Annie Lee

Twenty years ago, when Annie Lee took the helm of TeamChild as one of its earliest directors, she set out to create a “dream team” of advocates for youth. The vision of the organization, set with her mentors Pat Arthur, Simmie Bear, Christie Hedman, and Elizabeth Calvin, was to build a youth law program that combined direct, holistic advocacy with systemic policy reform. TeamChild was born in the mid-1990s, at a time where the country’s rhetoric and response to youth was criminalization and harsh punishments. Black and Brown youth were systematically being pushed into detention centers and adult court. Against this backdrop, Annie built TeamChild up as a one-of-a-kind public interest law firm for Washington youth. Taking on individual cases, she and her team saw firsthand the impact of systemwide issues and racism. Her staff focused on special education, unmet behavioral health needs, housing, child welfare issues, and juvenile delinquency. They could address the barriers and the missed opportunities through advocacy so that young people had concrete support and resources that interrupted the trajectories that seemed inevitable after court involvement.

During more than 20 years at TeamChild, Annie and her team saw first-hand how important civil legal aid lawyers and public defenders are in advancing justice for young people entangled in the child welfare and juvenile legal systems. In thinking about the pipeline for future children’s lawyers, though, Annie expressed concerns. “Legal Aid practice is struggling in figuring out who is going to do this work.” She cited pay disparity and limited opportunities for specialized training in youth law in law schools. 

She sees the importance of lawyers for youth providing leadership, expertise, and perspective in these roles. Many policy making groups aspire to reduce racial inequities and improve outcomes, but often lack the perspectives from the field. Youth law attorneys can have a big impact on reimagining systems and putting youth-centered and antiracist values into policies and practice. As her time with TeamChild wrapped up at the end of 2021, Annie has reflected on the need for lawyers and advocates to support investment in communities that are and have been building supports for young people and their families to thrive. Throughout her career, Annie has served on many boards, commissions, and policy workgroups. She’s currently serving on the Supreme Court of Washington’s Minority and Justice Commission and the Oversight Board for the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Annie has now stepped down from her role as executive director, confident that staff and board members are well-positioned to carry TeamChild into its next decades of work. The organization has been very hard at work putting antiracist values into organizational practice, with staff leading the development of inclusive decision-making, budgeting, hiring practices, and community and youth engagement.  

As Annie reflects on her time with TeamChild and her decision to leave the organization to make space for new voices to lead, she is taking time first to rest and recommit herself to the issues closest to her heart. She sees it as her responsibility and her privilege to be able to mentor other leaders in public interest law and, in particular, leaders who come from communities of color who are often underrepresented in leadership positions in this field. In the coming month, Annie will begin a new interim role with the City of Seattle working on community safety, youth, families, and aging. As a lifelong advocate for youth in the court system, she is eager to be able to make change from the inside.

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