We introduced LCYC’s new Virtual Lawyering Program when it first began in April through a blog post. This article provides additional insights and updates from the staff attorneys expanding legal services for young people through this program!
“Who says we can’t?”
That is one of the mottos that Chach Duarte White lives and works by. While this sometimes leads to trouble, more often it leads to brilliant innovation such as LCYC’s new virtual lawyering program, VLAW.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly changed the working environment and landscape of nearly all professions, we all had to adapt to a new way of working and living. One of the early shifts LCYC experienced was when court hearings moved to a virtual format, requiring attorneys and the young people they support to coordinate over phone and video calls. Through this process, Chach couldn’t help but think “Why can’t we do this all the time?” as the benefits of a more flexible, youth-centered approach to legal aid began to take shape before her eyes.
The idea for VLAW came with two obvious benefits, the first being that today’s youth are a technology-first generation, and the second being that virtual legal aid allows Washington state lawyers to serve counties that they normally would not be able to reach due to time and distance required to travel across the state.
In Chach’s words: “Youth are better at technology than everyone else, and we need to meet them where they are. Law has been so techno-phobic and archaic when it comes to technology. We could serve more clients if we change the way we serve.”
With the support of donors and nimble foundational funders including the Raikes Foundation, Ballmer Group, Giddens Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, VLAW was launched in July of 2020. As a pilot program, VLAW was started small and with intention, focusing on Clark County where Chach had begun to establish relationships with community partners.
“We are going where no one has gone before”
John Salois was hired as the first VLAW Staff Attorney last July. In his fifteen years of practicing poverty law, John has worked across a span of states, age groups, and areas of expertise, making him the perfect fit for this uncharted territory of virtual lawyering. In John’s words: “we are going where no one has gone before.”
While the original plan was to focus on Clark County, the reality is that youth move between counties and across state lines. One of the biggest challenges and rewards for John has been learning the different processes, rules, and procedures of each court in each county. In one case, John helped a single youth navigate across five different counties and four different agencies.
Still, John feels energized by the work and the opportunity for expansion of access to justice for youth. “Washington is such a huge rural state, but there are so many youth out there that we can reach who do not have access to an attorney”, said John.
“We are pushing envelope across civil legal aid and changing the model”
LCYC sees the potential for the model of VLAW to extend beyond COVID-19 and far beyond a single attorney. “We are pushing envelope across civil legal aid and changing the model”, said Chach. “My hope is that someday, in every kid’s school box, there will be a number like the suicide prevention line that says, ‘do you need to talk to a lawyer?’”
While VLAW has proven to be particularly effective for serving youth, LCYC hopes this innovation pushes the justice system at-large to reimagine how technology can play a role in better meeting the needs of all people in need of legal support.
With the support of a soon-to-launch pro-bono program, LCYC plans to expand our footprint and reach more communities across the state, providing a combination of both virtual and in-person support. Chach’s bottom line: “Show, up, tell us what you need help with, and we will try and help you. We are not dealing with the issue; we are dealing with the whole person.”