It was 28 years ago that Chuck Goldmark, working with a team that included Greg Dallaire, Lowell Halverson, Rita Bender, Jack Dean, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge M. Margaret McKeown, and Supreme Court Justice Robert Utter, among others, argued before the Washington Supreme Court for the creation of IOLTA, the interest on lawyer trust account program.
The Legal Foundation of Washington was the outcome of the court rule in favor of IOLTA and Chuck was entering his first year as president at the time of the Christmas Eve tragedy that led to the death of him and his family in 1986.
In Chuck’s honor, the Legal Foundation of Washington Board of Trustees created the Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award to recognize the providers of civil legal aid whose work furthers the objectives of the Foundation by making a positive impact on the lives of low-income people.
In her nomination letter of Judge Anne Ellington for the 2013 Goldmark Award, Access to Justice Board Chair, Kirsten Barron wrote, “From early in her career, Judge Ellington worked to undo institutional bias, and remove barriers to the justice system. As an Assistant Attorney General, and then as a private attorney, she dismantled unfair practices based on race and gender in housing and employment. She was a founding board member of Legal Voice (Northwest Women’s Law Center), where she volunteered for several years to ensure the equal rights of women and girls.”
Judge Ellington recognizes that equal justice is a fundamental principle of democracy. She acts on the truth that our laws guarantee basic rights and protections for all of us—not just those who can afford a lawyer, and certainly not just for those who can access a court room.
As a volunteer, advocate, lawyer and judge, the Legal Foundation of Washington’s 2013 Charles A. Goldmark Award honoree, Judge Anne Ellington is driven by the principle that we must always do more to ensure that justice is accessible to us all.
The Goldmark Luncheon is the single celebratory event honoring providers of civil legal aid to the poor in Washington state. Justices, judges, lawyers, law students, legal services and legal aid supporters from across the state will attend the luncheon and network during the Access to Justice Forum which features Justices of the Washington Supreme Court.
Celebrate meaningful access to justice with the Alliance for Equal Justice community at the 27th Annual Goldmark Award luncheon and Access to Justice Forum on Friday, February 15 at the Westin Seattle Hotel. It’s not too late to register!
The Legal Foundation of Washington is a not-for-profit organization created at the direction of the Washington Supreme Court of to administer the Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program in Washington. It is dedicated to equal justice for low-income persons and funds programs and supports policies and initiatives that enable the poor and the most vulnerable to overcome barriers in the civil justice system.
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