travis.stearns

Travis Stearns is an advocate for the right to counsel for all disenfranchised persons. He has worked in public defense most of his career, currently with the Washington Appellate Project. A graduate of George Washington University Law School, he has worked as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society in New York City and for the Whatcom County Public Defender in Bellingham, Washington before working at the Washington Defender Association. He has also focused on training and substantive policy reform, having seen success in the appellate courts and with the legislature. He is a nationally recognized speaker on issues relating to leadership, trial advocacy, the right to counsel and the impact of criminal convictions. He has published articles in law school journals, primarily on issues relating to the impact of criminal convictions on reentry. He is an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law and a member of the Washington State Supreme Court’s Minority and Justice Commission. He has been recognized by Seattle University School of Law for his work as a mentor and supervisor and by the Northwest Immigration Rights Project for his work redefining gross misdemeanor in Washington to 364 days.