COLUMN > PRO BONO ORGANIZATION OF THE MONTH
Q&A WITH CO-FOUNDER AND LEGAL DIRECTOR CAMERINA ZORROZUA
Q. Tell us a bit about the history of your organization. What is your organization’s philosophy? Why do you do what you do?
The Way to Justice is a nonprofit legal aid organization offering post-conviction relief and driver’s relicensing across the state of Washington. Through direct representation, impact litigation, policy reform, and advocacy work, we address the barriers facing individuals who have been negatively impacted by our justice system. Our programs include: driver’s relicensing, record vacating, Legal Financial Obligations (LFO) reduction, and sealing.
Q. Where is your organization located? Do volunteers participate remotely, in person, or both?
Spokane. We also have a satellite office in Tacoma where we meet clients.
We are also able to meet with clients over Zoom.
Q. Who does your organization serve?
Justice-impacted individuals in Washington state.
Q. What are the biggest barriers your clients face in accessing legal assistance?
Access to legal counsel and understanding the different processes for each county and court.
Q. What area(s) of law do you provide services in?
Post-conviction relief, driver’s relicensing, Legal Financial Obligations (LFO) waiver, record
vacating, juvenile record sealing, clemency, and pardons.
Q. Does your organization provide training, CLE credit, or other benefits to volunteers?
We provide training and other incentives.
Q. Please provide one or two (anonymous) client stories—examples of people who were helped and how.
We helped an individual clear his conviction history so that he could obtain employment.
We helped another client with post-conviction relief so that he could obtain safe and stable housing.
We also helped one of our clients reverse a lifetime ban from riding the bus, so that he could access services.
Q. What does a typical weekly or monthly commitment look like for a volunteer? How many hours? How many clients?
Volunteers typically work 10-20 hours per week. Depending on workload, a volunteer might interact with five clients per week, by phone or in person. During the summer, we co-host our annual Community Celebration in east central Spokane, where volunteers can help us during the day with distribution of backpacks, school supplies, and shoes for local youth.
Q. What do volunteers say they enjoy most about volunteering with your organization?
The clients.
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?
We offer holistic, client-centered case management and meet our clients where they are. Many people with a criminal conviction face barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. Through our services, clients receive thoughtful representation as well as a supportive environment to remove those barriers so that they can apply for a job or rental without worrying about their history getting in the way.
Q. Are you currently in need of volunteers? If so, how can legal professionals reach out to get involved?
Yes. Send your letter of interest, résumé, and availability to cam@thewaytojustice.com.
LEARN MORE > We always need volunteers and work with all interested professionals to determine their goals, our needs, and best fit. Folks interested should visit the volunteer tab on our website at www.cdcvas.org.
About the author
Camerina Zorrozua is the co-founder and legal director at The Way to Justice. Zorrozua is a Chicana activist and attorney born and raised in Eastern Washington. Zorrozua’s work at The Way to Justice focuses on providing low-income clients with legal assistance and advocacy to promote successful reentry, post-conviction relief, racial justice, systems accountability, and community-led reforms. Zorrozua can be reached at: