December 2003

Opportunities for Service

Washington State ATJ Board Announces Vacancies

Application deadline: December 31, 2003

The Washington State Access to Justice (ATJ) Board announces two vacancies, effective May 2004: (1) for a lay member, and (2) for a representative from the statewide staffed legal-services programs.
 
The Washington State Supreme Court established the ATJ Board in 1994 to ensure access for low- and moderate-income Washington residents to the civil justice system through high-quality legal services. In November 2000, the Supreme Court issued an order making the ATJ Board permanent, and providing that beginning with the next vacancy(ies), "not less than one nor more than two members of the Board shall be a non-attorney."
 
The ATJ Board consists of nine members, including four at-large members selected on the basis of a demonstrated commitment to, and familiarity with, access-to-justice issues. Board members may serve up to two three-year terms. The ATJ Board has full-day meetings approximately seven times per year, usually in Seattle. Expenses are reimbursed.
 
The ATJ Board has become a nationally recognized model as a result of its effectiveness in developing, coordinating, and implementing statewide initiatives to improve access to civil legal services for the unrepresented and underrepresented populations in Washington state. Examples of these initiatives include: implementing a comprehensive Plan for the Delivery of Civil Legal Services to Low-Income People in Washington State, which utilizes innovative technology for program support and client services; convening of annual ATJ conferences; supporting strategies to increase funding for civil equal justice; and removing systemic barriers for low- and moderate-income people to the justice system.
 
The ATJ Board strives to have a membership that reflects ethnic, gender, geographic, and other diversity. Interested individuals may apply by sending a letter and summary of qualifications to Executive Director, WSBA, 2101 Fourth Ave., Ste. 400, Seattle, WA 98121-2330. For more detailed information about the ATJ Board, please contact Joan Fairbanks, WSBA justice programs manager, at 206-727-8282 or joanf@wsba.org; or visit the ATJ Board website at www.wsba.org/atj.

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