Mountain View, CA (September 27, 2013)– Fenwick & West is pleased to announce that partner Brian Buckley has been honored with the Washington State Bar Association 2013 Pro Bono Award in recognition of his long-standing commitment to advancing access to justice for low-income individuals in Washington. WSBA President Michele Radosevich presented the award at the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner last night at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.
“Brian Buckley is a formidable litigator who, throughout his career, has generously given his time, pro bono, to work on important social justice issues,” said Leslie Savina, Northwest Justice Project advocacy coordinator. “For clients without means or resources, he is the very best sort of lawyer: he listens with a kind heart, he understands their difficult circumstances, and, above all, he works very, very hard on their behalf.”
Throughout his career, Buckley has dedicated time to providing pro bono representation to those who could not otherwise afford legal representation, regularly partnering with nonprofit advocacy organizations like Legal Voice, Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services. Most recently, Buckley secured a Washington Supreme Court victory for access to justice in partnership with Legal Voice, a nonprofit women’s rights legal organization, and the Northwest Justice Project. Due to budget cuts, courts throughout Washington had been denying fee waivers to low-income individuals. When Abeda Jafar, an indigent victim of domestic violence seeking a parenting plan to protect her child and herself from abuse, was denied a fee waiver in Snohomish County Superior Court, Buckley and Legal Voice took her case to the Washington Supreme Court. Buckley argued that the state and federal constitutions, state court rules and the principles of the legal profession require the waiver of court fees for indigent citizens seeking legal redress for important rights. On May 23, in a unanimous ruling, the Court agreed, extending access to justice to indigent litigants filing any kind of civil lawsuit.
Buckley has served for more than 11 years on the board of directors of Wellspring Family Services, a nonprofit organization that works to end family homelessness in King County. He is also a member of United Way of King County's Early Learning Impact Council and Community Building Committee. Buckley is a frequent judge and mentor at the University of Washington School of Law.
The WSBA Pro Bono award is presented annually to a lawyer, non-lawyer, law firm or bar association for outstanding cumulative efforts in providing pro bono services.
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Fenwick & West provides comprehensive legal services to ground-breaking technology and life sciences companies at every stage of their lifecycle. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions for established and emerging companies on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders.