PRO BONO OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer lawyers are the backbone of our organization! We simply would not be having an impact without the generosity of the legal community from private law firms, corporate legal departments, solo practitioners and more. Most of our pro bono lawyers have no prior criminal law experience. This particular area of post-conviction work allows lawyers from a variety of different backgrounds to engage in our work and the Seattle Clemency Project provides training and support throughout the process.
Seattle Clemency Project is grateful to the talented and generous pro bono lawyers who join in our effort to bring greater equity and mercy to the criminal justice system in Washington.
Seattle Clemency Project client, Sok, with his pro bono lawyers, Mallory and Tom, after successful clemency hearing
“As a defense attorney, I think about over incarceration and the criminal justice system a lot. Pro bono work is a tangible way to respond to these issues. Working with SCP was a way to learn about what it actually means to be incarcerated for life and the journey that a human being goes through. You see the ability of people to change and transform their lives. It is a rare and unique opportunity.”
– Rachel Herd, Associate at Davis Wright Tremaine and SCP Board Member
Mallory Webster
Cara Wallace
The most powerful moment of associate Mallory Webster’s pro bono work with SCP occurred when her client stood to present his own story to the board. Her client was a refugee who had committed a crime at age 19, served time, and lived a reformed life for a decade after release. But he faced deportation to a country he had never known because of changes in immigration enforcement. At this moment, she felt the full weight of all the decisions her team had made to shape their case. She thought about what the ruling would mean to her client, his family, and the entire refugee community. Ultimately, her client’s deportation order was terminated. “It’s fulfilling to help someone who needs legal representation get justice.”
For associate Cara Wallace, pro bono representation offered the opportunity to lead a new type of case. “We took charge of representation, identified a strategy to make the case, presented to the board and did a lot of outreach,” she said. Cara appreciated the support that SCP provided to help her through this process, including vetting, initial interviews and assembling a case file. SCP also coordinated with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project to add their expertise in immigration law to Cara’s case. “I loved the work. Helping people is why I went to law school.”
