YWCA Among Partners Recognized for Free Latinx Legal Clinic
Collaboration among nonprofits leads to innovation
Our LatinX Legal Day program has received the 2020 APEX Legal Innovation Award! This program is a quarterly law clinic that creates a safe space specifically for the underserved latinx community in Clark County. Our partners in the clinic include Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program, SW WA LULAC, and Latino Community Resource Group.
The APEX awards are presented annually by the Washington State Bar Assn. Awardees are outstanding individuals, organizations, and collaborations in Washington for contributions to the legal community. We are excited to receive this award, and honored that we have been able to serve over 650 clients since 2017 with our free latinx services.
In speaking with WSBA President Rajeev Mujamdar and President-elect Kyle Sciuchetti,we were told our work has been ahead of the curve. While racial equity is a trending topic right now, the groups involved in creating the legal clinic have been actively addressing the inequities we see in our community for years. The legal clinic is but one of many examples of this work.
Awards committee sees need for safe space for latinx
The innovation award recognizes "legal professionals, law firms, courts, law schools, individuals, or organizations who demonstrate leadership in promoting innovation in the practice of law," the bar association website says. "Innovation may be defined as programs, processes, or technology that advance or streamline the future of the profession and accessibility/delivery of legal services."In announcing its selection, the awards committee "was impressed with the collaborative efforts made to hold a law clinic that creates a safe space specifically for the underserved latinx community in Clark County."We thank the Washington State Bar Assn. for honoring our work with this award, and YWCA thanks our partners for having the courage and vision to create such a valuable resource for those of latinx heritage in Clark County.