Why Pro Bono Matters in Washington

We, the authors of this article, have been very fortunate to be part of dedicated volunteer pro bono legal team, provided by the King County Bar Association, for over two decades. We are committed to providing free civil legal services to those with difficulty obtaining or paying for civil legal assistance. While there is a constitutional right for criminal defense, civil legal services are far more frequently needed, but can be expensive and difficult for folks to obtain. Likewise, our state needs more legal volunteers!

According to the Washington Legislature (RCW 2.53.005), “civil legal aid services to indigent persons [are] an important component of the state’s responsibility to provide for the proper and effective administration of civil and criminal justice.” And according to RPC 6.1, “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to assist the provision of legal services to those unable to pay.”

It is time to rededicate ourselves to service to our communities. Each of us should dedicate at least thirty hours to pro bono per year.

The impact pro bono civil legal aid has on our communities cannot be understated. Volunteer attorneys and legal aid offices help people with basic human needs: shelter, sustenance, safety, health, education, employment, finances, and child custody. The 2014 Civil Legal Needs Study found 70 percent of low-income households in Washington state face at least one significant civil legal problem each year. The average number of legal problems per household increased from 3.3 in 2003 to 9.3 in 2014. As described in the study:

Every year Washington’s lowest income residents experience an onslaught of civil legal problems. A mother and her kids are evicted from their apartment following a domestic violence dispute. A family drowning in medical bills sees no other choice but bankruptcy. Low-wage workers do not get paid, or they have wages improperly withheld. Families are harassed by debt collection companies, often for non-existent debts. Children do not get the special educational services that they need and fall behind in school. Couples divorce and fight over child custody and family matters.

If we can connect with, help, and provide hope to those who often share with us just the tip of their personal legal iceberg, it’s a blessing. To watch someone we helped leave with just a bit more spring in their step because they “were heard,” “valued,” “empowered,” and given “options” when they didn’t think they had any, then we as volunteers are grateful.

Remember these words from Winston Churchill: “You make a living by what you get. But you make a life by what you give.” Volunteering may not make you a better attorney, but it will help make you a better person.