Joan Tierney has been selected as the Community Legal Services “Volunteer of the Month” for April. She is honored for her continued dedication to pro bono work with Volunteer Legal Services (VLS) and the Housing Justice Project (HJP).
Tierney’s entire career has been focused on public service. She earned an M.S.W. from the University of Washington and was a social worker for a number of years. It was while advocating for teen mothers in administrative hearings that Tierney decided to go to law school. She realized that these young women needed attorneys as much as they needed social workers.
A graduate of Seattle University School of Law, Tierney was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2001. Her volunteerism pre-dates her admission to the bar. Her first volunteer position as a law student was at an estate-planning clinic sponsored by the Loren Miller Bar Association and the King County Bar Association.
Shortly after graduation she became involved with the Neighborhood Legal Clinics, then HJP and eventually VLS. In addition, she sits on the Community Legal Services Committee and a number of other committees associated with the bar.
VLS is a pro bono program that refers low-income individuals with civil legal problems to volunteer attorneys. Tierney has excelled in the area of administrative law and has been an amazing advocate for a number of VLS clients facing Social Security overpayments and termination of housing benefits.
She is currently working with a client who has overpayment issues with multiple governmental agencies. Tierney enjoys these cases because she is able to help clients who “are vulnerable and who don’t have a strong voice. Without an advocate they would be lost in a huge system.”
Tierney’s dedication to pro bono work extends beyond her KCBA volunteer hours. She is the associate director of career services at Seattle University School of Law where she spreads the pro bono mission to the law students. She enjoys her work, in part, because it allows her the opportunity to integrate the students into pro bono services while they are still students. Community Legal Services relies heavily on student involvement and Tierney enjoys hearing about their many contributions to the various programs.
Tierney is a compassionate and zealous advocate for her clients and a real asset to VLS and HJP. “Pro bono makes you feel good,” she states. Joan Tierney is a worthy recipient of the “Volunteer of the Month” award.
For more information about how to become involved with Volunteer Legal Services, please contact Tracy Demers at tracyd@kcba.org. For more information about how to become involved with the Housing Justice Project, please contact Amanda Kale at
amandak@kcba.org.
