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WSBA News and Information
Congratulations to the winners of this years WSBA Annual Awards! President Stan Bastian will present the awards at the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner, to be held on September 18, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Seattle Hotel. The Pro Bono Award and Norm Maleng Leadership Award were presented in June, at the Access to Justice/Bar Leaders Conference. Click here for more information about the awards.
- Award of Merit - The Honorable Gerry L. Alexander
- Excellence in Diversity Award - Marcine Anderson
- Lifetime Service Award - The Honorable Eugene Anderson
- Professionalism Award - The Honorable Ronald M. Gould
- Outstanding Judge Award - The Honorable Larry E. McKeeman
- Community Service Award - Lori Rath
- Angelo J. Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service - Jon Ostlund
- Presidents Award to be announced
- Pro Bono Award - Gail Smith
- Norm Maleng Leadership Award - M. Wayne Blair
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The Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) is accepting nominations for the Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award, Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, and Professionalism Award. Nominations are also being accepted for the Outstanding YLD Affiliate Organization Award for recognition of public-service and/or member-service programs. Nominations will be accepted through August 1, 2008. Click here for more information and the nomination form.
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Washington state is slated to deploy approximately 3,500 of our National Guard members to Iraq in August. Deployment places additional demands on military personnel and their families, and Washington lawyers can offer their skills to assist our citizen soldiers, their family members, and our fellow attorneys in uniformed service. A network of civilian attorney volunteers throughout the state, Attorneys Assisting Citizen-Soldiers and Families, has been formed to provide limited legal services to these individuals. For more information on how you can help, click here. Also see http://aacf.wordpress.com.
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The June issue of News Flash is now available online. Click here to read it.
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Notice of Request for WSBA to File Amicus Curiae Brief
The Washington State Bar Association Amicus Curiae Brief Committee is considering a request that the WSBA appear as amicus curiae in a matter that has been accepted for discretionary review by the Supreme Court in the case, City of Spokane Valley ex rel. Chris Anderlik. The Committee will consider this request at a special meeting on Wednesday, August 13, 2008.
The issue the requestor asks the WSBA to address is: Interpretation of CrRLJ 2.1(c). Does it violate separation of powers? Does it permit a private party to prosecute, or only to initiate prosecution and transfer the matter to the public prosecutor? Is a denial of relief under CrRLJ 2.1(c) RALJ appealable?
Any person or entity may submit comments to the Committee and the Board of Governors on whether this request meets the criteria set forth in the WSBA Amicus Curiae Brief Policy, which may be reviewed here. Comments should be addressed to Robert D. Welden, General Counsel, Washington State Bar Association, 1325 4th Ave., Ste. 600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539, or to bobw@wsba.org. Comments must be received by 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 13, 2008.
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Click here to view video clips from the Access to Justice/Bar Leaders Conference, including the keynote address by Farmworker Justice Deputy Director Shelley Davis; a session on "The Changing Face of the Legal Profession," moderated by WSBA President-elect Mark Johnson and WSBA Young Lawyers Division President-elect Jaime Hawk; and a session on "The Past, Present, and Future of the Lawyer's Fund for Client Protection," moderated by State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander and WSBA President Stan Bastian.
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The WSBA is pleased to announce that Tacoma attorney Salvador A. Mungia, who currently serves on the Board of Governors representing members in the Sixth Congressional District, was elected 2008-2009 president-elect at the June 6, 2008, meeting of the Board of Governors. He will assume the office of president-elect beginning at the close of the WSBA Annual Meeting on September 18, 2008 - when President Stan Bastian will pass the gavel to current President-elect Mark A. Johnson - and will assume the WSBA presidency in September 2009 for a one-year term.
Mungia's service to the bar began more than 20 years ago, when he was a trustee for the Young Lawyers Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Since that time, he has served on the Board of Directors for LAW Fund (including a two-year term as president of the Board), and served as president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He has also served as a commissioner on the Tacoma Human Rights Commission, and on the Board of Directors of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Earlier this year, he was awarded the Bertha M. Snell Award and Outstanding Service Award, both by the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Mungia is a partner with Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim, P.L.L.C..
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Congratulations to the following WSBA governors-elect. The governors-elect will take office at the close of the WSBA annual meeting on September 19, 2008, and will hold office for a term of three years until September 2011.
3rd District: Loren S. Etengoff, unopposed, is governor-elect in the 3rd District.
6th District: The certified election results from the May 20 ballot counting names Patrick A. Palace as governor-elect in the 6th District.
Eligible voters: 1,866
Ballots cast: 455
Return rate: 24 percent
Invalid: 4
Patrick A. Palace: 300 votes, 66 percent
Tracy S. Flood: 155 votes, 34 percent
7th-East District: The certified election results from the May 20 ballot counting names Catherine L. Moore as governor-elect in the 7th-East District.
Eligible voters: 2,810
Ballots cast: 358
Return rate: 13 percent
Invalid: 4
Catherine L. Moore: 197 votes, 55 percent
Stephen A. Teller: 161 votes, 45 percent
8th District: The certified election results from the May 20 ballot counting names Brian L. Comstock as governor-elect in the 8th District.
Eligible voters: 3,533
Ballots cast: 510
Return rate: 14 percent
Invalid: 6
Brian L. Comstock: 294 votes, 58 percent
Jeff Smyth: 216 votes, 42 percent
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2008 Legislative Bill Referrals to Sections
The 2008 Legislative Bill Referrals to Sections are now available online. Click here to view them.
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The 2008 Final Legislative Status Report is now available online. Click here to read it.
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Proposed Court Rule Changes U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is seeking comments on proposed changes to their Local Civil and General Rules.
Please visit their website at www.wawd.uscourts.gov for more information.
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Pattern Jury Instructions: Free Public Access on Trial Basis
The Washington Pattern Jury Instruction Committee is pleased to announce that the website providing pattern jury instructions available at no charge is now up and running, and can be accessed at http://government.westlaw.com/linkedslice/default.asp?SP=WCCJI-1000. For more information, see "Pattern Jury Instructions: Free Public Access on Trial Basis," published in the April issue of Bar News.
A new chapter of pattern jury instructions has been posted online. The new chapter is on Blakely instructions, to be used for SRA sentencing proceedings that involve juries. The new chapter can be found both on Westlaw and on the new public website. Questions about the website should be directed to Rick Neidhart at Rick.Neidhardt@courts.wa.gov.
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The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Civil Rights Committee held its 2008 civil rights conference, "Opportunities, Next Steps: Civil Rights Issues, Past, Present and Future" in Spokane on April 24. The conference on past, present, and future issues in civil rights covered topics such as landmark civil rights events, litigation, and legislation, hate crimes laws, and federal civil rights violations.
CLE materials are available electronically on this website. Click on the links below to view the program materials.
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Proposed Legal Technician Rule and Regulation Comments Welcome
The WSBA Board of Governors will likely consider the Legal Technician Rule and Regulation proposal at its meeting in September 2008, and it will then make recommendations to the Supreme Court. We would like to hear from you on this very important issue and encourage you and your organization to send written comments prior to August 1, 2008. All comments should be addressed as follows:
Stanley A. Bastian, President
Washington State Bar Association
Re: Legal Technician Rule
1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
Please click here to view the Practice of Law Board's (POLB) final report to the Supreme Court and the proposed Legal Technician Rule and Regulation.
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The WSBA is pleased to provide links to other Washington bar associations' publications. We're starting off with the King County Bar Bulletin, the Spokane County Bar Association Calendar Call, and the Whatcom County Bar Association Newsletter. We invite other bar associations to be included, so information can be shared, and your activities publicized, with members throughout the state. Click here to go to the Bar Association Publications page. If you would like your publication included, please e-mail Stephanie Perry at stephaniep@wsba.org.
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Click on the links below for more information on this opportunity for service.
Chief Hearing Officer - application deadline: August 1, 2008
Bellevue Youth Court Seeking Volunteer Attorneys - ongoing
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The WSBA is pleased to announce the adoption of a new mission statement, guiding principles, and strategic goals for the next three years. Over recent months, the Long Range Planning Committee, chaired by Sixth-District Governor Sal Mungia, performed a systematic review of the WSBA's goals, and proposed a revised way of looking at the organization who the WSBA is, why it exists, and where it should be spending its resources and energy. Watch for an article in the December issue of Bar News by Executive Director Paula Littlewood and Governor Sal Mungia entitled "Into the Future: New Clarity and Focus for the WSBA's Path."
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Breast Cancer Legal Resources Guide
This new guide, a collaborative effort among a number of individuals and organizations, addresses the legal issues that may arise as a result of the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer or any catastrophic illness. The Guide is not meant to serve as legal advice or as a substitute for consulting an attorney, but is intended to provide useful information regarding employment, housing, estate planning, insurance, and privacy issues, among others.
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Judicial Vacancies
The Governor's Office has announced pending or possible judicial vacancies. Click here for details.
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Preadmission Education
Effective June 1, 2006, Bar applicants who have passed the bar exam, or who qualify for admission without passing the bar exam, must complete an approved four-hour Preadmission Education Program. You can meet this requirement by attending a live program, if offered in your local area, or by watching the video available on the Preadmission Education website.
Click here for more information.
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The WSBA, along with the WSBA Business Law; Labor and Employment Law; and Real Property, Probate and Trust sections, sponsors a monthly legal-affairs program on TVW, The Docket. The July 2008 episode premiered on Sunday, July 6, at 8 p.m., and will be rebroadcast throughout the month.
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A guide, Ensuring Equal Access for People with Disabilities: A Guide for Washington Courts, has been developed by the Access to Justice Board's Impediments to Access to Justice Committee. The Guide is an important compendium of laws, information, and suggestions for assuring equal access for all, and it includes suggested means of accommodation.
Click here to see the brochure that accompanies the guide.
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Help Educate the Public About the Law
Writing editorials, visiting classrooms, and presiding over mock trials are just a few ways lawyers and judges can help the public better understand the legal system. For information about public legal education volunteer opportunities and resources, see the volunteering page on the Council on Public Legal Education website.
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The "Random Acts of Professionalism" Program allows lawyers and judges to honor others in the profession whose conduct has upheld the spirit of the Creed of Professionalism.
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