“I have a number of friends who are ac-
tive or retired military. As an attorney, I
have certain skills. I thought, why not use
these skills to help?” Premak appreciated
the Day of Service model. “My partner
and I were both relatively new attorneys.
Having a mentor there was an excellent
resource.” The most impactful part of
the day for him was the sense of fulfill-
ment he experienced in helping a client
with her parenting plan. “I sat down and
helped work out a big issue with someone
in their life so that they can move forward
instead of being stuck. That feels good.”
While WA Assistant Attorney Gener-
al Bruce Turcott has done pro bono work
in the past on behalf of organizations, the
Day of Service was the first time he par-
ticipated in pro bono work on behalf of an
individual or served veterans. Of these
new experiences, he says, “I felt it was a
good opportunity to volunteer services
to veterans because I was aware there
was an unmet need.” He continues, “I
felt I was able to provide real assistance.
I hope to see more Days of Service in the
near future and have the opportunity to
assist more veterans.”
Get Involved
The WSBA’s next Day of Service will
take place in November to coincide with
Veteran’s Day. Since February, 185 people have taken the WSBA Call to Duty
Pledge. If you are interested in learning
how you can serve veterans, take the
pledge today. There have been five Lunch
and Learn webinars between February
and August. To view upcoming webinars
and to view to any past webinars, as well
as a link to the pledge, visit wsba.org/
calltoduty. N WL
Bina Hanchinamani Ellefsen
served as the
project lead for
the Access to
Justice Board
and WSBA’s
Public Service and
Diversity programs. Prior to working at the WSBA, she represented
immigrants and refugees as a staff
attorney at Northwest Immigrant
Rights Project. She can be reached
at binahe@gmail.com.
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