The impact of pro bono legal help on a client’s life is immeasurable. Volunteer lawyer programs and legal aid organizations are a safety net for those with nowhere else to turn. Accessible legal help fueled by compassionate and driven legal professionals empowers clients to navigate our often-confusing legal system and accomplish goals that have long-lasting impacts on their safety, stability, and overall well-being. In honor of Celebrate Pro Bono week (Oct. 21-27, 2018), we will highlight pro bono attorneys who dedicate time, skill, and compassion to serving those in their communities who need it most. Keep checking back throughout the month of October to learn more about what motivates and inspires the pro bono attorneys we are so thankful for.

Chelsie Elliott

Who: Chelsie Elliott is a private practice family law attorney in Vancouver, Washington. She has been practicing for three years with Navigate Law Group, a 10-attorney full service law firm that focuses on increasing access to justice for those who traditionally cannot afford legal help.

What: Chelsie volunteers at least once each month at Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program family law clinics. She co-developed a monthly courthouse-based family law clinic, a monthly “Lawyer Talk” clinic at the public library, and a program that organizes attorney volunteers to draft orders during hearings for pro se litigants. She volunteers for all of those programs as well. She serves as the Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee Southwest Region Representative and has been involved with the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Access to Legal Services.

Why: Chelsie feels most rewarded when a pro bono client is successful because of her advice. She believes deeply in the impact that pro bono service can have on a client’s livelihood, safety, and stability. She credits her on-going commitment to pro bono service in part to her legal education at Gonzaga University School of Law where she was a very active volunteer with the Moderate Means Program and the Spokane Volunteer Lawyers Program. Go Zags!

In her own words: “The law isn’t intuitive. If you don’t do it everyday, you won’t know the processes and procedures. You can’t watch a youtube video to figure it out, like you can with most things.”