Washington · statute · Wash. Rev. Code ch. 2.50 · 16 active provisions
Legal aid is the rendition, without compensation, of professional services by an active member of the Washington State Bar Association to or for any indigent person unable to pay a reasonable attorney's fee determined in accordance with the established code of legal ethics.
The promotion of organized legal aid is hereby declared to be in the public interest.
The board of county commissioners (hereinafter called the county board) is empowered to find by resolution the existence of a necessity in such county for organized legal aid. Such resolution shall specify the amount of county funds thereby to be allocated for and expended in the operation of a legal aid bureau during…
A legal aid bureau (hereinafter called the bureau), is an agency for the rendition of organized legal aid to indigent persons resident in the county, consisting of one director, who shall be an attorney resident in the county, and who shall be in good standing and active membership in the Washington State Bar Associati…
Upon receipt of a certified copy of such resolution the bar board is empowered and, within sixty days thereafter, is obligated to create and continue a legal aid bureau as soon and as long as the necessary funds so allocated are made available by the county board, all expenditures for the bureau to be limited to county…
The legal aid county committee (hereinafter called the committee), if created and continued by resolution of the bar board, shall consist of three members chosen by the bar board as follows: A member of the bar board, who shall be chair, a judge of the superior court of the county, and an active member of the Washingto…
Among the powers to supervise the actual operation of any such bureau, which shall be exercised either by the bar board itself or in its discretion by the committee, are the following:(1) To appoint and remove at will the director and to fix the amount of his or her salary not in excess of two hundred dollars per month…
For the purpose of promoting organized legal aid, the bar board is empowered to receive and disburse, at its discretion, a nominal registration fee (not in excess of fifty cents), which it may require of legal aid applicants, and also donations in any sum of private funds.
No legal aid shall be rendered by or through any bureau as to any matter which, in the opinion of the director or the committee is not a proper subject of legal aid. No legal aid shall be given concerning matters relating to claims or litigation commonly handled on a contingent fee basis, nor to the defense of criminal…
No attorney's fee shall be charged to or received from any legal aid client as to any legal aid matter handled by or through the bureau. All attorneys' fees and court costs collected from any third party by the bureau in the name of any legal aid client shall become a part of the bureau's operation funds.
The county board in its discretion shall allocate funds for the purposes of the bureau from county funds available for public assistance and relief received from the levy of three mills as provided in section 17, chapter 180, Laws of 1937.
A city of any class or any code city may appropriate funds in any amount for the purposes of this chapter.
The county board is empowered to find by resolution the nonexistence of a necessity in such county for organized legal aid. Within ten days after the passage of such a resolution the county board shall cause a certified copy to be transmitted to the bar board. Upon receipt of a certified copy of such resolution the bar…
No county funds shall be expended for legal aid except in accordance with this chapter, but nothing in this chapter shall limit the powers of the Washington State Bar Association, or its board of governors, to promote or render legal aid independent of county financial support.
The provisions of section 6 of chapter 180 of the Laws of 1937 shall not be applicable to a bureau or a committee as authorized by this chapter, or to the bar board or the Washington State Bar Association.
The provisions of this chapter are not exclusive. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as placing a limitation on the establishment of alternative methods or systems for providing legal aid. Counties are hereby authorized to expend county funds for the establishment of such methods or systems of providing legal a…