Council on Public Legal Education

Mission / Vision / Values Statement of Council on Public Legal Education
 

Mission:

The mission of the Council on Public Legal Education is to promote public understanding of the law and civic rights and responsibilities. The Council pursues this mission by conducting, coordinating, encouraging and publicizing public legal education efforts in Washington State.

Vision:

The Council on Public Legal Education envisions a society in which all the people of Washington understand the principles of, and can effectively participate in, our democracy and its justice system.

Values:
The Council on Public Legal Education believes that in a democracy:

• access to justice is fundamental 
• justice requires that all people, groups and institutions understand their legal rights and responsibilities
• in order to participate effectively in the democracy, people, groups and institutions need to know basic legal concepts, how the justice system works, and what their options are for exercising their rights and responsibilities
• learning about the law, democracy and the justice system should continue throughout one's life, not just in school or during times of crisis
• educating the public about law, democracy and the justice system is a responsibility of legal and governmental institutions and professions, as well as of the public school system
• access to information about the law, democracy and the justice system should be readily available to all people

In pursuing its mission, the Council on Public Legal Education is dedicated to:

• insuring access to information about the law to all people
• building a collaborative community that promotes public legal education for everyone
• encouraging all individuals to educate themselves about the law.