Vision
We believe in a Washington state where a person’s social identity[1] (including but not limited to their race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, religion, disability, nationality, and/or citizenship) does not impact their access to and experience in our justice system.
Mission
Our mission is to serve our community by understanding better and tackling barriers that exist to justice in our practice areas, fostering an inclusive environment that welcomes clients from all backgrounds and building a team and partnership network comprised of diverse perspectives to better serve our clients.
Values
These values will guide the work and priorities of the IDEA initiative.
- Real justice for real people. Excellent outcomes and positive experiences in the justice system should be accessible to everyone.
- Power is in partnerships and relationships. The systemic change we envision is not dependent on a single person, law firm, or action. There is no reason for us to reinvent the wheel or duplicate work that is already being done unless we see a way in which we can uniquely offer something different. We are as strong as networks and partnerships that we intentionally invest into work collectively toward our vision.
- Authentic relationships are built slowly and with trust. Especially for communities who have historically not felt supported by our justice system, relationship building takes time and consistency. We know that to chip away at the barriers that have historically prevented many communities from having equal access to justice, we must consistently and authentically show up for them.
- Work that focuses inward is just as important as outward-facing work. It would be hypocritical to only focus on social justice issues outside ourselves and our law firm, and not look thoughtfully at our own biases and ways of thinking we have adopted that may contribute to the structural inequities we are striving to eliminate.
[1] Social Identities: Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching (northwestern.edu)