Education Committee

General Overview

The Education Committee was established in May 1996 by the Access to Justice Board to coordinate and support access to justice related educational efforts around the state, including identifying gaps in education and developing strategies to fill those gaps. Original target groups included lawyers, law schools, the judiciary, the public and elected officials. The committee's membership continues to include representatives from organizations/entities that are involved either directly or tangentially in access to justice-related activities throughout the state.

Seattle attorney Mary Wechsler was the first chair, serving until June 1999. Professor Helen Donigan served as chair from September 1999 to December 2000. Hon. Linda Tompkins then served as Interim Chair until June 2001, when Hon. James Murphy became the chair.

As a result of a highly successful 1998 Access to Justice Conference workshop on "Educating the Public," organized by the Education Committee, the ATJ Conference participants strongly recommended the establishment of a statewide Work Group to look at the possibility of developing a state plan for law-related education. The Education Committee, in cooperation with the Board of Governors, the Governor and the Attorney General, coordinated the establishment of a Public Legal Education Work Group that recommended a statewide Public Legal Education Council to develop and implement such a plan. The 45-member Council is now in existence and has developed an extensive agenda.

The Education Committee has pledged to work closely with the Council, including taking the lead, when appropriate, on relevant projects. Respecting the Council's goals, the Education Committee currently is focusing on selection and education of judges, and education of those working in the courts and administrative systems about access to justice.

Overview of Key Initiatives

Education of the Judiciary: A principle of the ATJ Board is that "meaningful access to the judicial system necessarily requires that members of the judiciary make access to justice a high priority." The Committee's goal was to develop "core" educational curriculum for judges, which it would make available to OAC, the judges' associations and other interested groups. To date three "core" courses have been developed and presented:

1. "Dealing with Pro Ses" (Judicial College: January 1997, 1998, 1999). The workshop consisted of two parts: presentations on the role of judges when there are one or more pro se litigants on a case; and small group discussions of hypothetical situations. Each judge received a county-specific packet of resource materials. Chair Mary Wechsler sent summaries of these small group discussions to all the participating judges. This session received very positive feedback and was approved as a permanent workshop for the annual Judicial College until late 1999, when the Education Committee was informed by the Office of the Administrator for the Courts that it was revamping its Judicial College agenda and had removed the course from the curriculum.
2. "Judges and Litigants: Communication is a Two-Way Street" (District/Municipal Court Judges Association Conference, in cooperation with Joanne Moore, Director of the Interpreter Program for OAC—April 1998; Superior Court Judges Association Conference—April 1999): This skill-building course explored ways to improve communication between judges and litigants, particularly litigants appearing pro se, those with limited language or English skills, and those with different cultural backgrounds, in an effort to make sure cases are presented adequately for just results. The course included small and entire group problem solving and role playing.
3. "The Judicial Role in Ensuring Justice: Ethical Mandates and Constraints" (District/Municipal Court Judges Association Conference—May 1999). The course provided a forum for the discussion of how strictly court rules and procedures should be enforced, considering the impact on the fairness of trial results, and how active the judge should be in assisting pro se litigants and incompetent counsel. It also included an analysis and interpretation of the applicable provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Judicial Selection: While the Committee has only recently become active in judicial selection issues, it's mission now includes making them a priority to ensure that only those with a demonstrated commitment to access to justice serve in our state's judiciary.

In 1995, the Access to Justice Board developed and proposed questions for judicial selection committees to consider when screening judges. In 1995, the King County Bar Association's Judicial Selection Committee adopted the ATJ Board's suggestions and in 1996, the Washington State Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee also adopted these suggestions.

Following the ATJ Board's lead, in September 2000, the Education Committee sent a letter to every editorial board in the state proposing questions for judicial candidates in anticipation of the 2000 election.