January 2003

WSBA Emeritus Status: A Win-Win for WSBA Members and Low-Income Clients 

by Sharlene Steele WSBA , Access to Justice Programs Liaison

Are you thinking of changing your WSBA membership status from active to inactive because your career path has changed or because you've basically retired from the practice of law? Will you switch back to active status within three years so that you won't have to take the Bar exam again? Going back and forth between active and inactive in order to retain your license can be nerve-wracking, expensive and time-consuming. If you are maintaining your WSBA active license even though you don't practice much law, paying the full active-member licensing fee and complying with MCLE requirements is also expensive and time-consuming.

There should be a more effective way to manage your WSBA membership status, and a less expensive way to practice law in a limited capacity. There is. The WSBA Emeritus Program may be a perfect solution for your situation.

APR 8(e) creates a limited-license status of emeritus for attorneys otherwise retired from the practice of law, to provide pro bono legal services through a qualified legal-services organization. There are no MCLE requirements (although you may attend optional CLE seminars at no or low cost so that you stay apprised of changes in the law). The license fee for emeritus members is $117 for 2003. Under most circumstances, you can remain in emeritus status indefinitely without having to retake the Bar exam if you decide to return to active status. Volunteering for a qualified legal-services organization allows you to control your own schedule. Most importantly, the Emeritus Program provides an opportunity for attorneys to give something back to their communities by helping those less fortunate.

There are qualified legal-services organizations in most Washington counties. These organizations provide assistance to low-income clients with civil cases, and include Columbia Legal Services, a full-service statewide legal-services program; Northwest Justice Project, a central statewide point of access for clients; and county volunteer-attorney programs. These organizations offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities such as direct representation, mentoring, advice clinics, self-help clinics, board service, telephone advice and document preparation. Emeritus status also allows for pro bono services for criminal cases through some public defender offices.

An emeritus training session is scheduled for April 23 at the WSBA office in Seattle. For more information about the Emeritus Program, the training session, and the logistics of changing your WSBA status to emeritus, please contact Sharlene Steele at 206-727-8262 or sharlene@wsba.org.

The WSBA and the entire Washington State Access to Justice Network extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following emeritus members: Lynn H. Arends, Christine Cole, Dean A. Fournier, William H. Griffies, Tim Hamlin, Susan B. Hansen, Pamela Harer, Julianne Hirsch, Valen Honeywell, Susan Hufman, Mary Hurley, Kathleen Brame Lemly, Stephen Llewellyn, James C. Lynch, Clare Hodgson Meeker, Janice Mikkelborg, Susan M. Bell Murgatroyd, Hon. Vernon Pearson, Hon. Jack P. Scholfield, Shannon Sedlacek, J. Peter Shapiro, William A. Stiles Jr., Sheila Umlauf and Rudolph Duane White.