Lisa Brodoff, J.D.

Director, Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic, and Associate Professor at Seattle University School of Law

Professor Brodoff served as chief review judge in the Office of Appeals for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services and was appointed chief administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings. She has also worked as an attorney for the Puget Sound Legal Assistance Foundation and as legislative staff counsel to the Washington Senate. She joined the faculty in 1997.

Professor Brodoff has engaged in both scholarly work and impact litigation/legislative advocacy while teaching at Seattle University. Her areas of expertise are in the rights of gay and lesbian individuals and couples, people with disabilities, the elderly, and public assistance applicants and recipients. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and continuing legal education programs on topics including the right to counsel in civil matters (civil Gideon), end of life and disability planning, and the administrative hearing process. Professor Brodoff was instrumental in the passage of legislation in Washington State creating the Mental Health Advance Directive, a planning document for people with mental illness. Washington’s statute is now considered model legislation for states seeking to expand the rights and planning options for people with mental illness.

In addition to her scholarship, speaking, and impact work, Professor Brodoff has served on a number of committees and boards including the Coalition for Indigent Representation and Civil Legal Equality (CIRCLE), the Access to Justice Board Impediments Committee, and the Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington Board. She is also a tribal court judge for the Northwest Intertribal Court System.