Project
The Housing Justice Program (HJP) provides a way to volunteer a finite amount of time each month. Attorney and non-attorney volunteers make a three-hour commitment per month and typically make a yearlong commitment to the program.

Attorneys represent indigent tenants in ex parte eviction proceedings in King County Superior Court in Seattle and at the Kent Regional Justice Center and help tenants draft responses to eviction complaints. A background in landlord-tenant law is not a prerequisite for involvement with HJP as initial training and ongoing advice and mentoring are available from experienced practitioners.

For more information, contact Merf Ehman at merfe@kcba.org or 206-267-7019.

Family Law Mentor Program
The Family Law Mentor Program provides an opportunity for volunteer attorneys to represent low-income clients in contested dissolution or parentage proceedings where the children’s safety is an issue. This program teams inexperienced or non-family law attorneys with an experienced family law attorney who assists throughout the case, starting with initial training in family law.

Volunteers commit to attending the training and representing one client on a pro bono basis. If you volunteer through this program, you will handle a case for a low-income client pre-screened by the KCBA staff.

For an application or for more information, contact Kimberly Lloyd Todaro, Family Law Mentor Program managing attorney, at 206-267-7100 or by email at kimlt@kcba.org.

Legal Services for the Homeless
Legal Services for the Homeless allows attorneys to provide legal counsel and advice at six homeless shelters. Currently, area law firms -- Karr Tuttle Campbell, Davis Wright Tremaine, Perkins Coie, Preston Gates & Ellis, Riddell Williams and the King County Prosecutor’s Office -- provide clinics at the homeless shelters. However, there are opportunities for those not affiliated with these firms to also get involved in providing legal advice and direct representation to the homeless through this program.

This program organizes a number of free CLEs over the course of the year on substantive areas of law that often affect the homeless. For more information about Legal Services for the Homeless, to request a volunteer application, to participate with your firm in a shelter legal clinic or to start a legal clinic through your firm, please contact Victoria Cherniak, program manager, at 206-267-7027 or send an email to victoriac@kcba.org.

Newcomers Resource Project/Wage Claim Project

Newcomers Resource Project (NRP) volunteer attorneys provide direct representation to low-income immigrant, refugee and newcomer residents of King County. NRP strives to break down the barriers to legal services by providing interpretation, legal education workshops and pro bono representation. Volunteers do not need to be bilingual as the project provides interpreters. NRP asks its volunteers to typically take on two cases per year.

The Wage Claim Project, a partnership between the NRP and CASA Latina, provides representation to persons with wage-and-hour claims and workshops for social service agencies and community groups on employment law and wage claim issues.

For more information or to request a volunteer application, please call Victoria Cherniak, program manager, at 206-267-7027 or send an email to victoriac@kcba.org.

Kinship Care Solutions Project
The Kinship Care Solutions Project allows volunteers to provide direct representation to relatives and other caregivers in non-parental custody cases. Clients are low-income, King County residents or have cases pending in King County Superior Court. Although the client need not be related to the children, he or she must have a significant relationship with the children.

The KCBA staff screens and assesses cases prior to referral to volunteer attorneys. The project asks volunteers to take one case per year and provides free CLEs to its volunteers. It also can provide a mentor for those attorneys with no previous family law experience.

For more information or to request a volunteer application, please call Susan Chua at KCBA at 206-267-7039 or send an email to judyl@kcba.org.

The Washington State Bar Association allows up to six CLE credits a year for providing pro bono services under the auspices of a qualified legal services provider such as the KCBA. After completing a two-hour CLE with KCBA, volunteers may be entitled to credit for the first four hours of pro bono representation. KCBA reports training hours to the WSBA; client representation hours are self-reported.

If you are interested in participating in one of these programs, talk to friends and colleagues who are involved with one or more of these programs. Not only can they provide additional information about the programs and help allay any concerns about getting involved, they also can share their sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Getting involved is easy and hopefully you will find one or more of these programs a terrific gateway to providing legal services to those who need it most. Talk to an existing volunteer or contact the KCBA, but, no matter what, get involved today. n