Information for:


Seattle University School of Law

Seattle University Youth Initiative

The School of Law is committed to joining with our university community in engaging in the Youth Initiative. Our goals for our engagement include:

  • Meet actual community needs that we are capable of meeting, while giving students, faculty, staff, and alumni an opportunity to serve;
  • Building upon partnerships we already have with community organizations;
  • Provide leadership development opportunities for law students; and
  • Provide opportunities for law students to learn about inclusion, diversity and cross-difference competence.

Overarching our goals is a priority of initially establishing a relationship with the community.  To appropriately and effectively engage our community, we need to build trust which may not initially involve legal-related activities. People do not often realize they have a legal problem or have legal rights unless they are in relationship with someone who can help them identify legal issues and when/how to get assistance, or until they are faced with a dire situation like eviction or bankruptcy. 

Our Law School SUYI Advisory Board has set out these goals and this priority to ensure that the law school engages in a thoughtful and strategic way.  The board includes the following individuals:

Students:
Quinn Dennehy, 1L
Laura Baird, 2L
Andre Chevalier, 3L
Andrea Oliver, 2L

Faculty:
Natasha Martin

Staff:
Diana Singleton (Chair)
Brendan Taga
Celeste Miller

Alumni:
Shanthi Raghu '09
Jeni Garber '10
Emily Gause, '11

Some ways that the law school is currently participating in the Seattle University Youth Initiative include:

Citizenship class

  • In collaboration with Neighborhood House, every week, SU law school students teach a citizenship class or tutor students at the Yesler Terrace Community Center. Immigrants, many who are Limited English Proficiency, receive support as they study for the civics exam which is part of the citizenship application process. 
  • This program allows you to meet and work with nearby members of the community, gain skills in cross-cultural and cross-difference communication, and to learn about the U.S. process of citizenship through naturalization.
  • Any law student who wants to help immigrants successfully naturalize can volunteer.
  • Contact Maria to apply! To get involved, please send a short one or two paragraph statement about yourself and why you want to participate to Maria Leininger at leining1@seattleu.edu.

Afterschool Chess Club at Bailey Gatzert

  • In collaboration with Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, SU law students play chess with elementary school students.
  • This program helps fill the afterschool program needs of low-income neighborhood families, strengthen ties between Seattle University and the local community, and give elementary students the chance to engage in a fun and challenging enrichment activity.
  • Any law student who wants to make a positive impact on kids through playing (or learning to play) chess can volunteer
  • Contact Derik to apply! To get involved, please send a short one or two paragraph statement about yourself, why you want to participate, and whether you want to commit to teaching and coaching chess or "tutoring" to Derik Campos at camposd@seattleu.edu.

Youth Advocacy Clinic

  • Working with attorneys from The Defender Association (a King County public defense law firm) and under the supervision of Clinic faculty, students represent clients charged as offenders in Juvenile Court. Students learn essential lawyering skills of interviewing, counseling, case planning, and advocacy. 

Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington Juvenile Records Sealing Clinic

  • SYLAW collaborates with pro bono attorneys and law student volunteers from the University of Washington School of Law and Seattle University School of Law to provide free assistance to individuals trying to seal their juvenile records in King and Snohomish County.  The clinic is held once a month from October to May.

If you have any questions about the law school's engagement in the Youth Initiative, please contact Diana Singleton, Director at the Access to Justice Institute, at singletd@seattleu.edu.

For more information, check out the Seattle Univeristy Youth Initiative Website.