Council on Public Legal Education Kicks Off

Seattle, Washington — The Council on Public Legal Education (PLE) held its inaugural meeting Tuesday, February 29, 2000 at the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) office in Seattle. More than 40 educators, civic leaders, media representatives, lawyers and judges met to discuss the state of public legal education in Washington and obstacles to such education. Guided by the belief that knowledge of the justice system is essential for residents to function effectively in our democracy, the Council discussed ways to provide legal education to all Washington residents, from children to senior citizens.

Co-chaired by Judge Marlin Appelwick of the State Court of Appeals and former Superintendent of Public Instruction Judith Billings, the PLE Council will act as an umbrella organization or clearinghouse for programs delivering legal and civic education to Washington residents. Appelwick told Council members their primary task should be taking knowledge of the law and courts to the people.

Following the meeting, The Honorable Vicki Toyohara of the Office of Administrative Hearings said, "…The work charged to the PLE Council will fill a great void in our educational system, our justice system, and in our society — to get our youth and adult citizens reconnected to our civics foundation of our society; to open the doors of knowledge and thus access to our legal system and the principles of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I look forward to being a part of the Council and its mission."

The Council is developing programs which will include materials and curriculum for kindergarten through college, adult education programs, and programs directed to special needs populations. "We are not born knowing how to live in a democracy. That is a learned skill. …We take for granted that everyone knows how to live in democracy, but we have to teach them," said State Board of Education and PLE Council member Bobbie May.

The PLE Council was formed out of the PLE Workgroup, which began meeting in November 1998. The Workgroup was formed to develop and implement a law-related education vision for Washington in response to recommendations from the 1997 and 1998 Access to Justice Conferences. Representatives from the education and legal communities, civic organizations and media once a month for nine months to develop a plan for the delivery of public legal education. Their mission was to develop a comprehensive plan to educate and to involve the people of Washington in the law and the legal system.

The ultimate goal of the Workgroup was to demonstrate the compelling need for public legal education. The Council formed from the Workgroup will prioritize and implement the recommendations contained in the PLE Workgroup Final Report.

Currently, the PLE Council is housed within the Washington State Bar Association. Attorney Laurie T. Rosenfeld is the Public Legal Education Manager for the PLE Council. Attorney-educator Margaret Fisher serves as an advisor to the Council.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 25,000 lawyers. The Washington State Bar Association both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, it administers the bar examination, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. As a professional association, it provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.