how to

To Contact Us by Mail
Use the guidelines below to write the ACLU at the
following address:
How to
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
P.O. Box 4115
Seattle, WA 98104-1799
In order to assist you, the ACLU needs the
following information:
• Your name, mailing address, telephone and
e-mail address (if available)
• If you are writing on behalf of another person,
please provide the person’s name. Also state
your relationship to the person and provide any
contact information you have for the person.
• Are you presently represented by an attorney in
the matter you are writing about?
• Briefly describe the problem or issue about
which you are contacting the ACLU. Please
include any relevant dates and give the names
of individuals or organizations involved in the
matter.
• Do you have any documentation of this matter?
If so, please describe it.
• Have you taken any steps to resolve this issue
(for instance: filed a grievance, contacted
another agency or organization, or gone through
an appeals process)?
• If yes, where and what did you file, and what was
the result?
• What would you like the ACLU to do concerning
this matter?
The ACLU of Washington Foundation maintains the
confidentiality of all information we receive. We
may wish to share this information with other legal
organizations while investigating complaints, but we
will always seek your permission before doing so.
11/09
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
P.O. Box 4115, Seattle, WA 98194
Legal Complaint Line: (206) 624-2180
www.aclu-wa.org/gethelp
We only respond to letters sent that are written to
the ACLU. We do not respond to copies of letters
sent to other groups. Response time varies, but
typically ranges between three to six weeks.
Seek
Help
from the
ACLU of
Washington
P.O. Box 4115, Seattle, WA 98194
www.aclu-wa.org
What is the ACLU?
As one of more than 50 local ACLU affiliates
around the country, the ACLU of Washington
handles civil liberties and civil rights matters
that happen in the state of Washington. We do not
provide assistance outside of Washington. To find
the ACLU affiliate in your state, go to the national
ACLU website (www.aclu.org).
The ACLU works on a wide range of issues
involving equal treatment for all, fair treatment
by government, privacy, and personal freedoms,
such as free speech, religious freedom, and
reproductive choice. These broad areas include
discrimination based on race, national origin,
gender, sexual orientation, or disability; police
misconduct; personal privacy; the rights of
students and young people; and other civil
liberties.
What We Do
• We offer information in response to specific
inquiries or concerns.
• We coach people on how to assert their own rights,
and sometimes we advocate on their behalf.
• When we can’t help, we refer people to other
organizations that may be able to.
• We undertake selected impact lawsuits that
will defend or extend fundamental civil liberties
and civil rights and will affect a large number of
people. However, the number of cases that we
take is relatively small.
What We Don’t Do
The ACLU of Washington does not handle matters
that happen outside the State of Washington.
Although there are exceptions, the ACLU does not
generally assist in these types of cases:
• Criminal Defense or Post-Conviction Appeals
• Divorce or Custody Cases
• Property Disputes
• Tax Problems
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
• Building Code Issues
• Complaints about Lawyers or Judges
The ACLU is not a general legal aid provider,
such as the public defender’s office or a legal
services office that is specifically funded to aid
low-income people. There are a number of legal
service resources in Washington, and you can
find information at the Washington State Bar
Association website: http://www.wsba.org/atj/
contact/legasst.htm.
What Does It Cost?
All ACLU assistance, including litigation, is
provided free of charge.
How Does the ACLU Choose Cases?
The ACLU generally files cases that affect the
civil liberties or civil rights of large numbers of
people. The basic questions we ask when reviewing
a potential case are: (1) Is this a significant civil
liberties or civil rights issue? (2) What effect will this
case have on people in addition to our client? (3) Do
we have the necessary resources to take this case?
Why the ACLU Turns Down Cases
Which Fall Within Our Guidelines
There are many incidents of unfairness and
injustice that the ACLU is simply unable to handle.
We receive thousands of requests for help each
year. Therefore, we cannot accept many of the
cases that fall within the guidelines discussed
above. If your complaint is not pursued by our
office, it does not mean it is without merit.
Can the ACLU Advise Me About My Case?
If we do not accept your case, then the ACLU is
unable to give you advice about your case, answer
questions, or provide other types of assistance –
for example, reviewing papers or conducting legal
research to assist you. This policy allows us to direct
the necessary resources to those cases we do accept.
If you presently are represented by an attorney,
Washington court rules prohibit us from talking
about your case with you without the permission of
your attorney. If you believe there are issues that
merit ACLU attention, you should discuss them
with your attorney and have the attorney contact
us to either (1) discuss the case directly with the
ACLU, or (2) give the ACLU permission to discuss
the case with you.
Important Note About Deadlines
All legal claims have time deadlines. The deadlines
may be different depending on who violated your
rights and which rights were violated. For some
kinds of violations, you may need to file a claim
with a government agency before you can sue, and
these agencies have their own time deadlines.
If you do not comply with the applicable statute
of limitations, you may be legally barred from
pursuing your claim in court. Contacting the ACLU
to describe your problem does not mean that the
ACLU represents you and will not stop the statute
of limitations from running. The ACLU cannot give
you advice about the deadlines that apply to your
case. To protect your rights, please consult an
attorney promptly to find out what deadline may
apply to your case.
To Contact Us Online
Visit our website, www.aclu-wa.org, and go to the
“Get Help” section.
To Contact Us by Phone
Volunteer counselors answer calls on the ACLU
Intake and Referral Line during varying times
within our business day. Please call 206.624.2180
to talk to a counselor or to find out when the line
is open. If we are not available, you will receive a
message telling our current hours for the intake
line. Please note that we do not accept voicemail
messages. .
The counselor may be able to provide general
information over the phone. Depending on the
issues you raise, the counselor may ask you to
send additional information. If the ACLU cannot
help you, the counselor will try to refer you to an
organization that can.