Vote Chris Lanese for access to justice

Throughout my career, access to justice has been one of my primary priorities. Financial circumstances should not be a barrier to justice through our courts. It is critically important that we elect judges who have a demonstrated commitment to access to justice.

Chris Lanese has been a committed leader on access to justice issues at the state and county level. As a member of the State Bar’s Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee, he drafted a new court rule that eliminated financial barriers to our court system for indigent individuals and created a new program allowing retired attorneys to perform pro bono work. As a member of the Supreme Court’s Civil Legal Needs Study Update Committee, Chris helped author a landmark report identifying where our legal aid system is failing our most vulnerable. As Chair of the Thurston County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Section, Chris is spearheading a new effort to make more pro bono attorneys available to low income families.

Chris has also personally provided thousands of hours of pro bono work in domestic violence, family law, and civil rights cases. His demonstrated commitment to access to justice is one of the many reasons why every judge who has endorsed a candidate in his race — including every Supreme Court Justice and ten former Thurston County Superior and District Court Judges — is supporting Chris.

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Vote Chris Lanese for access to justice."