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January 2004FYI: For Your InformationMCLE Certification for Group 3 (2001-2003) Active WSBA members in MCLE Reporting Group 3 (2001-2003) should have received Continuing Legal Education Certification (C2) forms in the license packets that were mailed to them in December. The deadline for returning the C2 forms to the WSBA is February 2, 2004. Members in Group 3 include those who were admitted to the WSBA in 1984 through 1990, or in 1993, 1996, or 1999. Members admitted in 2002 are also in Group 3 but will not be due to report until 2006. If you are in Group 3 and did not receive a license packet or a C2 form, please contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or questions@wsba.org. It is your responsibility to ensure that you receive your license packet and C2 form. If you are a Group 3 member, the following should have been completed by December 31, 2003, to meet the MCLE credit requirements for 2001-2003: At least 45 total credits of WSBA approved CLE activities, which must include: If you were unable to complete the credit requirements by December 31, 2003, you have an automatic extension until May 1, 2004. You do not need to apply for this extension. If you did not meet the MCLE credit requirement by December 31, 2003, and/or if you do not return your C2 form by March 1, 2004 (the end of the grace period allowed after the February 2 due date), you will be assessed a late fee. The assessed fee will be $150 for the first reporting period in which you have not met the MCLE credit / C2 requirements. The late fee increases by $300 for each consecutive reporting period in which MCLE requirements are not met. To make reporting easy, all courses listed in your online roster at http://pro.wsba.org as of November 1 were preprinted on the back of your C2 form. You must list any additional WSBA-approved courses you have taken. (Course pre-approval for WSBA continuing legal education certification is an APR 11 regulation.) Ensure that you include the WSBA activity ID number for each course you list. In addition, be sure that you write the date(s) you listened to/viewed audio/visual courses on the C2 form. To look up an activity ID number for a course or to apply for course approval, you can use the MCLE system at http://pro.wsba.org. After logging into the MCLE system site, click the "Member" tab and then select "Member Login." The online instructions will lead you through the process of creating a confidential password and beginning to use the system. Online help is available. If you have questions, contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or questions@wsba.org. YMCA Mock Trial Program Seeks Volunteers The YMCA Youth & Government Mock Trial program allows high school students to participate in a "true-to-life" courtroom drama. Each team of attorneys and witnesses prepares the case for trial before a real judge in an actual courtroom. A "jury" of attorneys rates teams for their presentation, while the presiding judge rules on the motions, objections, and, ultimately, the merits. Participants develop critical-thinking and analytical skills, learn the art of oral advocacy, and gain respect for the role of law and the judiciary. The state championship competitions will be held Friday, March 26, through Sunday, March 28, 2004, at the Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia. Volunteer attorney raters and judges are needed. To volunteer, please contact Kelley Flynn at 360-357-3475 or wamocktrial@earthlink.net. Please visit www.charityadvantage.com/youthandgov/HOME.asp for more details. New Year Brings New Releases from WSBA-CLE Publications The Washington Legal Ethics Deskbook and the Washington Community Property Deskbook, Third Edition will be available for purchase in January. The National Legal Aid & Defender Association gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors of its 2003 Annual Conference in Seattle, who, through their generosity and commitment to justice for all, made the conference possible: GBS Realty; Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Preston Gates & Ellis LLP; Riddell Williams P.S.; Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC; Carney Badley Spellman, P.S.; Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Delay, Curran, Thompson, Pontarolo & Walker, P.S; Helsell Fetterman LLP; Karr Tuttle Campbell; King County Bar Association; Luvera, Barnett, Brindley, Beninger & Cunningham; McKay Chadwell PLLC; Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers; Robin A. Schachter; Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC; Starbucks Coffee Company; Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Withey Coluccio; and Washington Defender Association. 2004 Licensing Packets Licensing packets were mailed in early December. The packet includes your license-fee invoice, trust-account declaration form, and, if applicable, MCLE certification form. If you have not received your licensing packet by the first week in January, please call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or e-mail questions@wsba.org, to request a duplicate. Please note that it is your responsibility to pay your annual license fee, regardless of whether you receive the licensing packet. Fees. We encourage you to pay your mandatory fees promptly to avoid penalties. A 20 percent late-payment penalty is imposed if the annual license fee remains unpaid on March 2, 2004. After April 2, 2004, a 50 percent late-payment penalty is imposed. If your license fee, penalty assessment, or Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (LFCP) assessment (required by APR 15) remains unpaid after May 2004, the delinquency will be certified to the Supreme Court, which will enter an order of suspension from the practice of law. In order to be reinstated to your former status after suspension for nonpayment, you must pay double the amount of the combined fee and penalty (triple the original fee). For active members, nonpayment of the $13 LFCP assessment is also cause for suspension. Resources. The 2004 Resources directory will print the contact information that is in the WSBA membership database on February 2, 2004. Now is the ideal time to check that the WSBA has your correct contact information in its database. You can check your contact information at http://pro.wsba.org. If your contact information has changed, please complete and return the Contact Information Change form included in the license packet to the address shown on the form or by fax to 206-727-8319, or e-mail the changes to questions@wsba.org. Please update your information as soon as possible, but no later than January 31, 2004, for inclusion in Resources. More Information. For more information, please visit www.wsba.org/licensing, or contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or questions@wsba.org. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Notice of Hearing on Petition for Reinstatement of Walter V. Waltz, WSBA No. 18787 A petition for reinstatement after disbarment has been filed on behalf of Walter V. Waltz, who was disbarred on April 3, 1998. At the time of his disbarment, Waltz practiced in Spokane County, Washington. Emeritus Status for Lawyers Are you paying for your active WSBA license but not practicing much these days? Are you thinking about changing your status to inactive for a reduced licensing fee? Consider the WSBA emeritus status. Emeritus is a limited license to practice with the same low licensing fee as inactive without the mandatory MCLE requirements. For more information please contact Sharlene Steele, WSBA access to justice liaison, at 206-727-8262 or sharlene@wsba.org. New Child-Advocacy Information Resources The Child Advocacy Clinic of the University of Washington School of Law announces the launch of two websites: Child Advocacy Central (www.childadcentral.org) and Foster Youth Central (www.fycentral.org). The goal of these web-based resources is to provide legal information about the child-welfare system and to make community resources available to people who need them most. For more information, contact Sean R. Murphy, marketing and web project coordinator, at srmurphy@u.washington.edu or 206-543-3434. Keep in Touch The WSBA uses e-mail to communicate with members quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively, and increasingly it is becoming the preferred method of communication among committees and sections. If you haven't already, please consider providing us with your e-mail address. Contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or questions@wsba.org. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program: Mentors Needed for Newer Admittees The WSBA's Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program matches newer admittees with experienced lawyers. The program is not a structured mentoring program and does not supplant any similar programs of local or specialty bars. We connect lawyers with similar practices in the same geographic area for mutual information-sharing and goodwill. We need experienced attorneys to serve as informal mentors, especially in King County. Help new lawyers get a head start on learning those lawyering skills not found in any textbook. Interested members may contact Pete Roberts (206-727-8237; peter@wsba.org) or Allison Durazzi (206-733-5914; allisond@wsba.org) in the Law Office Management Assistance Program. Program guidelines and sign-up forms are on the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/lawyers/services/lawyertolawyer.htm. Upcoming Board of Governors Meetings January 7- 8 Olympia (Please note: The public session on With the exception of a one-hour executive session the morning of the first day, Board of Governors meetings are open, and all WSBA members are welcome to attend. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. Please contact Donna Sato at 206-727-8244 or donnas@wsba.org. The complete Board of Governors meeting schedule is available on the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/info/bog/schedule.htm. Ethics 2003 Committee Meetings The WSBA Committee for the Evaluation of the Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics 2003 Committee) was convened to review the revised ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct; undertake a comprehensive study and evaluation of the ABA "Ethics 2000" revisions; consider the suitability of adopting the ABA revisions and commentary in Washington; and consider other appropriate changes to Washington's Rules of Professional Conduct. Ethics 2003 Committee meetings are open to the public, and interested WSBA members are encouraged to attend and/or provide input about the committee's work. Information about the committee is on the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/ethics2003. Please direct questions or comments to Committee Reporter Douglas Ende at 206-733-5917 or ethics2003committee@wsba.org. Third-Party Liability Information If your client is involved in a personal-injury case and has received or is receiving medical assistance payments for medical care, you are required to contact the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). RCW 43.20B.060 places a lien against any settlement or judgment your client receives from a third party who is responsible for your client's injuries in order to reimburse the medical bills that have been paid by medical assistance. Before settling your client's claim with the third party and/or the third-party insurance company, please contact the COB Casualty Unit of DSHS, by phone at 800-562-6136 or by mail at PO Box 45561, Olympia, WA 98504-5561, to supply the information that DSHS requires; or visit http://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/maa/ltpr. Pursuant to RCW 43.20B. 070, failure to pay any lien imposed by DSHS on any settlement or judgment obtained by your client can subject you to personal liability for any funds improperly distributed. Establishment of New Armed Forces Section Awaiting Board of Governors Approval This notice is posted pursuant to the WSBA Bylaws, Article IX, "Sections," regarding prior notification of intent to establish a new section. There is a current effort to form an Armed Forces Section. If approved by the Board of Governors, the WSBA Legal Services to the Armed Forces Committee would be discontinued in lieu of the new section. For additional information, please contact Ken Luce, chair, Legal Services to the Armed Forces Committee, at 253-922-8724 or kenyon.luce@ilrwa.com. Consumer-Information Pamphlets Available Provide a valuable service to your clients by offering them consumer-information pamphlets! Published by the WSBA as a public service, these pamphlets educate consumers about their legal rights and responsibilities, answer frequently asked questions, and explain basic aspects of Washington law. The information, of course, is general, and not intended as legal advice or as a substitute for a lawyer's services. Usury Rate The average coupon equivalent yield from the first auction of 26-week treasury bills in December 2003 was 1.053 percent. The maximum allowable interest rate for January is therefore 12 percent. Compilations of the average coupon equivalent yields from past auctions of 26-week treasury bills and past maximum interest rates for June 1988-June 1999 appear on page 53 of the June 1999 Bar News. Information from January 1987 to date is on the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/media/publications/barnews/usury.htm. The WSBA Store Is Open Polo shirt (pewter or white, size L or XL)$56 Prices include shipping and handling. Sales tax (8.8 percent) will be added to orders shipped within Washington. Learn More about Case-Management Software The WSBA Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) office maintains a computer for members to review software tools designed to maximize office efficiency. LOMAP staff are available to provide materials, answer questions, and recommend options. To make an appointment, contact Pete Roberts at 206-727-8237 or peter@wsba.org. Website Links from Lawyer Directory A link to your website can be added to your directory listing, so that current and potential clients can find out more about you and your practice at the click of a button. Law Week 2004 Law Week is an exciting opportunity for lawyers and judges to bring public legal education into the classroom. Each year, Law Week provides an enriching experience to youth through positive interactions with lawyers and judges. Law Week 2004 will take place the week of April 26. To learn more about the program or to participate, visit www.lawweek.org or contact Lisa Harper at 206-733-5944 or lisak@wsba.org. Fundraiser Established for Bremerton Attorney Fighting for His Life Bremerton attorney De'Wayne Taylor (WSBA No. 30160) is in the fourth and final stage of non-alcoholism-induced cirrhosis of the liver and needs an organ transplant to save his life. He has been assigned an organ donor, but does not have medical insurance and cannot afford the $60,000-$100,000 transplant. A fundraiser with Bank of America, which will be overseen by Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Bremerton, has been established in Mr. Taylor's name. To donate funds, please call Theresa Steves at 360-478-6000.
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