Tracy Flood is a Governor At-Large on the WSBA Board of Governors. She is committed to bringing diversity and inclusion to the Washington legal community.
A graduate of Seattle University School of Law, she is an active member of Washington's legal community, including leadership roles with WSBA's Civil Rights Section, Family Law Section, and the Kitsap County Washington Women Lawyers. She enjoys reading, horseback riding, and spending time with her teenage daughter. Tracy is an adjudicator with the Department of Labor, as well as a judge pro tem for the Kitsap County District Court. Learn more about Tracy.
The Work of the Board of Governors
June 2012
As we approach the end of the 2011–2012 year for the Board of Governors, I would like to recap some of the actions taken by the Governors. My goal is to highlight for you my perspective as a second-year Governor on significant issues and projects, which included:
- Transforming the organization as a result of the passage of the license fee referendum, lowering 2013 license fees to $325. The Board is maintaining a thoughtful and deliberate approach — the process includes drawing down reserves; bringing the organization’s expenses into alignment with its reduced revenues; and finding operational efficiencies, program reductions, and implementing strategic restructuring.
- Determining how to add the 10th congressional district seat to the Board. The Board is required to have a governor representing each congressional district; however, the Board is at its maximum membership. The Board voted to split the 7th district into two sub-districts instead of the current three.
- Completion of the Membership Study, which focused on gathering demographic and career data; exploring characteristics and experiences of diverse members; understanding professional transitions; and establishing a reliable and useful database of information obtained from the study.
- The Moderate Means Program, a statewide reduced-fee lawyer referral service formed through a partnership between WSBA and the three Washington law schools, announced its public launch at an April 3, 2012, press conference. Designed to link moderate-income households with attorneys who have agreed to provide reduced-fee legal assistance, the Program has mobilized more than 85 law students and 400 Washington attorneys to serve nearly 400 moderate-income individuals and families. Lawyers can sign up to participate with the Moderate Means Program through www.myWSBA.org.
- The Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) Rule, adopted by the Washington State Supreme Court in June. This rule authorizes non-attorneys who meet certain educational requirements to advise clients on specific areas of law, which have yet to be determined. While the Board of Governors consistently opposed the rule during its development, it’s now time for our profession to participate and lead in the decision-making process to shape the best program possible.
In addition to the Board meetings are committee meetings, working groups, and task force meetings to which the Governors are assigned. Governors are also liaisons to sections and minority bar associations. These assignments are vital to the effectiveness of the Board meetings.
In June, the annual Bar Leaders/ATJ Conference was held in Yakima. The theme of this year’s conference was “Our New Economic Reality: The Legal Profession’s Role.”
I encourage you to communicate with your Governors — we are eager to hear your thoughts and concerns, as well as ideas you may have to increase the WSBA’s effectiveness and efficiency as we enter the 2012–2013 year.
The WSBA Culture of Service and the Work of the Board of Governors
November 2011
Greetings,
Now in my second year on the Board of Governors (BOG), I have learned about a great number of opportunities to serve the public and our profession through WSBA committees, boards, task forces and panels, as well as programs like the Home Foreclosure Legal Aid Project and the Moderate Means Program. I am one of three At-Large Governors on the Board, assigned to represent the state at large rather than a single district. Many of you are aware of my service in Kitsap County and around the state. I would like to encourage each of you to participate in WSBA committees, which provide opportunities to take on challenging work, expand your legal knowledge and leadership skills, and meet lawyers who may become lifetime friends and colleagues, or other volunteer programs. As an attorney from Kitsap County, the experience is invaluable.
The Board of Governors has addressed many significant issues over the last year, including Board approval of Standards for Indigent Defense Services (which have been forwarded to the Supreme Court), the work of the Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct (ELC) Task Force and the Moderate Means Program, just to name a few. The ELC Task Force is concluding the work of reviewing the ELC and proposing changes. Several recommended rule changes have been voted on, while others have been sent back to the Task Force for further consideration.
The Moderate Means Program, a partnership between the WSBA and Washington’s three law schools (law students screen and refer clients who have signed up to participate), is a statewide lawyer-referral program serving individuals who cannot afford a lawyer but do not qualify for legal aid. To date, the Moderate Means Program has referred more than 90 clients to participating lawyers (client referrals came from the CLEAR line). The Program will be launched to the public more widely after the first of the year.
In November, we held one of the shortest meetings since I began my Board service. The meeting was held in Tacoma, and I had the opportunity to see Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Neil Wachter during the lunch awards, who served on a WSBA committee during my first year. News Flash provides the highlights from that meeting.
If you are interested in serving on a committee, contact the staff liaison for information on upcoming openings and how to apply. Many committees will have openings in the fall of 2012, and the application process will start in January. It is also appropriate to contact the committee chair or the Board of Governors liaison to learn more about the committee's work and express your interest. You may also want to let the BOG member representing your district know of your interest, as BOG members nominate their constituents to serve on specific committees as part of the appointment process. Contact information for the BOG can be found on the WSBA website at http://www.wsba.org/About-WSBA/Governance/Board-of-Governors.
If you are interested in learning more about the Home Foreclosure Legal Aid Project, the Moderate Means Program, or other volunteer opportunities, see the WSBA website at http://www.wsba.org/Legal-Community/Volunteer-Opportunities.
I look forward to working with many of you on WSBA projects and seeing more of you at meetings in the future. I’m sure that you will find this service to be a rewarding experience.