Connect with Peers and Practitioners through WSBA's 29 Sections
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Sections members become part of active professional communities and gain access to an array of exclusive section member benefits. Over 10,000 WSBA members currently belong to one or more of the WSBA’s 29 sections. The section membership year begins Jan. 1.
Member Benefits
In the past year, WSBA Sections have sponsored approximately 70 CLE seminars and hosted multiple professional networking events around the state. Various sections offer a plethora of member benefits, including, but not limited to:
- List serve communities
- Newsletters, reports, deskbooks, and sourcebooks
- Free and discounted CLEs
- Opportunities to engage in the Washington state legislative process
...and more! Join a Section Today!
Interested in Section Leadership?
Each section is led by a group of volunteers who are elected to serve on the executive committee. Many find leading a section to be a rewarding experience because of the leadership growth, professional development, firsthand experience with the legislative
process, and collegiality it offers. Executive committee discussions are productive and challenging, offering a unique opportunity to work with other legal professionals in a goal-oriented setting that benefits WSBA members and the greater legal community.
Executive committee terms begin Oct. 1, 2023, and sections accept applications for the following year in early spring. Consider applying to become a section leader!
For general sections questions, send an email with your Bar number to sections@wsba.org or call 800-945-9722.
WSBA Sections
Juvenile Law Section
The Juvenile Law Section provides an opportunity for legal professionals who work with juveniles and their families in child welfare and juvenile justice to meet together and work collaboratively on issues facing their clients. Areas of legal practice the section addresses include child welfare, juvenile justice, status offenses, immigration as it relates to children and families, truancy, at-risk youth and children in need of services proceedings, as well as a variety of civil legal needs of youth. The Section welcomes advocates from all interested disciplines and a variety of fields of law, including juvenile justice, child welfare, and those who represent youth in civil legal practice.
The Section provides benefits to members by sponsoring an annual CLE focusing on current developments in the area of juvenile law. The Section also acts as an agent of change to improve the law and practice related to civil and criminal matters involving children and youth in Washington state.
Annual Report | Budget | Bylaws | Year in Review | Elections | Meeting Minutes | Executive Committee Biographies | CLE Recordings
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Page Navigation
The Juvenile Law Section offers many resources and benefits for members. On this page you will find information about the section, their upcoming events and offerings, as well as information about the section's executive committee.
Upcoming ProgramsAwards & ScholarshipsMember BenefitsWarm Hand Off List | Join Our List ServeExecutive CommitteeExecutive Committee Meetings |
Upcoming Programs
NEW Webinar! An Overview of Special Education in Washington State
Developed in partnership with the WSBA Juvenile Law Section
This CLE is designed to equip juvenile law attorneys with essential knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to support educational stability and improve academic outcomes for children involved in the legal system. These children often face significant educational challenges stemming from unrecognized trauma, unmet special education needs, frequent school changes, service-related absences, and the imposition of inappropriate disciplinary measures. This training will provide a comprehensive overview of relevant special education laws and policies, with an emphasis on identifying and mitigating these barriers. The objective is to enable juvenile law attorneys to effectively advocate for educational environments that best support their clients' needs.
When: July 11, 2025
Time: Noon–1:30 p.m. PDT
Credits: 1.50 Law & Legal Procedure
NEW! CLE Recordings Page
The Juvenile Law Section will be posting recordings of their CLEs to their new CLE Recordings page. If you missed any of the CLEs presented by the Juvenile Law Section, you'll be able to see those recordings on the CLE Recordings page afterwards.
Note: videos are not accredited for CLE credit and will only be available for up to one year after the recording date.
Awards/Scholarships
Children's Justice Conference Scholarship Award Winners
Congratulations to Christina Sorenson and Delaina Bolich, the recipients of our two Children's Justice Conference $300 scholarship awards! Christina is an attorney at TeamChild with an interest in furthering her education around the laws and policies relevant to her work in her current position. Delaina is a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Franklin County in the Juvenile Division with a background as a probation officer, and she has an interest in networking with others who are interested in creating innovative solutions to help at-risk youth in her community.
We are looking forward to hearing from Christina and Delaina on their experience at the Children's Justice Conference!
Congratulations again!
If you are interested in learning more about the Children's Justice Conference, please go to the conference website at dcyfcjc.com.
Member Benefits
A full list of member benefits is coming soon!
Warm Hand Off List
Hello Juvenile Law Section Members! Below is a list of attorneys working in various fields that frequently overlap with juvenile law. Please reach out to them for a nudge in the right direction on related issues in one of your cases or for general questions if you're interested in joining the field.
Remember that these folks are volunteers, so please be respectful of their time and assistance.
Please let the Young Lawyer Liaison for the Juvenile Law Section know if there is an area not listed here for which you need help finding a volunteer question-answerer or if you are that willing volunteer!
| Practice Area | Name | |
| Employment law for minors: | Colin McHugh | cmchugh@navigatelawgrouop.com |
| Tort law for minor plaintiffs: | Myrna Luna | myrna.luna@comcast.net |
| Criminal law for minor defendants: | Laura Mapes | laura@mapeslawoffice.com |
| Trustee law for minor trustees: | Allison Foreman | allison@fhbzlaw.com |
| Guardianship for minors: | Anastasia Clark | anastasia@everbluelaw.org |
| Civil Rights law for minor plaintiffs: | Prachi Dave | prachi.dave@civilsurvival.org |
Executive Committee
Chair: Bailey Zydek (2024-2025) Chair-Elect: James M. Richardson III (2024-2025) Immediate Past-Chair: James M. Richardson III (2024-2025) Secretary: Marci Comeau (2024-2025) Treasurer: Jeffrey Bennett Adams (2024-2025) Young Lawyer Liaison: Anastasia Clark (2023-2025) Board of Governors Liaison*: Kari Petrasek (2024-2025) * Nonvoting member To learn more about your Executive Committee Members, check out the Biographies page.
| At-Large Members: CLE/Outreach Coordinator: Civil Legal Needs Committee Co-Director: Dependency & Child Welfare Committee Co-Directors: Juvenile Justice Committee Co-Director: Legislative Committee Co-Director: Law School Representatives*: TBD |
Executive Committee Meetings
The WSBA Juvenile Law Executive Committee generally conducts meetings by videoconference from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Meetings are hosted on Zoom and are open to all section members and members of the public.
See the Juvenile Law Section's event calendar listing for log-in information. Please contact subcommittee members for details on their upcoming meeting dates and locations.
Join Our List Serve
To join the section list serve and for general section questions, please send your email address and Bar number to sections@wsba.org. For more information and to get involved with the section, contact the section Chair Bailey Zydek.
