ABOUT
OUR MISSION
As lawyers, we have the power to make the world a better place. At Legal Hope, we build a community of legal support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking by partnering with law firms and corporations pro bono legal teams. Our pro bono attorneys provide free legal aid to break down barriers, uphold rights, and protect the safety of survivors.
OUR WORK
We partner with law firms and corporations to train their pro bono attorneys, connect survivors to the attorneys, and provide technical assistance and support throughout the case. All services are provided free of charge to survivors. We prioritize access to justice and offer a trauma-informed, flexible model of services.
In addition to providing direct legal services to survivors, we create educational resources and conduct legislative advocacy to promote criminal justice reform that prioritizes survivors and their rights.
OUR STAFF
Ariana Orford · Executive Director
After Ariana worked as a victim advocate nearly 10 years ago, she decided to dedicate her career to ending violence against women. Throughout law school, she worked in the Domestic Violence Unit of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and continued to work as a prosecuting attorney for King County after law school. Then as a legal aid attorney, she fought to protect the privacy of victims in criminal cases and to get protection orders for survivors of domestic violence. She founded Legal Hope's core program in 2018 to clear the criminal records of sex trafficking survivors.
Carlen McKee · Program Director
Carlen began her human trafficking advocacy work over 10 years ago in Washington, DC, working with The Protection Project to draft and publish the Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual report issued by the U.S. Department of State to monitor and combat trafficking in persons both domestically and internationally. She then worked with the Polaris Project, providing resources and information directly to human trafficking victims. Carlen practiced as a private attorney for several years before turning her focus back to survivor advocacy.
OUR BOARD
Karla Axell · Board President
Retired Attorney, Perkins Coie
Kaitlin Beaman
Director of Client Success, The JPI Group
Molly Betz
Corporate Account Executive, Outreach
Logan Bryant
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Rachel Brown
Senior Pro Bono Program Manager, Davis Wright Tremaine
Lizzy Hong · Student Ambassador
Student, University of Washington
Mia Little
Cybersecurity Attorney, Microsoft
Maria Manza
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Ashley Ott · Board Vice President
Partner, Vantage Point Financial, LLC
Toni Rende · Student Ambassador
Student, University of Washington
Samantha Winter · Board Treasurer
Senior Vice President, Citi