Eastside Legal Assistance Program

News + Events

Here you will find updates on our programs and services as well as information about our upcoming events.

Updates
Eastside Community Aid Thrift Shop Grant
Funding restored
Program updates
Law clinic
Reports
Annual Report for 2008
Annual Report for 2009
Events
Free Legal Consultation Clinics
2009 EKCBA Holiday Gala - ELAP Silent Auction
2009 Annual Spring luncheon

ELAP recipient of Eastside Community Aid Thrift Shop Grant

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) received a grant for $5,000 to support ELAP's legal aid work to low-income survivors of domestic violence. ELAP will use this generous grant from the Eastside Community Aid Thrift Shop to recruit and train additional volunteers to meet the rising demands for legal assistance in King County. Follow this link to view the entire story.

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King County Council Restores Funding for ELAP's Domestic Violence Legal Program for 2010!

Through an amendment to the King County 2010 budget, the King County Council has restored funding for domestic violence programs including ELAP’s Domestic Violence Legal Aid Program. During these difficult economic times this decision by the Council recognizes the critical needs of women and children suffering from abuse. Further violence and homelessness will be averted for many victims because of the Council’s decision to restore critical legal aid.

ELAP will be able to continue in 2010 advice clinics for survivors of domestic violence, provide brief services, direct representation, self-help workshops and consultations for obtaining protection orders and addressing custody issues.

ELAP would like to thank the many supporters of legal aid to low-income survivors of domestic violence for giving testimony on the essential nature of ELAP’s services. You made this possible!

ELAP also thanks the King County Council for hearing our pleas to restore this critical and essential funding, at time when it is most needed.


Below is a letter from the Alliance for Equal Justice:

Dear Friends,

We have some good news - the Alliance for Equal Justice legal aid programs that were zeroed out in the King County Executive Budget had their funding nearly fully restored! Eastside Legal Assistance Program, Solid Ground's Family Assistance Program, the Unemployment Law Project, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the King County Law Library all received funding at roughly last year's levels. Unfortunately, TeamChild did not see their 25% cut restored, but 75% of their funding was protected.

All in all, this is a positive result for the Alliance and the people we serve. Thousands of families struggling to survive poverty in King County will get legal assistance to protect their basic needs. We appreciate that the County Council recognized the critical services provided by legal aid programs, but we are also cognizant that many other important services (many of which serve our clients) did not have their funding restored.

THANK YOU to all of you who took action on our alerts, testified at the hearings, or wrote letters and made phone calls in support of legal aid funding. We could not have done it without your help!

Sincerely,

Eastside Legal Assistance Program,
Solid Ground's Family Assistance Program,
The Unemployment Law Project,
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project,
TeamChild,
The King County Law Library, and
The Equal Justice Coalition

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Program Updates - July, 2009

Click here to view the mid-year "ELAP Facts and Figures 2009".

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Angeline House Law Clinic Opens

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) has launched a new monthly general law clinic at Angeline House, a day shelter for women. This is part of the shared collaboration with the Bellevue YWCA, the First Congregation Church in Bellevue, and ELAP. Once per month women who drop into the day shelter can receive free legal advice from ELAP volunteer attorneys. The attorneys who will ultimately cover this clinic are new to ELAP and are current Microsoft employees. These volunteers were recruited by our Vice President, Judy Jennison, and are being mentored by our seasoned volunteer attorney, Paula Miller. This clinic is the second one recently added in ELAP's efforts to go where the clients are located.

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2008 Annual Report

The 2008 Eastside Legal Assistance Program is currently available for review.

 Click here to download the report.

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2009 Annual Report

The 2009 Eastside Legal Assistance Program is currently available for review.

 Click here to download the report.

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Free Legal Consultation Clinics

Eastside Legal Assistance Program, a nonprofit that provides free and low-cost legal services in King County, announced that its volunteer attorneys are offering a free legal consultation clinic at the Kirkland/Northshore Hopelink. The clinics, which are designed to help low-income residents of east King County understand and assess civil legal issues, will take place twice a month.

“They definitely help low income people who have nowhere else to turn and cannot afford an attorney,” said volunteer attorney Paula Miller of the clinics. She said that ELAP holds general advice clinics like this on a regular basis, but that this is the first time that it will do so at the new Northshore/Kirkland Hopelink. According to ELAP’s annual report, in 2009, over 800 people received legal advice through clinics and workshops offered by the nonprofit in the Seattle area.

At the clinic in March, two attorneys will donate a total of four half hour appointments for low-income residents of the area. They will be able to provide advice about all civil legal matters and refer clients to other sources if possible.

For more information or to make an appointment, call Eastside Legal Assistance at (425)747-7274.

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Annual ELAP/EKCBA Luncheon Honors Volunteers

Many thanks to all of our volunteers and friends who came to our annual ELAP/EKCBA luncheon in May. Judy Jennison, ELAP Vice President, was awarded Volunteer of the Year. Judy has been outstanding in her service as a board member, fundraiser, and volunteer recruiter. Honorable Mentions for volunteerism were also awarded to our wonderful volunteers, Paula Miller and Perry Warbrick.

Photos from the Spring Luncheon

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2009 EKCBA Holiday Gala and ELAP Silent Auction

Many thanks for all those who attended the annual party on December 10th at the Parlor Billiards in Bellevue. ELAP raised over $1,500 from all who participated in the Silent Auction. ELAP has extended the auction to January 31, 2010 as a result of some very compelling late arrivals. Please take a moment to visit the Silent Auction page and place your bid!

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