Public Service Voices
Pushing for Change; Pushing for Justice
By Joachim Morrison, managing attorney, Columbia Legal Services
"If you don't know what to do after law school, come on out to our office and I'll find something for you to do to keep you busy." - César Chávez, 1993
What was César Chávez doing delivering a speech at tiny Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts only a few short weeks before his untimely death? I don't remember all the details of his speech – just that he used a number of pictures to demonstrate the hazards farm workers face working with pesticides. more...
The Path to Fulfillment is Not a Straight Line
By Jorge L. Barón, Executive Director, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
One of the most fascinating things about public interest lawyers is that virtually all of us followed interesting paths to getting to where we are today. This is one of the things that I mention to law students who are concerned about what their career is going to look like or what jobs they "should" be pursuing: it is hard to really plan your path, and you will most often find yourself following opportunities as they appear at unexpected times. more...
Public Interest Law Seminar and Roundtable in Dublin Ireland
By Michele Storms, Executive Director, Gates Public Service Law Scholarship Program
This June 19-21, 2008 I had the great pleasure and opportunity to spend time with public interest lawyers in Ireland. The Free Legal Advice Centers in Ireland, an independent human rights organization dedicated to the realization of equal access to justice for all, campaigns through advocacy, strategic litigation and authoritative analysis for the eradication of social and economic exclusion. more...
Listen to Your Voice
By Leslie Savina, Northwest Justice Project
It was not an easy hearing. This occurred many years ago, earlier in my career. My lovely client was living in her car with two toddlers; my idea of a living hell but preferable, to her, to living with her husband. He had beaten the living daylights out of her the week before and was now living the good life, warm and comfy, in their Delridge home. My client wanted him to move out so that she could live in their house, safely, with the children. more...
One Lawyer’s Path to Public Service
By Ruth Esparza
Today, I value the importance of public service and it has been a very rewarding experience. I personally experienced how a community that cares can preserve the hope of those in need and make a difference in their lives. Because of my experience, I always knew I wanted to join a legal services organization. Fortunately for me, the Northwest Justice Project (NJP) has given me the opportunity to make a career of impacting people's lives. more...
Q&A with Carrie Tracy
By Christina Wong, JD Candidate 2009
UWLS grad Carrie Tracy is an attorney who works in the policy department for the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (NWFCO). NWFCO provides training, technical assistance, and policy support for grassroots organizations in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. The grassroots activists who make up NWFCO’s membership represent low income communities, immigrants, urban Native Americans, and people with disabilities. more...
A Citizen Activist for Civil Legal Aid
By Bruce Reeves
After retiring as the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of Public Lands I became active in the State Retired Teachers Association and was consequently appointed as an alternate to represent the Association with the Senior Citizens’ Lobby. Within a short time I was elected President of the Senior Citizens’ Lobby. My mission was, as a volunteer, to lobby the legislature on specific issues that would enhance the lives of the elderly. more...
Life in the Law
A profile of the late Judge James “Ben” McInturff by his son, UWLS Professor Theo Myhre
Life in the law presents each of us with the unexpected opportunities of a lifetime. Certainly, at the age of ten, I never would have dreamed that I would enter a career in teaching, nor that I would stand behind a podium addressing the Washington State Court of Appeals during a memorial session of the court for my dad. Judge James “Ben” McInturff passed away after serving for many decades as a district court judge and then as an appellate court judge, finally retiring as Chief Judge of Division III in Spokane, Washington. His life reflects several key lessons for anyone embarking on this profession. I offer these observations to you as we begin this academic year.
more...
Public Service is Not Just a Job: An Interview with Carlota Canales
by Angelita Chavez
Public service is lifelong work. It is work that goes home with you, dreams with you, and lives in you. It is the attitude of giving because it fulfils your life. Attitude is one of the mechanisms by which we as humans handle what life brings and gives us resilience. The attitude we demonstrate every day is a reflection of how we view different aspects of life. For some, going to work is just something that they have to do. Whether it is because of the need to, because of the prestige, or sense of security it brings. But rarely does one identify with work, make it a passion, and part of one’s identity and life.
Serving the public is what Carlota Canales does. It is part of her identity and life. She demonstrates her love for helping her community through her work and the attitude that she brings in with her to the office every morning. more...
Conceptions of Justice: An Interview with Jay Stansell, a Seattle Federal Public Defender
By Ilana Mantell
I went into law school with idealistic conceptions of justice. But we live in a conservative world that values wealth and money above people, and the law is a system that perpetuates those values. It’s an inherently conservative profession, so it’s a conservative education. I actually quit law school during my second year because I was so disillusioned with it. The law might be fair if one corporation sues another and they have similar amounts of money, but the reality of the “chess game” of law is that we punish many people who may have committed a legal infraction, but who are morally innocent. The idea of justice seems disconnected from the legal system. more...