My name is Michael Harris, and I am this year’s summer fellow with LSNTAP and NJP, in conjunction with the 2019 Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program. I am a rising 3L at Seattle University School of Law.
My life stretches from coast to coast; I was born in New Jersey and raised in Texas, where I attended the University of Houston. After completing my degrees in English and History, I went on to teach English language classes in Hamamatsu, Japan for two years. Upon my return to the US, I decided to pursue a law degree to help businesses cross the international gap.
Before going to Japan, I knew that I wanted to make the world a better place for future generations. My initial plan was to educate children on how to do good in the world. However, my time in Japan taught me that education was not my forte, and while I decided to pursue a career in law, I was not sure how I would use it to make the world a better place. Still, I packed my bags and moved to Washington State to complete my education.
Seattle University opened up my eyes to the plight of those who could not find justice to their legal issues. While I came to Seattle with a strong interest in international business law, I soon changed focus to aid those who needed help. Last summer, I worked with the Moderate Means Program, pairing people who needed representation to lawyers who had agreed to work for a reduced fee.
This summer, I accepted a position with the ATJ Fellows Program to continue my pursuit in social justice. Technology is rapidly advancing and it is a tool that can be used by nearly everyone. This tool should be crafted in a way to open legal avenues, and I hope to have some small part to play in its forging. As part of this, I will be aiming to make weekly blog posts on various topics related to law and technology. Please check back every Friday for articles!
I look forward to seeing what these next two months bring and to effect some real change.
Sincerely,
Michael Harris
Michael.harris@nwjustice.org