Coffee, Community, and a Cause Worth Waking Up For
As our long Seattle winter turns to spring, our community begins to feel a familiar sense of renewal. For those of us in the legal profession, this season offers a natural opportunity to reflect on our shared responsibility—not just to our clients, but to the broader community we serve. Each year, that reflection comes into focus when we gather for the King County Bar Foundation’s Breakfast With Champions on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Sheraton Grand Seattle.
The Foundation exists to support two essential pillars of our legal community: expanding access to justice through the King County Bar’s pro bono programs and investing in the future of our profession through scholarships that promote inclusion. These priorities are deeply connected. Ensuring meaningful access to justice today, while building a more inclusive and representative bar for tomorrow, is at the heart of the Foundation’s mission.
The need for both has never been clearer. In Washington, the vast majority of low-income households face at least one civil legal issue each year, and too many navigate those challenges without representation. At the same time, the cost of legal education continues to rise, creating barriers for students whose perspectives and experiences are essential to the strength of our profession. Through scholarships, the Foundation helps open doors—supporting law students who will go on to serve our communities and help shape a more equitable legal system.
Breakfast With Champions is where our community comes together to meet these challenges. It is our opportunity to connect with colleagues, learn more about the impacts of King County Bar’s work, and recommit ourselves to the role we play in advancing justice in King County. It is also the Foundation’s primary fundraising event—an opportunity to ensure that both our pro bono programs and scholarship efforts continue to grow and serve those who need them most.
At this year’s Breakfast, we are honored to welcome Jan Crawford, CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent, as our keynote speaker. Ms. Crawford brings decades of experience covering the Supreme Court and offers a thoughtful perspective on the rule of law, civic engagement, and the role of the judiciary in our society. Her insights will no doubt resonate with all of us as we consider both the challenges and responsibilities facing the legal profession today.
We will also highlight King County Bar’s Kinship Care Solutions, a program that provides critical legal support to relatives and other caregivers who step in to care for children when their parents cannot. These caregivers—often grandparents, aunts, uncles, or family friends—take on immense responsibility, frequently with little advance notice and limited resources. Kinship Care Solutions help these caregivers by providing free legal advice and representation for minor guardianship proceedings. In doing so, the program helps keep children connected to their families and communities while promoting stability and long-term well-being.
Kinship Care and the students supported through Foundation scholarships are the reason this work matters. They reflect the best of our profession: a commitment to service, to fairness, and to the belief that justice and legal education should be accessible to all.
There are many ways to support this work. You can attend the Breakfast, serve as a table captain, contribute financially, or volunteer your time through one of King County Bar’s pro bono programs. Each of these contributions strengthens our collective ability to close the justice gap and to build a more inclusive legal community.
This year, I have the honor of serving as the Foundation’s President and I invite you to join me at the breakfast on May 5th. Come for the conversation, the connection, and the opportunity to reflect on the impact we can have together.
More information on Breakfast With Champions can be found at www.kcba.org/BWC26.
