About me
Travis Stearns is the Washington State Office of Public Defense training director. He has worked for the Washington Appellate Project, the Washington Defender Association, the Whatcom County Public Defender, and the New York City Legal Aid Society, graduating from George Washington University Law School. Travis focuses on training and substantive policy reform, having seen success in the courts and with the legislature. He is a nationally recognized speaker on leadership, youth justice, trial and appellate advocacy, the right to counsel, and the impact of criminal convictions. Travis has organized many multi-day training sessions, including NLADA’s appellate and OPD’s trial advocacy programs. 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 Law School and a past member of the Washington State Supreme Court's Minority and Justice Commission and the Washington State Bar Association's Commission on Public Defense. He has been recognized for his pro bono work, mentorship of law students and young lawyers, and legislative advocacy.
