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WSBA News and Information
You are cordially invited to attend the 13th Annual Washington State Access to Justice Conference and WSBA Bar Leaders Conference June 6-8 at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay in Vancouver, Washington. The conference theme is "Justice Without Borders." Please click here for the conference brochure and registration form.
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Congratulations to the 359 candidates who passed the Winter 2008 Bar Exam! The exam was administered in February 2008 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. Of the 483 candidates who took the exam, 74.3 percent passed. Click here to see the pass list. Click here to see passage percentages.
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The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is seeking comments on proposed changes to their Local Civil and General Rules.
Please visit their website at www.wawd.uscourts.gov for more information.
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The March edition of News Flash is available online. Click here to read it.
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The Washington Pattern Jury Instruction Committee is pleased to announce that the website providing pattern jury instructions available at no charge is now up and running, and can be accessed at http://government.westlaw.com/linkedslice/default.asp?SP=WCCJI-1000. For more information, see "Pattern Jury Instructions: Free Public Access on Trial Basis," published in the April issue of Bar News. Questions about the website should be directed to Rick Neidhart at Rick.Neidhardt@courts.wa.gov.
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The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Civil Rights Committee held its 2008 civil rights conference, "Opportunities, Next Steps: Civil Rights Issues, Past, Present and Future" in Spokane on April 24. The conference on past, present, and future issues in civil rights covered topics such as landmark civil rights events, litigation, and legislation, hate crimes laws, and federal civil rights violations.
CLE materials are available electronically on this website. Click on the links below to view the program materials.
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Proposed Legal Technician Rule and Regulation – Comments Welcome
The WSBA Board of Governors will likely consider the Legal Technician Rule and Regulation proposal at its meeting in September 2008, and it will then make recommendations to the Supreme Court. We would like to hear from you on this very important issue and encourage you and your organization to send written comments prior to August 1, 2008. All comments should be addressed as follows:
Stanley A. Bastian, President
Washington State Bar Association
Re: Legal Technician Rule
1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600
Seattle, WA 98101-2539
Please click here to view the Practice of Law Board's (POLB) final report to the Supreme Court and the proposed Legal Technician Rule and Regulation.
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On Wednesday, January 23, WSBA-CLE held a free telephone CLE, "Disaster Legal Services for Flood Victims," to all lawyers interested in learning more about disaster legal services and helping disaster victims. This CLE, "Disaster Legal Services for Flood Victims," was approved for 1.5 CLE credits. Click here for more information.
Click here to view the course materials.
If you are interested in volunteering to provide legal services to help those affected by the floods who cannot afford a lawyer, please register at www.nwjustice.org/about_njp/volunteer_FEMA.html or call the WSBA Disaster Legal Services line at 1-866-519-7099.
Those who need help, please call the WSBA Disaster Legal Services line at 1-866-519-7099, and click here for more information.
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The WSBA is pleased to provide links to other Washington bar associations' publications. We're starting off with the King County Bar Bulletin, the Spokane County Bar Association Calendar Call, and the Whatcom County Bar Association Newsletter. We invite other bar associations to be included, so information can be shared, and your activities publicized, with members throughout the state. Click here to go to the Bar Association Publications page. If you would like your publication included, please e-mail Stephanie Perry at stephaniep@wsba.org.
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Click on the links below for more information on this opportunity for service.
Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE Board) - application deadline: June 30
Law Clerk Committee - Two Positions - application deadline: June 15
Bellevue Youth Court Seeking Volunteer Attorneys - ongoing
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The WSBA is pleased to announce the adoption of a new mission statement, guiding principles, and strategic goals for the next three years. Over recent months, the Long Range Planning Committee, chaired by Sixth-District Governor Sal Mungia, performed a systematic review of the WSBA's goals, and proposed a revised way of looking at the organization – who the WSBA is, why it exists, and where it should be spending its resources and energy. Watch for an article in the December issue of Bar News by Executive Director Paula Littlewood and Governor Sal Mungia entitled "Into the Future: New Clarity and Focus for the WSBA's Path."
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Breast Cancer Legal Resources Guide
This new guide, a collaborative effort among a number of individuals and organizations, addresses the legal issues that may arise as a result of the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer or any catastrophic illness. The Guide is not meant to serve as legal advice or as a substitute for consulting an attorney, but is intended to provide useful information regarding employment, housing, estate planning, insurance, and privacy issues, among others.
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The Casemaker 2.0 Beta test site is now available for viewing by Casemaker users. While Casemaker 1.0 will stay up as the primary research tool for at least a month, a link has been added so members can preview version 2.0 and provide feedback. The link is located at the bottom of each consortium member's Web Library Page with information about the minor differences in how to use Casemaker 2.0. Your feedback will help Casemaker developers make changes to version 2.0.
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Judicial Vacancies
The Governor's Office has announced pending or possible judicial vacancies. Click here for details.
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The 2007 Legislative Bill Referrals to Sections are now available online. Click here to view them.
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Effective June 1, 2006, Bar applicants who have passed the bar exam, or who qualify for admission without passing the bar exam, must complete an approved four-hour Preadmission Education Program. You can meet this requirement by attending a live program, if offered in your local area, or by watching the video available on the Preadmission Education website.
Click here for more information.
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The WSBA, along with the WSBA Business Law; Labor and Employment Law; and Real Property, Probate and Trust sections, sponsors a monthly legal-affairs program on TVW, The Docket. The May 2008 episode premieres on Sunday, May 4, at 8 p.m., and will be rebroadcast throughout the month.
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A guide, Ensuring Equal Access for People with Disabilities: A Guide for Washington Courts, has been developed by the Access to Justice Board's Impediments to Access to Justice Committee. The Guide is an important compendium of laws, information, and suggestions for assuring equal access for all, and it includes suggested means of accommodation.
Click here to see the brochure that accompanies the guide.
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Help Educate the Public About the Law
Writing editorials, visiting classrooms, and presiding over mock trials are just a few ways lawyers and judges can help the public better understand the legal system. For information about public legal education volunteer opportunities and resources, see the volunteering page on the Council on Public Legal Education website.
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The "Random Acts of Professionalism" Program allows lawyers and judges to honor others in the profession whose conduct has upheld the spirit of the Creed of Professionalism.
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