“If we don’t make it easier for people to use the courts, then what’s the point?”
“Other states across the country are now starting to adopt our philosophy that people don’t have to have a three-year legal degree to be able to provide legal services to people in limited capacities.”
Former Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen says one of the most meaningful legacies of her three decades on the bench may be her push to make the legal system more accessible to ordinary people. In an Inside Olympia exit interview, Madsen highlighted Washington’s pioneering limited legal license technician program, which allowed trained nonlawyers to provide limited legal services in family law matters. Though the program is closed to new entrants, Madsen said its underlying philosophy is gaining traction nationally as states search for ways to expand affordable access to legal help. Madsen will next teach state constitutional law at Gonzaga University.