Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Legal Voice? What do you do?
- Why did you change your name?
- Are you a law firm?
- What do you do? Do you represent people directly, or do you only work on class action lawsuits?
- How do you choose your cases?
- Are you a government agency? Where do you get your funding?
- How big are you?
- Do you help men?
- Why won't you take my divorce case?
- I just need the contact information for the Women's Law Center in another state.
- What are you working on right now?
- Do you need volunteers? Can only attorneys volunteer?
- Does Legal Voice have an intern program?
- What is Legal Voice? What do you do?
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 as the Northwest Women's Law Center. We work to advance legal rights for women in the Northwest. That means we take on court cases with the potential to improve the quality of life for women; we advocate to elected and appointed officials to ensure that women receive fair treatment; and we have a telephone line people can call for free legal information.
return to top » - Why did you change your name?
As we celebrated our 30th anniversary and thought about how best to carry on the work, the mission and the spirit of the Northwest Women's Law Center, we also explored our community, our relationships, and our reach. We concluded that our name posed an impediment to making our work relevant and meaningful to a broad range of people and communities. And we already knew we were often confused with many other groups, both in the Northwest and nationally. So we undertook a comprehensive evaluation process, which resulted in our new name and tagline: Legal Voice. Women's rights. Nothing less. We're the same people, with the same mission and the same fierce determination and tenacity.
return to top » - Are you a law firm?
No. Legal Voice is a nonprofit women's rights organization that works on legal issues. We do employ lawyers, and we often have a role in court cases, but we are not a private law firm.
return to top » - What do you do? Do you represent people directly, or do you only work on class action lawsuits?
The mission of Legal Voice is to improve women's lives by changing the law. We employ a variety of tools and strategies to effectively advocate for women including litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, providing legal information and referrals to individuals, and conducting public and community education. Sometimes we represent individuals directly, and sometimes we represent classes of people. We are not a legal aid organization; our main focus is not direct legal services. Rather, our strategies are all geared toward having a broader impact—beyond just one person—by establishing case law precedent or by changing a law or policy.
return to top » - How do you choose your cases?
All of our cases present the opportunity to advance and protect women's rights generally, beyond seeking relief for just one person.Legal Voice staff members screen cases, and volunteer attorneys serve on an intake committee to help us decide which cases to take. We select cases that provide an opportunity for us to change the law or establish important precedent to advance women's legal rights; Influence the outcome of litigation likely to affect a substantial number of women; and/or educate the community, the bar, and the courts about the important issues presented.
Cases come to us through our Information and Referral line, which keeps us in touch with the real needs of people and helps us see emerging and repeat issues affecting many people, as well as referrals from our partner organizations and private attorneys. In addition, there are times we actively seek out specific kinds of cases, or hear of a case through the media that is related to our mission, and then reach out to see if Legal Voice can help improve the law in that area.
return to top » - Are you a government agency? Where do you get your funding?
Legal Voice is not a government agency, nor do we receive government funding. We rely on and receive funding (approximately one-third each) from three primary funding sources: foundations and other grants, individual donations, and our special events. Please see our annual reports for more information.
return to top » - How big are you?
Legal Voice is a very lean organization, with a staff of just 10 people and a budget of just over $1 million. We are able to accomplish so much with so few resources thanks to the heavy leveraging of our dedicated volunteers!
return to top » - Do you help men?
Yes. While most of our callers are women, men are welcome to—and do call—our Legal Information & Referral telephone line. And many of our volunteers on the phone line, co-counseling with us on cases, or serving on committees and workgroups, are men. Legal Voice has also been involved in court cases in support of men when the outcome of the case will have an impact on laws that affect women.
return to top » - Why won't you take my divorce case?
Legal Voice does not have attorneys on staff available to represent individuals. Our mission is to take cases that will have a public impact—cases that will change the law or affect a very large number of women. In divorce cases, as in most trial level cases, the law is usually not the issue. Of course, finding representation may be the issue, so our Information & Referral volunteers will try to help you find representation or other resources. We are involved in several collaborative efforts regionally and nationally to increase access to representation for low-income people who cannot afford attorneys in family law and other non-criminal cases.
For more information on your legal rights, visit Tools to Help You.
return to top » - I just need the contact information for the Women's Law Center in another state.
Legal Voice is an unusual organization. There are women's legal rights organizations in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania, and there are national women's legal organizations, but each is an independent organization, and sadly, most areas of the country do not have one. Legal Voice is unique in this community of organizations because of the breadth of the work we do and the geographic range we cover. We frequently collaborate with our sister organizations and many others on issues that affect women.
return to top » - What are you working on right now?
Legal Voice is always working on a broad range of issues. Check out our Focus Areas to find out what we're currently working on, and our News & Events section to see our latest press releases and news updates.
return to top » - Do you need volunteers? Can only attorneys volunteer?
Yes, we always need volunteers! There are many opportunities, and not just for lawyers. Volunteers help with a variety of projects: administrative volunteers help in our office and at our special events; volunteers with legal/paralegal experience (including law students) work on our Information & Referral phone line and as interns; other volunteers help us raise funds, and serve on committees or as co-counsel on public impact cases. Click here for more information.
return to top » - Does Legal Voice have an intern program?
Yes, we do. We rely on both our legal and paralegal interns to work closely with staff attorneys on current legal issues in women's rights law. For more information about these programs, please go to our volunteer section.
return to top »
Women's rights. Nothing less.
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