COLUMN > PRO BONO ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH
Q&A WITH ANDY DUGAN, AUSTIN HELLMAN, AND AUSTON JIMMICUM
Q. Tell us a bit about the history of your organization. What is your organization’s philosophy? Why do you do what you do?
Skagit Legal Aid, formerly the Skagit County Volunteer Lawyer Program, was founded in 1986. Skagit Legal Aid is dedicated to expanding access to the civil justice system for historically underserved communities while working to dismantle barriers that perpetuate injustice, poverty, and systemic racism. We believe that addressing unmet civil legal needs strengthens our community, making it more equitable, healthier, and safer for all.
Q. Where is your organization located? Do volunteers participate remotely, in person, or both?
Our office is located in Mount Vernon, but we host legal clinics throughout Skagit, San Juan, and Whatcom counties.
Q. Who does your organization serve?
Our work prioritizes historically underrepresented and underserved communities throughout the greater
Skagit Valley, including tenants at risk of homelessness, individuals without lawful immigration status, Indigenous and Native people, and justice-involved individuals. Our geographic service area spans a vast and diverse landscape, stretching from the North Cascades mountain range to the islands of the Salish Sea. This region is the ancestral land of the Coast Salish peoples, whose resources and territories were involuntarily ceded to the United States government.
Today, the Skagit Valley is home to a thriving agricultural economy that depends on a large population of Indigenous immigrants without citizenship. In addition to serving these individuals, we are committed to expanding legal support for justice-involved individuals and those impacted by addiction, as part of our broader mission to advance equity and justice in our communities.
Q. What area(s) of law do you provide services in?
Housing, family, health and financial security, estate planning, Tribal law, post-conviction support, and immigration.
Q. Does your organization provide training, CLE credit, or other benefits to volunteers?
Yes!
Q. Please provide one or two (anonymous) client stories—examples of people who were helped and how.
A lawful permanent resident attended our annual Law Day Legal Clinic, where he met with a volunteer attorney to discuss the naturalization process. The attorney provided initial guidance and reviewed the client’s eligibility for U.S. citizenship.
Following this consultation, the client sought additional support from Skagit Legal Aid during our weekly legal clinics at the Farmworker Center. Our team helped the client gather necessary documentation, complete the citizenship application, and prepare for the naturalization interview.
Through dedicated pro bono support and ongoing legal assistance, the client successfully naturalized as a U.S. citizen. This case demonstrates the impact of community-based legal services, pro bono engagement, and ongoing outreach in breaking down barriers to citizenship for immigrant farmworkers and their
families.
Q. What does a typical weekly or monthly commitment look like for a volunteer? How many hours? How many clients?
Legal clinics range from 1–4 hours. Volunteers can join us for the entire time or a portion of the time. Here are our monthly clinics:
- Debt Clinic (every other week, Skagit District Court in Mount Vernon): Assists defendants in debt collection cases with medical debt, consumer debt defense, and financial stability issues.
- Relicensing Clinic (every other week, Skagit County Probation and Community Court in Mount Vernon): Helps individuals resolve outstanding fines, reinstate driver’s licenses, and overcome transportation barriers.
- Swinomish Clinic (monthly, Swinomish Social Services in La Conner): Focuses on Tribal legal issues, family law, and reentry support in partnership with the Native American Law Student Association at Seattle University School of Law.
- San Juan Island Clinic (bimonthly, San Juan Island Library in Friday Harbor): Provides family law, housing, and immigration assistance for island residents.
- Everson Clinic (monthly, the Watered Garden Community Center in Everson): Serves indigenous farmworkers and rural community members in northern Whatcom County.
- Lopez Island Clinic (bimonthly, the Family Resource Center on Lopez Island): Addresses housing, family law, and immigration concerns for island residents.
- Law Day Clinics (annually, Mount Vernon and Eastsound): Free legal advice clinics in partnership with local bar associations.
Q. What do volunteers say they enjoy most about serving clients through your organization?
Our staff, volunteers, and pro bono attorneys work tirelessly to empower tenants, farmworkers, Tribal communities, justice-impacted individuals, and immigrants to ensure they have meaningful access to the civil legal system.
Q. Are you currently in need of volunteers? If so, how can legal professionals reach out to get involved?
Yes! Visit www.skagitlegalaid.org/get-involved for more information.
Q. What gaps in our existing system(s) does your organization fill?
Language access and culturally competent legal services.
Q. What would you most want readers to know about the type of work your organization does and the type of people who need your services?
The clients we serve are among the most underserved and overlooked in Northwest Washington—farmworkers who harvest the region’s food but often live in unsafe or overcrowded housing, many without lawful immigration status; Tribal members whose access to justice is shaped by layers of jurisdictional complexity and historical exclusion; and people reentering society after incarceration, including those formerly gang-affiliated, who face immense barriers to housing, employment, and basic stability. Each of these communities has been systematically marginalized by structural inequities and by a legal system that too often fails to see, hear, or represent them.
LEARN MORE > To get involved, please visit www.skagitlegalaid.org. More information about volunteering can be found at: www.skagitlegalaid.org/get-involved.
About the AUTHORS
Andy Dugan (he/him/él) is an attorney and the executive director for Skagit Legal Aid. His career includes substantial post-conviction and housing-related experiences and direct representation to historically underrepresented individuals. Dugan is an active ex officio member of the Skagit County Bar Association, the current chair of the Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono & Public Service Committee, and a current co-chair of the Washington Pro Bono Council.
Austin Hellman (he/him/él) is an attorney at Skagit Legal Aid, where he supports individuals facing post-conviction legal barriers—including vacating criminal convictions, addressing legal financial obligations (LFOs), and reinstating or retaining driver’s licenses. Hellman initially joined Skagit Legal Aid as an extern in January 2022 and returned to Skagit County after graduation to join the team full-time. Hellman is also the current president of the Skagit County Bar Association.
Auston Jimmicum (he/him/él) is the Tribal Law Spokesperson for Skagit Legal Aid. He is currently assisting Tribal members in the Skagit Valley area, mainly on the Swinomish Reservation, with various civil legal matters. Jimmicum is an enrolled member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and he grew up on the Makah Reservation in Neah Bay. Jimmicum’s goal is to expand Skagit Legal Aid’s Tribal law clinics so that more tribes in Skagit County can take advantage of these services.