Access to Justice Institute

In 1999, Seattle University School of Law deepened its commitment to its mission of social justice by opening the Access to Justice Institute. What started as a think tank style consortium on social justice evolved into a center of legal activism. The Institute is now directed by a former civil legal aid attorney and staffed by a powerful team of lawyers with extensive public interest backgrounds.

The mission of the Institute is to inspire all law students towards a lifelong commitment to equal justice. In serving as a focal point of social justice, the Institute connects students to public interest opportunities that fulfill unmet legal needs, facilitates advocacy and legal skills training, hosts social justice forums and events, counsels students in public interest career exploration, and collaborates with local, state and national efforts to promote equal justice.

The Institute staff assists students individually by:

• Providing information and guidance concerning the Law School’s social justice programs and helping them develop a plan for gaining the legal skills and experiences necessary for a lifetime in law at the service of justice, regardless of where their career paths take them.

• Counseling students in public interest career exploration in collaboration with the Center for Professional Development’s services and programs.

• Connecting students to public interest volunteer opportunities with non-profit, government and private law firm partners, which target important unmet legal needs and allow students to hone practical skills such as client counseling, legal writing, and case preparation and management.

The Institute takes the lead in developing law student volunteer opportunities with nonprofit, government, and private law firm partners, locally and abroad. In developing these opportunities, the Institute acts as the bridge by helping providers identify ways to best utilize law student volunteers while supporting law students to ensure their experience is valuable.

Visit the Law Student's Guide to Finding Social Justice for additional information about public interest opportunities at SU Law.

Please note that the Access to Justice Institute does not provide legal services. If you are low-income and have a non-criminal legal problem outside King County, call CLEAR at 1-888-201-1014 weekdays 9:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., and Tuesdays 3:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. If you are low-income and have a non-criminal legal problem in King County, call the Northwest Justice Project at (206) 464-1519 or visit Washington Law Help to find out what resources are available in King County. If you are age 60 and over, regardless of county, you may call CLEAR Sr. at 1-888-387-7111. If you are not low income, call your local Bar Association for a referral.

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