Page 44 - Pierce County Lawyer - September October 2025

TACOMAPROBONO COMMUNITY LAWYERS
Legal Pathways into
Tacomaprobono
Community Lawyers
By Julie Dugan, Tacomaprobono Community
Lawyers Project Manager
While I
knew I
would
be impressed when
I interviewed the
college seniors
enrolled in the first
generation of UW
Tacoma’s Legal Pathways
program, I was not prepared
to be so inspired and hopeful for the
future. Supporting yourself through
college takes dedication and commitment
for any student. To further pursue law
necessitates a belief in yourself that is
a real act of courage. All three of our
interns face their journey into law with
a passion and determination to make a
difference in the world.
Tacomaprobono Community Lawyers
is providing internships to these
promising legal minds with a respect for
all they bring to the table - from their
life experience to their undergraduate
study. Each intern reports directly to an
experienced attorney in their assigned
field of law.
“This isn’t (straight forward) rules-based
law… Clients are at their lowest point
when they come to see us with a case. It is
our job to give them our best, even when
they come to us with anger and emotions
take over. Even though each attorney has
their own style of managing the process,
the first step is to listen to clients and help
them process emotions before you can
help them with their case. Through all of
that, we do what is in the best interest of
the child.” Andrew further added, “The
attorneys don’t shut down the emotion.
They help the client process it (emotions)
in a back and forth. The client’s voice is
heard.”
Andrew Nguyen,
a psychology major
from University of
Washington Tacoma
(UWT) is working
with our Family
Safety Project under
Bobbi Saldaña.
Although he originally considered
becoming a public defender, Andrew’s
foray into family law has rekindled
the same spark that led him to study
psychology.
Kailey Lawless
is finding that
her major field of
study and her life
experiences are
coming together
in her internship.
Having struggled
with homelessness and addiction, she
had lost guardianship of her daughter,
but giving birth to her son was a
powerful turning point. She vowed to do
everything it took to be a great parent.
She wanted to do more than put food
on the table, she wanted to find her
passion and be a great role model for
her kids. After successfully navigating
her way through the guardianship
process using community resources,
including Tacomaprobono’s volunteer
family law clinics, Kailey chose a major
in Social Welfare to position herself
to help others facing similar struggles.
The Legal Pathways Program is now
allowing Kailey to put the experience she
gained with Indian Child Welfare Act
laws (ICWA) during her internship with
Child Protective Services (CPS) to work
with Managing Attorney Brittany Jones
in Tacomaprobono’s Native American
Legal Aid Program (NALAP). Kailey
is currently co-creating a ‘Know Your
Rights’ training to guide NALAP clients
and embracing the opportunity to use
her life experience and education to
empower others. “You understand where
people have been and what it takes to
change, and that it is doable.”
When I asked her what surprised her
most in working at Tacomaprobono, she
replied, “from the minute I got here, I
was treated as an equal. Britt said, ‘Let’s
prepare you for what you want to do.’ That
was the most humbling experience.”
Jerry Huerta
has taken a
unique path with
Tacomaprobono. He
approached us as an
individual, outside
the context of any
formal education
program, asking how he could be a part
of what we do. Jerry has been intent
on law school from the inception of
his higher education career, pursuing
an undergraduate degree in Politics/
Philosophy/Economics (PPE) with
an emphasis on International Studies.
Growing up in Texas on the Mexican
border as a child of immigrant parents,
Jerry’s vision is to pursue immigration
law, but he also has a passion for learning
which led him to ask to be placed
wherever he was most useful within our
organization. Jerry’s open attitude and
many talents have granted him access
to a variety of aspects of our work. As
an official Legal Pathways intern, he is
now immersed in learning more about
the legal process with our Family Safety
team, where Jerry has been working with
Sheila Bailey, the team’s Limited License
Legal Technician (LLLT), to prepare trial
binders and other documents.
Most significant for the Family Safety
program, however, has been Jerry’s
generosity with his Spanish language
skills and ability to connect with Spanish-
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