February 24, 2010
By Linda Bloom

Llewelyn Pritchard was dismayed by what he considered to be the Gestapo-like tactics used on immigrants coming to the United States.

The United Methodist attorney from Seattle had little experience with immigration law, but he knew how to motivate people and articulate a cause. So, when asked, he put those skills to use as chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Immigration, Pro Bono and Bar Activation Project, for the American Bar Association.

Armed with a $1 million grant from the Ford Foundation, Pritchard's committee began rallying local and state bar associations to become involved with assisting immigrants, refugees and newcomers "so they could see the chaos involved in the system and experience the inequities of the immigration courts," he said.

The project lasted nearly 10 years, ending in 2001. Its success is one of the reasons why the 72-year-old Pritchard – the longtime chancellor of the United Methodist Pacific Northwest Annual (regional) Conference and a partner with Helsell Fetterman – was honored in February by the bar association.

He received the 2010 Robert F. Drinan Distinguished Service Award, presented by the association's Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, recognizing the leadership he has provided to the legal profession "in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties and social justice."

Larry McGaughey, chancellor of the United Methodist New York Annual (regional) Conference, considers the prestigious award to be a fitting honor for the man who is his mentor and cheerleader.

"It signifies that Llew has been recognized for living up to the highest ideals of his profession," McGaughey explained. "But more importantly, Llew's service to the betterment of humankind shows a life lived walking in the footsteps of Jesus." Changing the rules

In her remarks during the Feb. 5 awards presentation, Martha Barnett, the association's president for 2000-01, pointed out that Pritchard's committee was able to get what was then the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Department of Justice to change their rules to assist rather than hinder lawyers representing detainees.

"Their efforts focused the spotlight on the desperate need for pro bono lawyers for those seeking asylum, especially children, and set the parameters for the reform of our nation's approach to immigration," Barnett said. "A decade has passed and we still struggle with these issues, but the successes of the committee are a testament to Llew's vision and tenacity."

Pritchard worked with then-Attorney General Janet Reno, who commissioned his committee to visit detention centers, where he learned that "the largest incarcerator of people in this country is not the federal prison system, it is the INS."

Detention remains an unresolved issue. "They take people who are here seeking refuge from repression and abuse in many cases and throw them in with the general prison population," Pritchard said. "It's still a national disgrace."

But he is pleased the bar association was able to accomplish some reforms in immigration law. "It was life-changing for the people who the project touched, but it was also life-changing for me," he said.

Drinan, who the award is named after, died in 2007 at 86. He was a Jesuit priest with a passion for social justice who served as dean of Boston College Law School and later as a professor of human rights law, constitutional law and legal ethics at the Georgetown University Law School. He also was a five-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts, leaving that position only because Pope John Paul II ordered him to quit politics.

As a close friend and bar association colleague, Pritchard saw all those aspects of Drinan, whom he characterized as a very dedicated churchman and "an inspiration to generations of young lawyers."

Seattle, church and the law

Pritchard's journey began when he was a "nice little Lutheran boy" of Welsh descent who grew up on New York's Long Island and graduated from two United Methodist-related schools: Drew University in 1958 and Duke University Law School in 1961.

After law school, he and his wife, Jonie, moved to Seattle, where they raised four children.

As the legal adviser to United Methodists in the Pacific Northwest since 1970, Pritchard's job has evolved far beyond the handling of deeds and property transfers.

United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert recalled meeting the attorney as a "rookie" bishop when he was assigned to lead the conference in 1980. "One of the great joys I discovered was having a chancellor like Llew Pritchard that I could count on when I faced some serious legal issues," he said.

For Seattle's current episcopal leader, Bishop Grant Higaya, one of those issues has been defending the conference's right to set up "Tent City," a haven for the homeless on church grounds.

Every three months, Tent City moves to another location. "Whenever we go to another church, there's always a citizens group that sues us," the bishop explained. "Llew and his firm have really carried the ball for us, as well as the conference."

Pritchard has filed pro bono lawsuits in Tent City cases where churches were being harassed by political or law enforcement officials, McGaughey added, and most were quickly settled. One case in Woodinville, Wash., "went all the way to the Washington Supreme Court, which in 2009 overruled two lower courts in holding that the churches have a constitutional right to practice their religious beliefs by hosting the Tent City."

His other church involvement has run the gamut from Sunday school teacher to trustee of various organizations, including St. Peter's United Methodist Church in the suburb of Bellevue, a congregation he helped found. He remains a member there, but now attends Lake Washington United Methodist Church, which is closer to his home.

For Pritchard, providing "justice for all" to immigrants, the homeless and anyone else who needs it is a never-ending quest.

"I have no desire to ever retire," he said. "I want to be found dead on the courthouse steps, but not too soon."

United Methodist News Service
Linda Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.