12.20.2007

Fleming Elected to Three-Year Term at Legal Aid of Washington

Lane Powell Shareholder Michael “Mick” Fleming was recently elected to the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (“LAW Fund”) board of directors for a three-year term. LAW Fund, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 1991 by Washington attorneys to ensure justice for all by raising charitable support to preserve and expand civil legal aid for vulnerable and low-income people in Washington State. Each year, LAW Fund raises over $1 million dollars of private support to help provide a legal safety net for those who have nowhere else to turn.

According to the 2003 Washington Supreme Court Task Force’s Civil Legal Needs Study, every year, three out of four of the more than one million low-income households in our state face an urgent civil legal problem. Due to scare resources, more than 85 percent of these people must face those problems without any legal help or representation whatsoever. LAW Fund and its annual Campaign for Equal Justice fund drive help bridge this “Justice Gap” by raising charitable support for over 30 civil legal aid programs throughout Washington, providing free legal assistance to those in need.

The Campaign for Equal Justice is a collaborative effort in which all of the state’s legal aid programs work as a team to raise charitable funds from individuals, law firms, corporations, foundation and other organizations to help Washingtonians protect themselves and their families from potentially ruinous situations such as homelessness, predatory lending schemes, denial of healthcare, domestic violence and unsafe working and living conditions. Lane Powell has had a long history of supporting this organization and their community efforts. The Campaign was first co-chaired by attorneys William H. Gates, Sr. and then-U.S. Attorney John McKay, and this year is co-chaired by Hon. Slade Gorton and Hon. Gary Locke.

Fleming is a member of Lane Powell’s Corporate Finance and Securities department. He focuses his practice on complex dispute resolution and also handles a number of business mergers and acquisitions, as well as complex real estate finance transactions. Fleming is active in the community and has been engaged in several civic endeavors including serving on the King County Stadium Advisory Board and serving on the Boards of Directors for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Washington, Seattle Children’s Museum and Big Brothers Big Sisters of King and Pierce Counties.