Washington State Plan Overview

Complete versions of the 1995 State Plan and the 1999 Revised State Plan (Word, 84 pgs.) are available on this web site.

State Plan (background)

The ATJ Board's first significant project was the development in 1995 of its Plan for the Delivery of Civil Legal Services to Low Income Persons in Washington State (State Plan), at the request of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). Using the guidelines set out in the Hallmarks of an Effective Statewide Civil Legal Services Delivery System (Hallmarks), the ATJ Board developed 18 recommendations for reconfiguring and supporting Washington's delivery system so as to preserve access for low-income clients to a full range of advocacy and services. Although the state's civil legal services providers have been responsible for much of the State Plan's actual implementation, the ATJ Board and its committees continue to perform critical coordination and oversight functions, as contemplated by this Court's Order, and in accordance with the vision of a statewide civil legal services delivery system articulated in the Hallmarks. Additionally, the ATJ Board, through the recommendations developed at its annual Access to Justice Conferences, has created a mechanism for institutionalizing an ongoing statewide planning process that involves the entire Access to Justice Network.

Revised State Plan (background)

In mid-1998, the ATJ Board, through its State Plan Evaluation Committee, began a process to determine how well the 1995 State Plan was working and to consider which aspects, if any, should be rethought. After an extensive and inclusive process the Board presented its draft Revised State Plan (Word) and recommendations to the participants at the June 25-27, 1999 Access to Justice Conference in Wenatchee. The ATJ Board adopted its final Revised Plan for the Delivery of Civil Legal Services to Low Income People in Washington State at its annual retreat on September 16, 1999. The following day the Revised State Plan was formally submitted to the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors at its meeting in Seattle. The ATJ Board has developed a detailed plan for the implementation of the new and revised recommendations.

Overview of Revised State Plan

Following is the status of the implementation of key aspects of the Revised State Plan since its adoption in September 1999.

Two statewide staffed legal services programs have now been in operation for four years:

Columbia Legal Services (CLS) is a full-service, statewide legal services program dedicated to ensuring that a full range of legal services is available to all of Washington's low income population, in particular, vulnerable and hard-to-serve special needs populations that face unique barriers to the justice system. CLS operates out of seven regional offices around the state. Its primary funding sources include the State of Washington, the Legal Foundation of Washington and LAW Fund donations.
The Northwest Justice Project (NJP) is the federal partner in the statewide Access to Justice Network. NJP's goal is to assist as many eligible low income clients as possible, either directly or through efficient and effective referrals. NJP operates out of seven regional offices throughout the state. Principal funding is from Congress through the Legal Services Corporation, which regulates the types of cases that may be handled and the types of representation that may be provided.
The state's Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Programs continue to enjoy stable financial support. Under the Revised State Plan, underwriting for a portion of these programs' operating funds has been transferred from the Northwest Justice Project to Columbia Legal Services. The Legal Foundation of Washington will continue to provide funding support. The ATJ Board and the Washington State Bar Association continue to devote significant resources to provide support for these programs. In addition to the technology staffing and support provided through the ComTech Committee, ATJ Board staff directs WSBA's new Emeritus Program and the activities of WSBA's Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee, and the ATJ Board provides support for legislation and rule-making that provide incentives for attorneys to volunteer.
The clear message from ATJ "stakeholders" to the 1999 evaluation of the 1995 State Plan was that, while the architecture of the statewide delivery system is sound, the implementation at the local and regional levels in some areas of the state is less than uniform. In response, the Revised State Plan recommends Phase II Planning, which is focusing on enhancing integrated local and regional civil equal justice delivery networks. The planning process is well underway through a both a formal process and through Access to Justice Conferences in the Southwest and Northwest Regions of the state.
A key component of the Revised State Plan is to utilize, wherever possible, available and emerging technologies to establish intake and referral systems. This has been accomplished through NJP's CLEAR Project (Coordinated Legal Education, Advice and Referral), that now serves as the primary point of access for low income clients to speak with an attorney or advocate in every county in the state, with limited assistance available in King County. NJP has developed a very extensive web site (www.nwjustice.org), featuring the Law Center that provides hundreds of legal education brochures for online reading and downloading. CLEAR and the web site are viewed as national models.
Another key component of the Revised State Plan is to utilize existing and emerging technologies to provide expansive geographic coverage and maximize local legal services delivery capacity and presence outside of principal urban centers. In addition to the services provided through CLEAR, the ComTech Committee, in cooperation with NJP, CLS, the Legal Foundation of Washington, the Office of the Administrator for the Courts, and others, has made major strides toward implementing Washington State's Equal Justice Communications and Technology Vision. The Revised State Plan significantly expands the recommendations for ongoing and prospective technology initiatives, many of which are being pursued currently by the ComTech Committee, the legal services providers, the Office of the Administrator for the Courts, and WSBA's Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee. Additionally, discussions are underway for the collaboration by members of the ATJ Network and the Council on Public Legal Education for a "gateway" web site for Washington State.
The Revised State Plan recommends a significant role for the ATJ Board to coordinate statewide training, in partnership with CLS, and expand the reach of training beyond staff attorneys to volunteer attorneys and non-attorney advocates. Although the ATJ Board currently lacks staff to fully partner in this effort, ATJ Board staff and WSBA's Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee are videotaping training events throughout the state and compiling a CLE videotape library for legal services provider staff and volunteers.
The Revised State Plan provides that legal services-related entities that engage in fundraising activities do so cooperatively so as to maximize the total number of dollars raised and made available in the delivery system. The Revised State Plan establishes a resource investment protocol, to ensure that all major civil equal justice fundraisers strategically invest new resources, and allocate funding reductions, in accordance with the protocol. The ATJ Board's Resource Development Committee is reorganizing for the purpose of supporting the implementation of those recommendations.
The Revised State Plan includes a significant new set of initiatives to encourage private attorney involvement, and formally acknowledges that volunteer attorney programs and volunteer attorneys can and must be full partners in the effort to meet the unmet civil legal needs of low income people in this state. The list of proposed initiatives includes the completion of the implementation of the Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Action Plan (VALS Action Plan), the establishment of targeted statewide volunteer attorney panels, and assistance from the Supreme Court in recruiting volunteer attorneys. WSBA's Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee (PBLAC) is taking primary responsibility for implementation of the VALS Action Plan, in cooperation with the ATJ Board. Current initiatives include: (1) establishing a CLE videotape library; (2) surveying WSBA membership about market incentives for volunteering; (3) revisiting the adoption of ABA amendments to Rule 6.1 regarding pro bono service; (4) publicizing the "good works" of attorneys and the new MCLE Pro Bono rule, which awards CLE credits for pro bono work; (5) soliciting pro bono recruitment support from the state Supreme Court; (6) implementing a pilot project in Skamania County to connect Seattle-based corporate counsel with low income clients through videophone technology; and (7) contacting professional associations of legal support professionals to encourage them to establish pro bono panels.
The Revised State Plan includes a new section on access to the courts, self-help and preventive legal education to build on the initiatives of several ATJ Board committees (Education, Impediments, Courthouse Facilitator, ComTech, Law Related Services, Unbundled Legal Services), NJP's CLEAR program and web site, and the new Council on Public Legal Education. The recommendations include new and expanded roles for courthouse facilitators, lay domestic violence advocates and other non-lawyers.