Pro Bono Award: Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic
By Devon Stark and Tracy Morris
At the June Awards Reception, KCBA presented the 2025 Pro Bono Award to the Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic in recognition of the outstanding pro bono legal services it provides in our community. For nearly 20 years, the clinic has provided free legal advice and consultation to Washington state residents who have filed, or are considering filing, legal actions in federal court. Many of these clients might otherwise have trouble accessing the court system. Common issues include workplace or housing discrimination, prisoner rights, police misconduct, and questions about ADA rights. Tracy Morris, who founded the clinic and still serves as its Executive Director, has worked hard to expand the clinic’s availability by recruiting additional volunteers and increasing clinic hours.
Reflecting on the clinic receiving this award, Tracy shared the following:
The idea to start the Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic was born from my experience volunteering with the KCBA’s Neighborhood Legal Clinics in 2003–04. At the time, I had just joined Microsoft and was thrilled to return to client advocacy through the clinic in Greenwood. It was the first time since my early career at Perkins Coie that I could speak up on someone else’s behalf, having spent more than my share of time as a judicial law clerk. That experience reminded me how deeply meaningful direct service can be.
Soon after, the past presidents of the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington released a report outlining several ways to support pro se litigants in our district. I raised my hand at the opportunity to serve both the pro se community and the federal judiciary. A self-help clinic focused on federal civil rights litigation made the most sense to me.
With the support of the KCBA NLC Board, the FBA-WDWA, and the U.S. District Court, we launched the clinic, modeling it after the existing Neighborhood Legal Clinics. We began with a single monthly session in Seattle, held at the King County Law Library. In the early years, I ran the clinic pro bono, but what started small quickly grew. We built out clinic space in our district’s federal courts — first in Seattle, then in Tacoma — and grew to nearly 30 dedicated volunteers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully transitioned to fully remote operations, and today we offer eight sessions each month, including in-person, remote, and evening options.
What began as a volunteer passion has become the center of my professional life. I feel incredibly fortunate to continue supporting individuals navigating the federal legal system, while also helping streamline intake and referral processes in our district. Just as importantly, I value the opportunity to help other like-minded attorneys engage in direct, impactful service.
Through it all, KCBA’s role has been foundational. From the very beginning, its staff provided the screening and scheduling infrastructure that still keeps the clinic running smoothly. I’ve had the privilege of working with at least 11 different program managers and clinic coordinators since 2003, beginning with Cathie Caldwell. Today, the clinic thrives thanks to the incredible work of Program Manager Devon Stark and Volunteer Services Coordinator Kris Nielander, who carry on KCBA’s proud tradition of excellence and dedication.
Of course, the real heartbeat of the clinic is our volunteer legal team: attorneys and legal assistants who bring their time, compassion, and skill to every client they serve. Whether preparing someone for mediation, drafting a complaint and motion for appointment of counsel, or connecting a client with critical community-based services, our volunteers meet people where they are and advocate with care.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. So much so that I am now launching a new nonprofit called Legal Gateway to further expand our outreach and access to justice throughout the Western District of Washington.
To KCBA and all who have partnered with us over the last two decades: thank you. Together, we are all making a real and lasting difference.
We on the KCBA NLC staff echo this gratitude and extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has participated in or contributed to the clinic. It’s been our pleasure to provide the eligibility screening and client scheduling services for this clinic, and over the years, we’ve consistently heard glowing reviews from clients about the legal services they’ve received from the clinic’s volunteers. We are excited to see the clinic continue to grow and look forward to supporting its ongoing efforts to meet the ever-growing demand for these essential pro bono legal services.
Tracy Morris is the founder and executive director of the Federal Civil Rights Legal Clinic, and has recently established a new nonprofit, Legal Gateway.
Devon Stark is the program manager for KCBA’s Neighborhood Legal Clinics. For questions about the NLC program, please contact Devon at devons@kcba.org.
