You'll see us at protests wearing green hats that say “National Lawyers Guild” and black vests with neon green labels!
Legal Observers observe and record law enforcement actions towards protesters. We're trained to watch police-protester interactions, document police activity, and collect evidence including notes, photos, video, and witness statements in the event of arrests or police violence. We don't act as part of the protest, but carefully document the actions of the police.
Legal Observers do not tell protesters what to do, what not to do, or tone-police their messages. We are not protest marshals or “peace police.” We're present to monitor police behavior, NOT the behavior of protesters.
Legal Observer are identifiable by neon green hats that say “National Lawyers Guild” and black vests with neon green labels.
The goal is to later use that information in criminal or civil legal cases as an objective account of events.
Legal observers with the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild are attorneys, law students, and legal professionals. We screen for potential conflicts such as those in positions with law enforcement or prosecution. Legal observers are required to sign confidentiality agreements acknowledging the privileged nature of our work.
We limit our legal observer program to those trained in the legal field who understand and have experience working within the context of confidential attorney-client relationships. If an interested individual does not meet our legal observer criteria, we have other volunteer teams they can engage in to further our mission.
Volunteer nowThe visible presence of Legal Observers can deter unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement during a demonstration. Also, when NLG Seattle accepts an organization’s request for a Legal Observer, NLG Seattle attorneys will form an attorney/client relationship with the organization.
1) Forming an attorney-client relationship gives us a stronger legal argument that any evidence compiled by our legal observers is privileged attorney work product, and therefore not subject to subpoena for use by the government.
2) If Legal Observers witness an arrest, they're able to quickly relay that information to our volunteer attorneys to coordinate jail support, preserve evidence, and provide information.
Community members, activist, and organization can request Legal Observers for protests, demonstrations, or direct actions. The NLG does not enforce parameters on the types of tactics protesters use. We do not accept Legal Observer requests for events that advance platforms contrary to our mission.
There are no fees or costs associated with this service. It's a volunteer-driven service.
If you are planning a protest or demonstration and would like Legal Observer support from the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, please email SeattleLORequest@gmail.com to make a request.
When you reach out, please:
1) state that you’re making a request for Legal Observers. If your request is urgent, please indicate the urgency in the subject line of your email.
2) clearly provide your contact information (name, phone number).
As soon as possible, one of our Legal Observer Coordinators will follow-up with you to gather more details about your request. Your Legal Observer Coordinator will guide you through the process and next steps.
Our presence helps deter unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement
We're trained to document police activity, collect evidence in notes, photos, videos, and witness statements for the event of an arrest.
We will relay information quickly to volunteer attorneys to coordinate jail support, preserve evidence, and provide information.
It's a free and volunteer led service by attorneys, law students, and legal professionals.
