MINUTES

Access to Justice Board

June 8, 2001

Wenatchee

(Held in conjunction with the annual Access to Justice Conference)

Present: ATJ Board members Chair Michele Jones, Chris Crowell, Pete Dewell, Scott Smith, Dwight Williams, Rich Kuhling, Judge Rebecca Baker, Pam Feinstein; ATJ Board Committee chairs and members Leonard Schroeter, Barbara Clark, Judge Paul Bastine, Donald Horowitz; Guests PLE Council Co-Chair Judith Billings, Administrative on Aging Legal Services Developer Hank Hibbard, Northwest Health Law Advocates members Janet Varon and Julie Chinitz; ATJ Board staff Joan Fairbanks and Pam Inglesby.

**People who attended the May retreat were encouraged to submit their evaluations.

**The Board discussed the importance of getting to know one other personally in social settings and agreed that there should be a social event on October 25, the evening before the October 26 ATJ Board meeting in Seattle.

The Board approved the goals with a few minor amendments.

The letter was approved.

Scott Smith reported that the proposed legal needs study will move forward independent of the proposed funding task force. There has been a favorable response from OAC on funding perhaps as much as 50% of the cost of the study. The goal will be to raise the other 50% from other equal justice partners and perhaps from grants and academia. **An ad hoc working group of Chris Crowell, Scott Smith, Jim Bamberger, Barbara Clark and Joan Fairbanks will explore funding options.

Scott Smith reported the Superior Court and District and Municipal Court Judges Associations have expressed interest in greater involvement in the ATJ Board. **The ATJ Board will write letters to these associations inviting them to appoint liaisons to the ATJ Board and to appoint members to serve on ATJ Board committees.

Judge Paul Bastine, Co-Chair of the ATJ Board's Family Law Task Force, reported on the revisions to the Family Law Task Force Report. These revisions were made in response to comments received when the initial report was mailed out in late 2000. As part of his report, Judge Bastine recommended that the ATJ Board appoint a standing committee to move the recommendations forward, monitor their progress and present to the ATJ Board additional recommendations that may emerge. Chris Crowell noted there is a lot of overlap with the current recommendations from the domestic violence community.

**The ATJ Board approved the revised Family Law Task Force Report and will address the formation of the proposed standing committee at its September meeting. **The ATJ Board also agreed to send formal thank you letters to the Task Force.

** = ACTION NEEDED

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Fairbanks

Justice Programs Manager