The Washington state legislature has passed a new law intended to help former prisoners re-enter society. Without affecting restitution to victims, HB 1169 eliminates some mandatory fees that can often be a counter-productive burden for those who are trying to get their lives back on track.
You can read the entire story HERE.
The Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) is offering free one-hour consultations with family law attorneys in the Bellevue branch of the King County Library System. The volunteer attorneys cannot represent clients but can refer to other help. The consultations are by appointment only. To learn if you qualify for assistance and to schedule an appointment, please contact ELAP at (425) 747-7274.
Learn more about ELAP’s Family Law Clinic
Washingtonlawhelp.org has new online, interactive forms for both Durable Power of Attorney documents and Health Care Directives.
A power of attorney document lets you choose a trusted friend or relative to help you with your finances or health care decisions. A Health Care Directive lets you state what kind of medical treatments you do or do not wish to have if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious and cannot make decisions for yourself. These new programs ask you questions related to your situation and then fill out the proper forms for you.
Get started — Durable Power of Attorney Document
Get started — Health Care Directive
The King County Bar Association’s Kinship Care Solutions program provides free legal advice and representation to relatives or significant caregivers trying to set up minor guardianships. The service is staffed by volunteer attorneys. Eligibility is income-based and also uses the following criteria:
For more information, visit the KCBA website to fill out the online intake form or contact KCBA via email at KinshipCare@kcba.org or by phone at (206) 267-7086.
To help support unlimited and unrestrained access to ebooks and audiobooks, and combat censorship, Seattle Public Library is joining the Brooklyn Public Library in offering free access to its electronic collections for teens and young adults, regardless of where they live. The offer applies to anyone anywhere in the United States who is between the ages of 13 and 26. Anyone interested and eligible can sign up for both programs, since the ebook and audiobook collections of the two systems differ.
SPL’s Books Unbanned program is privately funded through the SPL Foundation’s Equity & Access Fund.
Read more about and enroll in SPL’s Books Unbanned program here.
Read more about and enroll in BPL’s Books Unbanned program here.
Is the deed to your home in YOUR name?
While we may assume that we know the status of our home’s deed, there are many reasons it may not be as clear as we think – and that can create headaches down the road. This can easily arise when someone passes away and probate has not made the property transfer clear, for example.
This article discusses eight common problems and what strategies consumers can use to correct them.
You can read the entire article HERE.
And you can also explore a number of NCLC publications in our remote database HERE.
King County’s Department of Public Defense (DPD) can help! They can assist sealing both juvenile or even vacating some adult criminal convictions. You can read about these services HERE.
The Dept. of Public Defense actually offers a number of services – you can read all about them HERE.
LIVING WITH CONVICTION is a team of individuals that are committed to helping people struggling with the burden of Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) and felony drug possession convictions. They do not provide legal advice, but they can help you vacate your pre-2021 drug possession felonies (allowed by the State Supreme Court’s 2/25/2021 “Blake” decision) and get your LFO-related interest waived.
You can find out more about them at their website: LivingWithConviction.org
Read their LFO flyer HERE.
Read their Blake flyer HERE.
Help the King County Law Library make a difference!
We’re looking for a creative solution-finder who is ready to make an impact as the Library’s Outreach Services Attorney. This is an exciting opportunity to help reimagine and promote the library’s access to justice efforts.
If you are in a situation where a protection order of some type is necessary, join Ross Zimmerman from the King County Law Library, Angela Rogness from the Protection Order Advocacy Program, and Susie Harris and Ivan Sandoval from King County Superior Court to learn more about:
