Rule of Law Starts in the Classroom: Join the Lawyers Already Answering the Call

To mark the nation’s 250th anniversary and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 17 federal judges from the Western District of Washington penned an op-ed in The Seattle Times raising concerns about growing threats to their safety and that of their families—a trend that undermines judicial independence and the rule of law more broadly. It’s also reflected in the data: the University of Washington Center for an Informed Public reports that the number of threats against federal court judges increased 400% between 2015 and 2021. 

It’s a sobering backdrop—and exactly why WSBA’s efforts to build public trust in the rule of law, starting with the next generation, matter so much. 

The Rule of Law Ambassador Program aims to “show Washingtonians that their legal community stands united around the rule of law.” Likewise, the Lawyers in the Classroom Program—a joint effort of the Washington State Courts, Administrative Office of the Courts, and the WSBA—brings volunteers into classrooms to “provide students with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about the judicial system, as well as the basic concept of fairness.” With fewer than one in four eighth-graders proficient in civics, the WSBA and courts are urging legal professionals statewide to visit a local class and teach a civics lesson on or around Constitution Day, Sept. 17. 

And many lawyers have already taken up that call, including two from Jefferson County. 

Ariel Speser, Superior Court Commissioner and Jefferson County Bar Association President, and her husband, Nat Jacob, a Recruitment and Retention Managing Attorney at Washington State Office of Public Defense, have each taken time to visit a high school class in their community. Given the undertones of political violence that are now rampant in everyday life, and the corresponding cynicism that can come with it, the stories Speser and Jacob had to share are refreshingly positive and optimistic. 

“I think it’s a bright future that we have,” Jacob told NWSidebar of his attitude after visiting a local class. “This is a good generation for justice.” 

Earlier this year, they visited Port Townsend High School to speak with students in Brooks Kubik’s American Law class. Kubik isn’t just a teacher—he’s an attorney himself, and believes students deserve to see themselves reflected in the legal system and their community. So he began attending WSBA events, recruiting lawyer volunteers for his class. It’s paid off: during the first-year push alone, about 20 attorneys and judges visited, and three students were inspired to build their final projects around the legal system—with plans to pursue legal careers themselves. Through these interactions with lawyers, the students have developed a real connection with the legal system, Kubik said. 

Jacob’s day-to-day work, however, mostly focuses on recruiting lawyers, but classrooms are where that focus expands, introducing young people to the law directly. At Port Townsend High, during one of his visits where he volunteered as a judge for a mock trial, students argued Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the case that established First Amendment protections for students protesting the Vietnam War in public schools. What struck Jacob most, he said, was watching students draw parallels between the case and their own lives. 

“We were there as justices and to kind of answer certain questions, but just seeing what they had already created, that ecosystem, and the respect they had for one another, and also the love that they all shared for the law, I think it was kind of mission accomplished,” he said. 

On another visit, Jacob spent the class speaking to students about his life as a lawyer. 

“From the moment I got there and stood up in front of the class until an hour and a half later, I was peppered with questions,” he said. “…Literally every single person in that class was asking questions.” 

And it’s not just the students who benefit. Speser also remembers fielding countless questions from curious students—everything from her most memorable case to what she’s most proud of to just the day-to-day life of a lawyer.  

“Lawyers all go into law because like they believe in the law and they believe in the integrity of it, and most lawyers go into law being passionate about their advocacy,” Speser said. “But then as you get further into your career, you get burnt out, you get run down, you get cynical. And every lawyer who [went] into the class in the earlier part of the year, they all told me it was like such a highlight for them. They all came away feeling sort of reengaged, energized.” 

Stories like Ariel and Nat’s are why this work matters right now – and as members of Washington’s legal community, you’re uniquely positioned to rebuild public trust by showing up in a classroom. For many kids, you might just be the first legal professional they’ve ever met — and proof that the Constitution and the rule of law are theirs to shape. 

You can write your own version of that story this Constitution Day. Sign up now through the Lawyers in the Classroom Program and connect with a school to schedule your visit on or around Sept 17. To help you prepare, WSBA has built a volunteer toolkit and curriculum guide with sample lessons curated by grade level and will host a two-part webinar series (Aug. 6 and 20) led by experienced volunteers. Learn more and register today at www.wsba.org/classroom-ambassadors. 

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