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On August 27, Attorney General Rob McKenna announced that the Legal Foundation of Washington (LFW) has been selected to receive $13 million over the next several years to fund legal representation to prevent foreclosures and ameliorate the ongoing legal impacts of the foreclosure crisis on Washington families and communities.   

 

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DEFERRED ACTION PROGRAM FOR "DREAMERS": WHAT IT IS AND WHAT THE ALLIANCE IS DOING ABOUT IT
ARTICLE BY JORGE BARÓN, NORTHWEST IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROJECT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

 

On June 15, President Obama announced a significant change in immigration policy affecting tens of thousands of individuals in our state and as many as a million people throughout the country.  The President announced that his administration would grant a form of temporary protection, known as deferred action, to undocumented individuals who came to the United States at a young age and meet specific criteria.   The granting of deferred action means that the federal government would not be pursuing deportation proceedings against these individuals and that they would be eligible to obtain authorization to work and a social security number.  The President's original announcement indicated that the immigration agency in charge of the program (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS) would begin accepting applications for this new initiative on August 15 and that has indeed happened. 

 

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Related Links:

 

*  Kirkland Family Finds New Hope In Obama's 'Dreamer' Policy
July 30, 2012, KUOW, Liz Jones  

 

*  Undocumented 'Dreamers' Focus Of Statewide Forums

August 2, 2012, KUOW, Liz Jones


 * Young Immigrants, in America Illegally, Line Up for Reprieve
August 13, 2012, NY Times, Julia Preston


LABOR COUNCIL 2012 PRESIDENT'S AWARD TO DAN FORD, CLS, NJP

The Washington State Labor Council AFL-CIO presented the 2012 President's Award to Columbia Legal Services' Dan Ford for his lifetime of achievement and dedicated advocacy on behalf of farm workers at the Labor Council's Convention Banquet on August 8th in Wenatchee.  Columbia Legal Services and the Northwest Justice Project were each also presented with a President's award in recognition of their ongoing farm worker advocacy and for being "invaluable coalition partners in the struggle for farm worker justice."  

 

Central Labor Council President Jeff Johnson cited Dan Ford's numerous achievements on behalf of farm workers during his more than 30 year career, including the landmark Bravo decision, recognizing the right of farmworkers to organize in order to improve their working conditions, and the Rios decision, which required the state to implement a health monitoring program for pesticide handlers.  In recognizing CLS and NJP, President Johnson noted the deeply ingrained commitment to high quality, passionate legal representation on behalf of the farm worker community by both CLS and NJP.   Michele Besso, NJP Farm Worker Unit Senior Attorney, expressed her appreciation for the award and cited the State Labor Council's critically important history and track record of working to protect farm workers, among the most vulnerable workers in Washington: "The Labor Council has been a consistent voice seeking to ensure that safe working conditions and health needs of farm workers are addressed."  

 


The Goldmark Award is presented during the Legal Foundation of Washington's annual luncheon to recognize the exceptional vision, leadership and creativity in the provision of meaningful access to the civil justice system for Washington's most vulnerable residents. Nominations for the award are due by September 7, 2012. For more information, please click on the image above.

PLAIN LANGUAGE FAMILY LAW COURT FORMS
ARTICLE BY CHARLES R. DYER, PROGRAM MANAGER, PRO SE PROJECT 

 

In the October 2011 Equal Justice Coalition Online Newsletter, I reported at length on the development of plain language court forms in Washington State by the Access to Justice Board's Pro Se Project. ("Pro Se" is the term for a litigant who appears in a court case without a lawyer.)  At the time, we were concerned whether funding would be found to maintain the Project. I am most happy to report that the Project has received significant support and is progressing rapidly.

 
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