Elizabeth Baldwin

Biography

Elizabeth Baldwin teaches Legal Writing I: Legal Writing, Skills, and Values, as well as Immigration Law. Before joining the faculty at Seattle University School of Law, Professor Baldwin was a Senior Attorney at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the leading international nongovernmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. Professor Baldwin's practice at KIND centered on child welfare proceedings in Washington state courts, removal proceedings in immigration court, and affirmative applications for immigration benefits and humanitarian relief at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). She also mentored pro bono teams and gave trainings and presentations to various community stakeholders, including the judiciary, on topics related to removal defense for children. Before working at KIND, Professor Baldwin spent nearly 11 years at the University of Washington School of Law as a writing advisor and lecturer, teaching introductory and advanced courses on legal analysis, research, and writing across programs (M.J., J.D., LL.M., and Ph.D.). Professor Baldwin began her legal career by clerking for nearly 2 years at the Washington State Court of Appeals, followed by serving as the Children's Coordinator at KIND's predecessor organization, Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice (VAIJ).

Professor Baldwin earned a BA from the University of Oregon Honors College, an MA in Applied Linguistics from Columbia University's Teachers College, and her JD magna cum laude from Seattle University School of Law, where she was a Research and Technical Editor for the Law Review. During law school, Professor Baldwin was also a Legal Advocate at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP).

Professor Baldwin's scholarship has focused on how discourse analysis and contrastive rhetoric can inform legal writing instruction for foreign-trained lawyers seeking to write for U.S. audiences. Her forthcoming work draws from her experience and expertise in child welfare and immigration removal defense for children. She is also an engaged member of the local professional community, serving on the Washington State Task Force on Unaccompanied Children (UCTaF) and its Policy and Legislative Action Subcommittee. She was also the Chair of the UCTaF subcommittee that fully revised and updated the Washington State Court Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification Bench Book and Resource Guide in 2024. She was also a member of the Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono and Public Service Committee from 2022 to 2024, rejoining the Committee in 2025. In her personal time, she remains committed to pro bono immigration cases.