Giving Back
Divorce Litigation Partners celebrates the bounty of our lives by sharing it with others! We recognize the need for low and no cost family law services and volunteer our time with several organizations. We partner with the below public interest, non-profit groups to give back to our community.
Northwest Justice Project – we staff their legal clinic one night each month. Our typical client is a non-english speaking or a special needs or disabled client who has children and is the victim of domestic violence. These are mostly straight-forward divorces, usually, but not always, for mothers with young children. Many are living in domestic violence shelters when they visit us at the clinic. All the work is done on site, while the clients are present. Many clients make between 2 and 4 visits to the clinic. We draft documents and give advice but we cannot represent them in Court. Luckily, in most cases the petitions are not opposed and the batterers do not hire lawyers. Northwest Justice Project has a HUGE library of free legal documents and step by step advice for people trying to access the Family Law Courts. https://nwjustice.org/
King County Bar Association Family Violence Program- is the only program in King County that supplies attorneys to civil litigants who cannot afford to hire counsel. Attorney agree to represent the client beginning to end at no charge to the client. Clients are screened and must be at or below the poverty threshold and have children who are considered at risk of domestic violence. We have one client through this program. We have donated over 100 hours this year alone for this program and expect to give another 100 hours before year end. This work is very rewarding because we use all of our skills and resources to get financial security and physical safety to parents and children who have been directly injured by domestic violence. http://www.kcba.org/For-the-Public/Free-Legal-Assistance/Family-Law-Mentor-Program
King County Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinic – The name says it all here. King County Bar Association maintains 7 free weekly law clinics. Recipients are not screened for income standards. Our clients are common, everyday people with legal questions. Anyone may schedule a free 30 minute consultation with an attorney in a variety of legal fields such as Family Law, Estate Planning, Business Law and Probate This is a great way to stay in touch with our own communities and meet lawyers from other practice areas. When we meet with clients we give advice, draft documents and make referrals to other lawyers. We staff the neighborhood legal clinic one night each month. http://www.kcba.org/For-the-Public/Free-Legal-Assistance/Neighborhood-Legal-Clinics
Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) is our fun weekend volunteer project for the whole office. LIHI provides quality, safe low-cost and no-cost house housing for low income Seattle residents. Right now LIHI is building tiny houses for homeless people, hoping to clear out the tents that seem to be everywhere in Seattle. The tiny homes are really tiny, usually 6 feet by 10 feet. They have electricity and heat. The homes are grouped on vacant lots around a community bathroom and kitchen. A social worker in on site to help transition homeless people from the street, into tiny houses and then into permanent housing. Residents typically stay in the tiny homes from a few weeks to up to 6 months. Many people transitioning through tiny homes haven’t live indoors in many years. The opportunity to sleep in a safe dry bed and to lock their door for privacy each night is what most residents appreciate most. https://lihi.org/