"It Gets Better"
The recent suicide of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi brought to light a startling statistic: More than one-third of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) youth have attempted suicide. A new video-based social collaboration, the It Gets Better Project, is trying to tell LGBT youth that while being a gay teenager may involve taunts and worse, life does get better. Created by author and columnist Dan Savage (shown at right), the project is being supported by several DWT attorneys.
Snyder v. Phelps Tests "Even the Most Ardent Free Speech Advocates”
All speech, including that which most people might consider "hateful" and "repugnant," deserves the same protection under the First Amendment as any other speech. In Snyder v. Phelps, our attorneys defended the pastor of a church group who leads his congregation in expressing anti-U.S. government, anti-U.S. military, and anti-gay speech before the U.S.Supreme Court.
Real Change Gets Real Help in Land Use Dispute
In late 2009, Real Change, a newspaper that helps the homeless, announced plans to move its headquarters to Seattle’s Pioneer Square district, a historic area popular with locals and tourists. The announcement brought a heated reaction from a neighborhood group. DWT attorneys helped the parties reach a settlement despite a history of bad blood between the parties.
“The Intersection of Passion and Opportunity”: Milt Stewart on the Value of Pro Bono Work
Portland partner Milt Stewart has been an M&A attorney for almost 40 years. As a leader in DWT's pro bono and diversity programs, he has mentored many new attorneys in the value of community service. In this interview Stewart discusses the ripple effects of pro bono work and offers advice to young attorneys looking for ways to develop their skills while doing good.
Associate's Efforts Bring Healthy Water to Rwandans
Several community health centers and villages in Rwanda—some 43,000 people—will have easy access to clean water thanks in part to the leadership and fundraising of an associate in our San Francisco office.
New Reparations Program Aids Aging Holocaust Survivors
An 88-year-old man who lived and worked in the Jewish ghetto in Lodz, Poland, and an 82-year-old man born in Warsaw, Poland, are among the Holocaust survivors who are applying for a new reparations program offered by the German government. Several attorneys in our Portland and Seattle offices are helping survivors apply for the payments, which are meant to replace social security payments they would have received from the German government under normal circumstances.
Entertainment Attorney Helps Produce Report for U.N. Office
Foreign-owned land-use projects in developing countries are a growing phenomenon that the United Nations monitors, particularly with respect to the projects' social, cultural, and environmental effects. An attorney in our New York office recently provided pre-publication assistance on a U.N. report, produced by New York University law students, that analyzed several such investments and addressed the need for transparency and accountability to ensure that the projects do not impede human rights.
Medical-Legal Partnership Keeps Parents and Sick Kids Together
Every day, foreign visitors to the United States must deal with the unexpected. Usually this means coping with language barriers or travel challenges, but sometimes the unexpected involves a child or newborn with a serious medical problem. Families in these situations can turn to the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC). DWT helped launch the Seattle branch of this national program in 2008.
Awards and Recognition
We are honored to report recent recognition from these organizations:
- A client of Legal Services for the Homeless
- Medical-Legal Partnership for Children
- Puget Sound Association of Legal Administrators
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