Thursday, May 31, 2007

Civil Right to Counsel Argued

Today the Washington Supreme Court hears arguments in King v. King, a case concerning the right to have court-appointed counsel in civil cases. Brenda Leone King was unrepresented in her divorce case and lost almost all custody of her children to her ex-husband, who had an attorney. She asked for a new trial, arguing that she should have had an attorney appointed for her. The superior court denied that request, and now the case is before the state Supreme Court. Should poor be appointed attorneys in civil cases?, Seattle Times, May 31, 2007; Should state pay for divorce lawyer?, Seattle P-I, May 30, 2007.

Amicus briefs have been filed by:



All the briefs are available from the Sargent Shriver National Center for Poverty Law.

Michele Storms is moderating a panel on this topic at the Washington State Access to Justice Conference on Saturday.

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