Legal Services Corporation Recognizes Perkins Coie's Access to Justice Efforts

Legal Services Corporation - Pro Bono Certificate of Appreciation: Perkins Coie is pleased to have received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) for the firm's work with Washington's only LSC grant organization, the Northwest Justice Project (NJP). The firm has been honored for our extraordinary commitment to providing equal access to justice. According to César Torres, the Executive Director of NJP, who nominated Perkins Coie for this recognition: "Perkins Coie has been unwavering in its efforts to improve access to justice for low-income women and victims of domestic violence and has repeatedly stepped up to take difficult cases designed to have broad positive benefit for NJP’s client community, including taking cases on its own, co-counseling, and collaborating with local volunteer programs around the state such as the Eastside Legal Assistance Program. Perkins attorneys have worked closely with NJP to overcome barriers posed by filing and other court fees, and are currently focused on tackling obstacles to the implementation of Washington’s recently adopted GR 34 (statewide in forma pauperis rule). Perkins also sought reconsideration and appealed to the Washington Supreme Court the case of Brenda King, which asserted a right to counsel under the Washington Constitution in a family law case where an unrepresented litigant faced the loss of custody of her children against a represented adversary. Although unsuccessful, the litigation has helped inform the discussion of the right to counsel nationally and also concluded with a more positive result for Ms. King and her children." In her letter to Bob Giles congratulating our firm and specific attorneys, Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen commended us for having set "a stellar example of what it means to be lawyers." Seattle Commercial Litigation attorneys Nicholas Gellert, Rebecca Engrav, Katie O’Sullivan, Katie Galipeau and Travis Exstrom were specially recognized for their past and ongoing efforts to ensure the right to counsel and true access to courts for low-income women and domestic violence victims in the State of Washington.

As Mr. Torres mentioned, we have been involved in a number of efforts in Washington including our work with the Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP). Within the past year, two teams of Seattle attorneys have taken on tough cases representing victims of domestic violence. In one such case handled by Seattle Com Lit attorney Ashley Locke and Seattle IP attorney Nicole Sporer and supervised by Seattle Products Liability attorney Joe Silvernale, we were able to get our client full and sole custody over her children, limit the abusive ex-husband's contact with the children and require him to pay substantial child support. Several of our Bellevue attorneys have recently begun to volunteer with ELAP at legal clinics at women's shelters. Perkins Coie was honored with ELAP's first annual Volunteer Law Firm of the Year Award in May of this year. Firm attorneys in other offices across the country have similarly stepped up to represent victims of domestic violence in these very important pro bono matters.