$600k will fund new legal aid clinics to assist Native communities and train law students
Tribal communities throughout Northwest Washington will have greater access to legal aid thanks to an innovative partnership between Skagit Legal Aid (SLA) and Seattle University School of Law’s Center for Indian Law and Policy (CILP). Made possible by a recently awarded grant from the Legal Foundation of Washington, the two organizations have formulated a three-year plan to significantly enhance and sustain tribal legal aid infrastructure.
“Together with Seattle U Law and the Center for Indian Law and Policy, our approach at Skagit Legal Aid is deeply rooted in an understanding of the specific cultural contexts and challenges faced by tribal communities,” said SLA director Andy Dugan. “We aim to provide not only immediate legal aid but also long-term empowerment and legal healing, viewing our collective role as both advocates and partners in their journey toward justice.”
“There is a huge need for legal services among tribal members that is not being met,” said Brooke Pinkham, staff director of CILP. “The goal is to create a visible, reliable, and supportive presence in Native communities, helping to transform the historical role that attorneys have played in colonization.”
The primary objective is to bolster existing legal services within the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community by providing comprehensive civil legal representation in Swinomish Tribal Court. With grant funding totaling $600,000 over three years, the initiative will increase overall capacity to provide free legal services through the following:
- Support and expand new work with the Makah Tribe — A new monthly in-person legal clinic on the Makah Reservation will strengthen efforts to represent tribal community members in civil legal proceedings in this community near Neah Bay in the Northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula.
- Establish a Coast Salish Tribal Court Practice Clinic — This critical educational and service effort allows Seattle U Law students to represent clients — under the supervision of experienced attorneys — in tribal courts, providing practical experience while enhancing legal support for tribal members. Comprehensive legal services will be offered in areas including family law, housing, hunting/fishing violations, will and estate planning, and federal Indian law issues.
- Hire a director of Tribal Legal Services — Housed at SLA, this position will supervise law clerks and law student externs assigned by Seattle U Law and the Coast Salish Tribal Court Practice Clinic, specifically focusing on the Swinomish and Makah Tribal Courts, but will also include other tribal communities.
- Develop a legal framework to enhance tribal community services — This includes creating a network of volunteer attorneys and law students to provide specialized legal services, advocating for enhanced access to counsel, and integrating services that address the broader social, economic, and cultural context of clients, to include legal clinics and workshops that aim to educate tribal members about their legal rights and services available, empowering them to advocate for themselves and their communities.
“Our strategy is grounded in consistent engagement, deep listening, and authentic interaction. We understand that trust develops over time through genuine connection and by responding to the community’s expressed needs and values,” Dugan said.
SLA and CILP have both worked extensively in and with tribal communities around the region. Together they created a tribal law externship last year that enables qualified law students to work with SLA, gaining valuable real-world experience with tribal issues while earning academic credit.
About Skagit Legal Aid
Skagit Legal Aid expands access to the civil justice system for historically underserved communities and eliminates barriers that perpetuate injustice, poverty and racism.
It exclusively serves low-income people across the Skagit Valley and islands of the Salish Sea with free legal help in legal areas including: housing; family law; consumer debt; advanced planning documents; post-conviction support; immigration; and general civil legal issues.
About the Center for Indian Law and Policy at Seattle U Law
For more than a decade, the Center for Indian Law and Policy has made Indigenous law a focal point by delivering an array of educational programs, services, and opportunities for law students, tribes, tribal citizens, and attorneys. It endeavors to ensure tribal history, law, and government are an integral part of every student’s legal education and it is committed to developing powerful advocates prepared to serve tribes and tribal communities.