December 1997 Report

December 31, 1997

Chief Justice Barbara Durham
Temple of Justice
P.O. Box 40929
Olympia, WA 98504-0929

Mary Fairhurst, President
Washington State Bar Association
P.O. Box 40116
Olympia, WA 98504-0116

Dear Chief Justice Durham and President Fairhurst:

On April 18, 1994, the Supreme Court entered an order establishing the Access to Justice Board (ATJ Board) for an initial evaluation period of two years. The formal work of the ATJ Board began in November 1994 shortly after its nine members were appointed by the Court. On November 21, 1996, the Court, on the recommendation of the Washington Bar Association Board of Governors (BOG), reauthorized the ATJ Board for an additional five years, having found that it had successfully completed its initial evaluation period. The Court ordered the ATJ Board to continue to file evaluative reports every six months with the Court and the BOG. This Report and the attached Exhibits constitute the second six-month report, and the completion of the first year under the new Order, and document the ATJ Board's activities since the last formal Report to this Court and the BOG on May 30, 1997.

A. Meetings: The ATJ Board now meets approximately seven times per year, rather than monthly. This change recognizes that a significant amount of the substantive work is being handled by the ATJ Board's ten committees, in which the ATJ Board members are heavily involved. I have attached the Agendas from the June 20, August 15, September 19 and November 21, 1997 meetings (Exhibit 1). The June meeting was held in conjunction with the Washington State Access to Justice Conference in Yakima. The August meeting was the ATJ Board's first annual Retreat.

B. ATJ Board Mission and Structure: I have attached the ATJ Board's Priorities and Activities chart, which is updated monthly to track the activities undertaken within each of the ATJ Board's priority areas (Exhibit 2). I also have attached the revised ATJ Board Committee Structure (Exhibit 3), and list of current ATJ Board Committee Chairs and Members (Exhibit 4). The ATJ Board currently has ten active working committees (see specific ATJ Board Activities, below, for descriptions), and coordinates closely with the activities of the WSBA Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee on efforts to support the state's Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Network and to explore funding options for legal services.

A. Overview: As the ATJ Board completes its third year in operation, it is continuing to set new standards for the delivery of civil legal services both statewide and nationally. Moreover, its status as a national model for looking at effective ways to coordinate, develop and implement access to justice activities for low and moderate income people has caught the attention of a prestigious national foundation, the Open Society Institute (OSI), and Microsoft Corporation (see Resource Development Committee, below), as well as the Legal Services Corporation. John McKay, the first Chair of the ATJ Board's Equal Justice Coalition (EJC), is now the President of the Legal Services Corporation. His selection was no doubt based in large part on the phenomenal success of the EJC during his tenure. The following narrative describes the ATJ Board's activities since its May 30, 1997 Report to this Court and the BOG.

Interested parties from around the country continue to contact the ATJ Board for information about its structure and activities. The American Bar Association and the national Legal Services community continue to hold up the ATJ Board as a national model, and have featured the Board and its activities widely in their publications, and at their conferences and meetings (e.g., ABA Annual Meeting on August 2, 1997 in San Francisco; American Bar Association/National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) Innovations & Ethical Considerations in Hotlines, Technology, and Pro Se Delivery Conference on September 17-18, 1997 in Dallas; the National Legal Aid and Defender Association Annual Conference on December 10-14, 1997 in St. Louis).

Within the State of Washington, the ATJ Board is becoming widely recognized as the mechanism for "coordinating, improving and advancing civil access to justice for low and moderate income state residents," as contemplated by this Court's Order establishing the ATJ Board. Increasingly, organizations, committees and individuals are contacting the ATJ Board for assistance, counsel and input on a wide variety of topics and issues. Examples of these (since May 30, 1997) include the following:

The ATJ Board was invited by the Supreme Court to participate in a Judicial Information Systems (JIS) project to develop automated customer services;

Seattle University Law School sought input and support from ATJ Board and its committees to develop its Access to Justice Institute;

The Domestic Relations Commission agreed to transfer certain issues to the ATJ Board for deliberation;

The ATJ Board was invited by the Supreme Court to serve in a Courthouse Facilitator Study Group;

The ATJ Board was invited by Supreme Court to participate in a court funding study;

The ATJ Board was invited to provide input and suggestions to the BOG Search Committee for the new WSBA Executive Director;

ATJ Board Chair Paul Stritmatter was invited to participate on a panel on access to justice at the Attorney General's Conference;

ATJ Board Systems Impediments Committee Chair Hon. Cynthia Imbrogno made a presentation to the WSBA Judicial Recommendations Committee about including demonstrated commitment to access to justice as a qualification for judicial service;

The ATJ Board assisted in the establishment of statewide Native American and Children's SSI Pro Bono Panels;

The ATJ Board supported the development of proposals by the WSBA Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee to amend RPC 6.1, institute voluntary reporting of pro bono hours by volunteers, and award CLE credits for certain types of pro bono activity;

The ATJ Board was asked to consider proposed Expedited Trial Rules;

The WSBA invited the ATJ Board to participate in its legislative planning;

The WSBA invited ATJ Board to participate on its Mandatory ADR Task Force;

ATJ Board Chair Paul Stritmatter provided an overview of the ATJ Board before the new Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Civil Legal Services;

The ATJ Board provided input on the development of a proposed statewide pro bono bankruptcy panel;

The ATJ Board invited a representative from the Washington Association of County Clerks to a meeting to discuss the Courthouse Facilitator Program.

Additionally, the ATJ Board has institutionalized (or currently is attempting to institutionalize) a variety of methods to increase awareness of, and appreciation for, the important work being done in the state to improve our justice system:

Regular written and oral reports to the BOG and regular attendance at BOG meetings;

Letters to every new WSBA member about the role of the legal profession in preserving and protecting access to justice (Exhibit 5);

Use of WSBA Bar News, Judicial News and other media (Exhibit 6);

Nomination/support of key people/organizations for awards (e.g., letter of support for King County Bar Association for the Harrison-Tweed Award);

Annual briefing on access to justice for candidates for WSBA President;

Annual briefing on access to justice for new BOG members (in process);

Annual meeting with the Supreme Court (ATJ Board request currently is being considered by the Supreme Court).

B. ATJ-Coordinated Statewide Planning Process: 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) (Exhibit 7). Using the guidelines set out in the Hallmarks of an Effective Statewide Civil Legal Services Delivery System (attached to State Plan), the ATJ Board developed 18 recommendations for reconfiguring Washington's delivery system so as to preserve access for low income clients to a full range of advocacy. Although the Legal Services Delivery Network has 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 (see below) as contemplated by this Court's Order, and in accord with the vision of a statewide legal services delivery system articulated in the Hallmarks. Additionally, the ATJ Board, through its annual Access to Justice Conference (see below), has created a mechanism for institutionalizing an ongoing statewide planning process that involves the entire Access to Justice Network. Following is the status of the implementation of the State Plan's key recommendations since the May 30, 1997 Report to this Court and the BOG:

Two statewide legal services programs have now been in operation for nearly two years (Exhibit 8)

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 ten regional offices around the state. Principal funding is from Congress through the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which regulates the types of cases that may be handled and the types of representation that may be provided.

A key component of the State Plan is to utilize, wherever possible, available and emerging technologies to establish intake and referral systems. This is being accomplished through NJP's CLEAR Project (Consolidated Legal Education, Advice and Referral), which now serves as the primary point to access for low income clients to speak with an attorney in much of the state. Clients can call CLEAR toll-free for a determination of eligibility for assistance. Staff then assesses the legal resources available within the local community. A team of attorneys and paralegals respond to basic questions, provide brief counseling and, in some cases, negotiate or prepare documents on behalf of clients. Given the success of CLEAR in providing an effective and efficient way for clients to access the system, and in accord with the State Plan, Columbia Legal Services has provided funding to allow NJP to expand the CLEAR system statewide by mid-1998.

Another key component of the State Plan is to utilize existing and emerging technologies to provide expansive geographic coverage and maximize local legal services delivery capacity and presence in areas outside of principal urban centers. In addition to CLEAR, new initiatives are being developed through the ATJ Boards Communications and Technology (ComTech) Committee (see below for more detail) in cooperation with CLS, NJP, OAC

and others.

The state's Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Network (Exhibit 8) continues to enjoy stable financial support from NJP and the Legal Foundation of Washington. With the advent of CLEAR, many volunteer programs are noting a drop in the number of clients needing advice and brief service, and are getting more referrals who need direct representation. At least one volunteer program, Snohomish County Legal Services, has restructured its entire program to accommodate these changes in client services and to address new client priorities. The ATJ Board continues to encourage volunteer programs to engage in long-range planning to adapt to the changes in the delivery system brought about through the continuing implementation of the State Plan.

The State Plan encourages the coordination of scarce resources to provide technical assistance and training for staff and volunteer attorneys. The ATJ Board has played a significant role in the development of two statewide efforts: the Native American Pro Bono Panel and the Children's SSI Pro Bono Panel. Volunteer attorneys received free training (Exhibit 9), materials and CLE credits in exchange for representing low-income clients in these areas through their local volunteer attorney legal services programs. The ATJ Board, the WSBA Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee and the Legal Services Provider Network will now work to develop additional pro bono panels in areas of greatest client need.

C. ATJ Board Committees: The ATJ Board now has ten working Committees that are addressing the priorities established by the Supreme Court's Order. Nearly 200 people are members of these Committees. The ATJ Board has made a commitment to seek the active involvement of individuals and entities not currently participating in access to justice-related activities in Washington State.

1. Access to Justice Conference Planning Committee: (Colleen Kinerk, Chair) Nearly 250 people attended the second annual Access to Justice Conference in Yakima on June 20-22, 1997 (Exhibit 10). The Conference, "Partnerships for Justice, " was keynoted by Legal Services Corporation President John McKay, and was held in conjunction with the annual Bar Leaders Conference and the WSBA Annual Awards Luncheon, and meetings of the Board of Governors, ATJ Board, LAW Fund Board, Legal Foundation of Washington Board, Courthouse Facilitators, Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Programs, Specialized Legal Services Providers, Columbia Legal Services Board, Northwest Justice Project Board and the Unemployment Law Project Board. The Moderately Talented (Yet Plucky) Repertory Theatre of Justice set the tone for the Conference by performing its version of "East Side Story."

During the Conference Wrap-Up Session, participants reviewed the status of the 14 recommendations for improving access to justice in Washington State, which were adopted at the October 1996 Conference (Exhibit 11). As most of those recommendations are in the process of being implemented, participants agreed to continue them and to combine them with the new recommendations approved at the 1997 Conference. Participants also approved the recommendations in the ATJ Board's Systems Impediments to Access to Justice Committee's Report (Exhibit 12). The ATJ Board is finalizing its 1997 Access to Justice Report and Recommendations, which will be distributed in early 1998 to every Conference participant, and to every member of the Washington State Supreme Court and the WSBA Board of Governors.

Plans currently are underway for the third annual Access to Justice Conference in Chelan on April 3-5, 1998. This year's theme is "Justice at Work." The plenary will feature a variety of new partnerships around the state that are in various stages of implementing specific projects for improving access to justice. Conference participants will review the status of the recommendations adopted at the 1997 Conference, and will approve an amended set of recommendations to serve as guideposts for this community's collective access to justice-related efforts during the coming year.

2. Accountability Standards Committee: (Jim Bamberger, Chair) The ATJ Board established this Committee to determine what, if any, role the Board should play in building a statewide institutional accountability system to insure that the promises articulated in the State Plan and Hallmarks are achieved through the performance of all providers in the statewide delivery system. To date, the Committee has been engaged in an information collection process and in consulting with other states that have found it necessary to develop standards for providers. The Committee will be distilling this information into a set of guidelines during 1998.

3. Education Committee: (Mary Wechsler, Chair) This Committee's members include representatives from organizations/entities that are involved either directly or tangentially in access to justice-related activities. The Committee functions like the ATJ Board in that it coordinates educational efforts around the state to avoid duplication of effort. It also supports current educational efforts, identifies gaps in education, and identifies way to fill those gaps. Target groups include lawyers, law schools, the judiciary, the public and elected officials. The Committee has focused its efforts since the May 30, 1997 Report on lawyers, the judiciary, law schools and the public:

Lawyers: The Committee is in the final stages of drafting an article for the WSBA Bar News on pro bono opportunities for lawyers in Washington State. Chair Mary Wechsler is representing the ATJ Board on WSBA's new Ad Hoc Communications Committee, whose mandate is to create a message platform for the WSBA.

Judiciary: The Committee is developing a core curriculum for the judiciary on access to justice, which it will make available to OAC, the judges' associations and other interested groups. To date three core courses have been developed:

1. Dealing with Pro Ses: This course was first presented at the 1997 Judicial College. It consists 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. It was so well received that it has been made a permanent part of the Judicial College's curriculum and will be presented again on January 27, 1998.

2. Judicial Responsibility: Justice in the Courtroom: This course explores the extent of the judge's ethical responsibility to ensure that justice occurs in the proceedings before him or her. The course has been submitted to the Superior and District/Municipal Court Judges Associations for consideration for their spring conference agendas.

3. Judicial Responsibility: Communication in the Courtroom: This course focuses on effective speaking and listening, communicating on the appropriate level with litigants, attorneys and pro se litigants, speaking in plain English, cultural barriers, interpreters and how communication affects control of the courtroom. This course will be presented during the District/Municipal spring conference in cooperation with Joanne Moore, Director of the Interpreter Program for OAC.

Law Schools: Representatives from all three Washington law schools now sit on this Committee. This Committee has been involved in supporting Seattle University's efforts to establish an Access to Justice Institute. This Institute would support new and existing access to justice efforts, and would serve as a resource for legal research and training law student interns. Members of this Committee continue to look for ways to support the law schools in their efforts to integrate access to justice into the curricula, e.g., the Committee was able to locate access to justice curriculum materials.

Public: The Committee organized and presented a workshop on "Educating the Public" at the 1997 Access to Justice Conference. Response to the workshop was extremely positive, and participants requested a follow-up workshop at the 1998 Conference to focus specifically on law-related education in the schools. Rick Craig, Director of Vancouver, B.C.'s Courts and Community Program, will be the featured panelist.

4. Equal Justice Coalition: (Ragan Powers and Lucy Isaki, Co-Chairs) The Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) was established by the ATJ Board in January 1995 at the request of the WSBA, legal services providers, and members of the private bar, to respond to threats by Congress and the Washington State Legislature to cut legal services funding. The EJC has been phenomenally successfully in developing a broad-based nonpartisan network of equal justice supporters around the state who understand and support the need for permanent and stable funding for legal services. The EJC has received much national recognition. During the last six months it has made presentations at the ABA Annual Meeting and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association Annual Conference on "What Every Legal Services Organization Needs to Know about Developing a Communications Campaign."

Since the May 30, 1997 Report, the EJC has continued to build its base of support for legal services. It also continues to focus its efforts at both the state and Congressional levels, with the goal of educating legislators and other elected officials about the critical role that legal services plays in our society. Since the May 30, 1997 Report, EJC members have met with key members of the Governor's staff and with 25 members of the State House of Representatives. Currently more than 100 community leaders and 50 organizations statewide support a statewide phone/fax network of "EJC Teams." Twenty-five individuals around the state are volunteer Team Captains (Exhibit 13), an integral part of the EJC Communications Network (Exhibit 14) that works to respond to changing legislation and policy issues which adversely affect access to justice for low income people in Washington State.

The EJC continues to publish its newsletter Justice at Work (Exhibit 15), which is sent to 3200 supporters of equal justice. In August it published its inaugural issue of the Legal Services Effectiveness Reports (Exhibit 16), which highlights the activities of the public and private partner organizations that make up the Washington State Access to Justice Network. The purpose of these Reports is to "put a face" on Legal Services, thereby helping to demonstrate the value of a continuing investment in our Nation's promise "Equal Justice Under Law."

Representatives from the EJC and the ATJ Board made presentations at the first two hearings of the new Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Civil Legal Services on October 9 and December 3, 1997. They also met with Staff Counsel to the Committee to provide them with background information about the ATJ Board, staffed legal services and pro bono legal services providers, and other members of the Access to Justice Network.

The EJC has developed its "Two-Year Plan for Access to Justice in Washington State":

Increase the number of Legal Services attorneys to reflect the need in local communities across the state.

Advocate for an increase of federal funding from $283 million in 1998 to at least $340 million in 1999.

Increase state and local funding for access to justice efforts.

Continue to educate public officials and community leaders on the importance of Legal Services.

Theresa Harrington and Barbara Clark of the Legal Foundation of Washington staff the EJC.

5. Jurisprudence of Access to Justice Committee: (Leonard Schroeter, Chair) The purpose of this Committee is multifaceted: to compile a data base on the jurisprudence of access to justice; to publish significant law review and other articles; to assist the courts in identifying and briefing significant access to justice issues; to convene forums to discuss these issues; and to provide assistance to other ATJ Board committees/other groups in identifying constitutional bases for their proposals/activities.

Since the May 30, 1997 Report, this Committee has accomplished the following:

This Committee developed a concept paper for an Access to Justice Institute that would spur the creation and dissemination of research, articles, legal cases, briefs, and other information related to equal access to justice as well as serve as an institutional vehicle for discussion and debate on how to best meet the equal access needs of a free and democratic society. During this process it entered into discussions with faculty from Seattle University (SU) Law School, who were engaged in a related effort to establish an Institute to further SU's increasing emphasis on issues of social justice and lawyer professionalism. This ATJ Board authorized this Committee and the Education Committee to engage in discussions with SU about an Access to Justice Institute (Exhibit 17). The establishment of this Institute was approved by the Dean and faculty of SU Law School in September 1997. The Institute currently is looking for a director.

The Committee developed and presented a very lively and provocative workshop at the 1997 Access to Justice Conference, "Professionalism: the Role of the Bar in Ensuring Equal Access." The Committee will produce a paper which summarizes the discussion. The Committee has been working on a follow-up workshop to be presented at the 1998 Access to Justice Conference on "Professionalism: the Role of the Judiciary in Ensuring Equal Access."

The 1997 Access to Justice Conference produced a recommendation to reexamine the Rules of Professional Conduct and to recommend necessary changes to reflect efforts to expand access to justice. This Committee established a subcommittee to implement this recommendation. Chair Leonard Schroeter also has addressed this topic in a paper, The Jurisprudence of Ethics: Should Legal Professionalism be in Accordance with Public Justice? (Exhibit 18 - without Appendices). This Committee also is working in collaboration with other ATJ Board Committees to address another 1997 Conference recommendation, which is to establish a "truth squad" or "media resource" to address issues raised by the media and to educate the public.

Chair Leonard Schroeter and other members of this Committee were involved in the development of a professionalism seminar on December 11 at the University of Washington entitled "Ethics, Ambiguity & Economics: Paying the Price for Justice."

6. Resource Development Committee: (Barbara Clark, Chair) The ATJ Board is administered by the Washington State Bar Association, which provides staff, funding for meetings and other administrative support. Given the exponential growth in ATJ Activities, it has become necessary to look for additional sources of funding. Since the May 30 Report, the ATJ Board has submitted three separate funding proposals:

Open Society Institute (OSI): OSI solicited a proposal (Exhibit 19) from the ATJ Board based on the Board's national reputation for leadership and innovation in state support for the delivery of civil legal services. If funded, the ATJ Board will have the financial support to complete its own projects, and will develop and distribute a prototype for other states to utilize in developing their own state models.

Microsoft Corporation: Microsoft solicited a concept paper from the ATJ Board for support in developing the Board's Equal Justice Communications and Technology Vision (Exhibit 20).

State Justice Institute: The ATJ Board has submitted a proposal to SJI to develop a Washington State Justice Report (Exhibit 21), which will evaluate and judge the level and quality of civil justice in Washington State based on specific standards which the ATJ Board will develop.

7. Status Impediments to Access to Justice Committee: (Hon. Anne Ellington, Chair) This Committee will coordinate efforts with the Systems Impediments to Access to Justice Committee to make and implement recommendations that will facilitate access for those with status impediments. These impediments include, but are not limited to, race, gender, language, immigrant status, disability, geographic isolation, literacy, minors, people who are "technologically challenged," and non-traditional family relationships not officially recognized by the law for purposes of child custody, visitation, etc.

8. Systems Impediments to Access to Justice Committee: (Hon. Cynthia Imbrogno, Chair) This Committee is charged with identifying judicial, legislative and administrative systems impediments to access to justice and recommending and implementing, or delegating the implementation of, proposed changes in those systems. In May 1997 the Committee completed its initial Report, which identifies 13 impediments and makes 18 separate recommendations for addressing these impediments (Exhibit 11). The Committee has now begun the task of prioritizing these recommendations and beginning to implement them.

9. Communications and Technology (ComTech) Committee: (Hon. Chip Small, Chair) This Committee was established in response to the ATJ Board's decision that it could play a significant coordinating role with respect to the myriad of technologically-related projects/expertise in the state. During this Committee's first six months, it has accomplished the following:

The Committee established three goals: coordinate access to justice-related technology efforts; facilitate the statewide networking of legal services providers; and facilitate the development of public access to the justice system. It then developed an Equal Justice Communications and Technology Vision (Exhibit 20) that depicts the goal of interconnectivity through the effective uses of technology.

The Committee wrote and submitted a proposal to Microsoft Corporation for assistance in implementing this Vision.

Having identified the Internet as a critical avenue for improving communications, the Committee began to work with the WSBA Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee's Technology Subcommittee and the WSBA Technology staff to design and establish an ambitious Access to Justice "folder" on the existing WSBA Web Site. The Access to Justice folder will provide "one-stop shopping" for the bar and the public about substantive legal information, legal resources, volunteer opportunities, legislative updates and significant events.

Chair Judge Small was invited by the Supreme Court to participate in a JIS project to develop automated customer services, which is a goal of this Committee as well as an integral aspect of the Vision. Judge Small and Committee member Joan Kleinberg participated in the ABA/NLADA Conference on Innovations & Ethical Considerations in Hotlines, Technology & Pro Se Delivery in Dallas.

Committee member Robin Lester surveyed the Volunteer Attorney Legal Services Providers regarding their technology-related needs. This information is being used to identify an appropriate data base than can be used statewide, and to identify hardware and software needs which must be accommodated to develop the program interconnectivity contemplated by the Vision.

10. Telephone Access Committee: (Susan Daniel, Chair) This Committee was established in early 1995 in response to a Board of Governors' request for a recommendation about the advisability of a telephone advice hotline for moderate income people. After almost three years of work, this Committee will present its final Report and Recommendations to the Board of Governors at its January 1998 meeting (Exhibit 22). The Report strongly encourages the WSBA to play an active role in a statewide legal advice and referral hotline for the moderate income and proposes a range of five options for WSBA involvement. One of those options is the ATJ Board's original proposal, which would provide these services through an independent service provider, who would contract with the WSBA. The contractor would in turn finance the start-up of the project, provide malpractice coverage, and hire local experienced attorneys who would provide the legal advice at a set fee. The Washington Young Lawyers Division has agreed to establish low-fee referral panels throughout the state for those callers who qualify as moderate income and need direct representation, and the project will interface with CLEAR, which provides a range of services to low income clients.

After three full years of activity, the ATJ Board continues to successfully fulfill its mandate from this Court to provide "access to low and moderate income residents of the State of Washington in civil matters and further provide[s] an effective mechanism to coordinate, improve and advance civil access to justice for low and moderate income state residents." The ATJ Board is a nationally-recognized model, and this Court and the WSBA Board to Governors are to be commended for their vision and continuing support.

The ATJ Board had its first annual "retreat" in August 1997 at the Port of Seattle. The purpose of this retreat was to begin to plan how to make the best use of the Board's time and resources during its next four years under this Court's Order. The ATJ Board adopted the following Mission Statement:

To promote and facilitate equal access to justice in Washington State for low and moderate income people. In carrying out its goals and objectives, the Access to Justice Board is guided by the enabling Order of the Washington State Supreme Court, the Hallmarks of an Effective Statewide Civil Legal Services Delivery System and the ATJ Board's Statement of Principles and Goals.

The ATJ Board continues to welcome your feedback on its activities, and looks forward to continuing to expand its role in access to justice efforts in Washington State.

Very truly yours,
Paul L. Stritmatter, Chair
Access to Justice Board

cc:
Justice Gerry Alexander
Associate Chief Justice James Dolliver
Justice Richard Guy
Justice Charles Johnson
Justice Barbara Madsen
Justice Richard Sanders
Justice Charles Smith
Justice Philip Talmadge
WSBA President-Elect Wayne Blair
WSBA Governor Steve Crossland
WSBA Governor Richard Eymann
WSBA Governor Walter Krueger
WSBA Governor Dennis J. La Porte
WSBA Governor Terrence J. Lee
WSBA Governor Richard J. Manning
WSBA Governor Marijean E. Moschetto
WSBA Governor William H. Nielsen
WSBA Governor Donald N. Powell
WSBA Governor Mary Alice Theiler
WSBA Governor Lish Whitson
WSBA Interim Executive Director Pat Dieken