Civil Rights Law Section

Update on Summer 2009 Events

July 25 Civil Rights CLE in Marysville

The Civil Rights Law Section held its first CLE on Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the Marysville Library. The CLE was held in Marysville to facilitate travel for those attending the WSBA Board of Governors meeting being at the Tulalip Conference Center and to foster the Bar's focus, and the special mission of the Civil Rights Law Section (CRLS), to reach out to lawyers in all parts of the state. Advanced practioners in various areas of civil rights law attended, which facilitated a workshop-type format and lively dialogue. The presenters were Patricia Paul on "Indian Civil Rights," Mary DeVuono Englund on "Current Topics in Students' Rights," and Tracy Flood on "Civil Rights Issues from MLK to Obama." The handout materials are available online at the WSBA Civil Rights Law Section website on the right sidebar under Recent Events on the Calendar of Events. 

 July 7 CRLS Welcome Party for Members

Section members, their guests, and the Interim Board members all met at the Contour for a meet 'n' greet social event. The Section hosted several platters of hors d'oeurves and we spent a fun couple of hours getting to know each other. People shared information about their areas of practice and their ideas for projects and CLEs that the Section can produce. 

WSBA Civil Rights Law Section Welcomes New Members
 
Approved by the WSBA Board of Governors in December 2008, the new Civil Rights Law Section invites you to become an Inaugural Member of the Section. Section membership is open to any active member of the WSBA, as well as specially admitted members such as emeritus, military, or foreign house counsel. Inactive attorneys, law students and non-attorneys are encouraged to join as non-voting members.

The Civil Rights Law Section will sponsor CLEs on civil-rights law and provide a forum for activities with civil-rights organizations throughout the state. The Section will focus on the practice and policy of civil-rights law, which includes the rights of racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual-orientation minorities, immigrants, those who are mentally or physically disabled, the impoverished, and the homeless; freedom of speech; freedom from state-promulgated religion; and privacy rights.

An interim executive committee chaired by Tracy Flood leads the new Section until an election of officers is conducted. Other members of the Section's interim leadership include Sharon Payant, vice chair; Mary DeVuono Englund, secretary; and Patricia Paul, treasurer.

The Section developed out of the WSBA Civil Rights Committee which had been a standing committee since the bar association was formed in 1933.