The Moderate Means Program is permanently closed. The WSBA is currently assessing our next steps to better support the moderate-income community in Washington state.
If you are looking for legal help, please visit the Find Legal Help page for additional resources. For information about the closure of the Moderate Means Program, please see our FAQ below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Moderate Means Program permanently closed?
The WSBA retained an outside consultant to evaluate the program because there had been a decline in legal professionals taking referrals and there was little data about whether clients were getting affordable legal services. Upon careful review of the assessment and report, WSBA has decided to focus on systems-change work rather than continuing to fund the Moderate Means Program (MMP) model. While MMP has successfully served many, unfortunately, with the decline of legal professionals accepting case referrals, the client reports of long waits, and the inconsistent client experiences of sliding scales fees, the model was not significantly addressing the access to justice gap for moderate-income people.
What was the evaluation process like? What were the results?
The process for evaluating MMP was conducted by an outside consultant in two phases:
Phase I focused on assessing stakeholder experiences including surveys and interviews with former MMP clients, legal professionals, and law students, as well as an evaluation of operational effectiveness and systemic barriers.
Phase II emphasized strategic redesign through participatory workshops with civil legal aid organizations, law school staff, leaders from the WSBA Board of Governors and the Washington State Bar Foundation (WSBF) Board and the WSBA Low Bono Section, as well as logic model development, and research of systems-oriented access to justice approaches
The goals were to determine whether to maintain MMP as-is or pivot to something else and explore WSBA’s broader role in advancing access to justice.
Overall, MMP has provided meaningful legal support to moderate-income individuals who got referrals that resulted in legal representation, and valuable experience for many law students and legal professionals. However, the program faced many design-related challenges in terms of scalability, uneven participation across regions and administrative inefficiencies that impacted stakeholder satisfaction and overall effectiveness.
What should we expect moving forward? How will WSBA continue supporting moderate-income Washingtonians?
The WSBA plans to continue to invest in access to justice initiatives consistent with its purposes outlined in General Rule 12 and working towards improving the quality of legal services for all. Guided by the new Equity and Justice Action Plan and Board of Governors Three-Year Strategic Plan – both approved in 2025 – WSBA is proactively working towards these goals. The WSBA is in the process of exploring systems-change work with the Access to Justice Board and other organizations involved serving low and moderate-income people.
Now that the Moderate Means Program is closed, where can moderate-income people seek legal assistance?
For pro bono legal assistance for low-income people, contact Northwest Justice Project’s Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral (CLEAR) hotline. The CLEAR hotline phone number is 1-888-201-1014 and they accept calls Monday through Friday from 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM. If you do not qualify for pro bono services, here are some other options:
Limited Licensed Legal Technicians (LLLT) if you have a family law matter
Some volunteer lawyer programs offer advice clinics regardless of income
Some lawyer referral programs offer free 30-minute consultations.
Self-Help Information including information about legal services organizations at Washington Law Help and this Resource Guide (insert hyperlink to guide MMP staff created)
How does the closure of affect legal professionals who previously volunteered to take MMP referrals?
Legal professionals who signed on to take MMP referrals will no longer receive any referrals from the MMP. If you want to receive legal referrals, consider joining a local county lawyer referral service.
Legal professionals who signed on to take MMP referrals will no longer have access to free public service CLEs on the WSBA Store. If you are interested in free public service CLEs, you can volunteer with a Qualified Legal Services Provider and get reauthorized to access the free CLEs on the WSBA Store. If you deliver pro bono legal services through a QLSP, you can also get free CLE credits.
