In each issue of Bar News, WSBA President Adewale will ask one Washington legal professional, one “Hero of Justice,” to share how they came to practice law.
Alexander R. Reaganson
Staff Attorney, Northwest Justice Project,
and FY 26 Chair, Washington New Members Committee
To paraphrase an old mentor, 2007 CNN Hero award winner Larry Gibson, I never wanted to become an attorney, but I had to. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.
As a neurodivergent, West Virginia-born, first-generation attorney who comes from a broken home, I know what the statistics say about how the deck is stacked. However, my grandfather, a tow-truck or “wrecker” driver, insisted on instilling a sense of service within his family. His philosophy: If you had the ability and skills to help others, and could make a career therein, then you had a duty to do so as a citizen of your community. After all, as Justice Louis Brandeis said, “[t]he most important … office is that of the private citizen.”
My skills lie in my ability to speak up for others who go unheard and my inability to keep my mouth shut at times. Growing up, this plus my grandfather’s maxims led me to frustrate teachers and authority figures alike. However, they also led to a bachelor’s in sustainability, two years as a disaster relief compliance specialist, an acute case of chronic law school clinic volunteerism, and now five years as an attorney with Northwest Justice Project.
Today, with so many facing access to justice issues and a growing lack of confidence in our civic institutions, respect for the law and attorneys is waning. The fact that low-income individuals face more threats of housing loss, that domestic violence issues are on the rise, and that long-standing legal protections are being eroded doesn’t help that view. My grandfather would say that it’s our duty then to step up for those that need it and help reinforce trust in our legal system.
For if we as legal professionals are not willing to do so, then who else will?