Frequently Asked Questions
Index
Address Changes
Admissions
Advance Sheets
American Bar Association (ABA)
Bar Associations in Washington State
Bar Card
Bar News
Status Certificates
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Courts
Employment
Ethics Opinions for Attorneys
IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts)
Judicial Recommendation Process
Keller Deduction
Lawyer Referral
Legislative Hotline
Licensing
Mailing Labels
MCLE
Membership Status Change
Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC)
Trust Account Declarations
How do I change my address?
Bar members should notify the WSBA within 10 days of name, address and telephone number changes. Indicate whether a new address is work or residence address. The residence address determines the congressional district for voting purposes. You may use your business or residence address as your mailing address. Your mailing address is made available to the courts and is public record. To check your address, see the online membership directory.
Requests for blocked or confidential records must be made in writing, stating the reason for the request, and sent to the attention of the Executive Director. These requests are granted only in emergency cases, because the WSBA must have an address for public record according to the WSBA Bylaws and the Public Disclosure Act.
To notify the Bar of changes of address or telephone number, call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, e-mail the change to questions@wsba.org, or download this form to complete and send to WSBA.
When e-mailing your address change, please include the following information:
- name of firm/company
- street address
- city, state and zip code
- phone number and fax number
- e-mail address (optional but recommended)
- If you are also changing your home address, please include this information in your e-mail.
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Where can I get information about admissions?
Frequently asked questions about
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What are advance sheets, and how can I obtain them?
Advance sheets are updates of Appellate Court cases and rules before they are bound. Call 360-943-9977 to request advance sheets.
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What is the American Bar Association (ABA)?
The Washington State Bar Association is an administrative arm of the Washington State Supreme Court system. It is not related to the ABA. See About the WSBA.
ABA contact information:
American Bar Association
321 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-988-5000
http://www.abanet.org/
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How can I find out about other bar associations in Washington state?
A guide with listings of county bars, specialty bar associations, law-related organizations, and pro bono programs in Washington is available online.
The WSBA Resources Directory lists bar associations in its yellow pages section under "Associations." Resources sells to WSBA members for $19.00 and to non-members for $37.00 (if shipped to a Washington address, please add 8.8% sales tax). To order, call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA, 206-443-WSBA, or e-mail questions@wsba.org.
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Bar cards are given to all active members when they are admitted. Replacement cards take approximately one week to process. Call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA to request a replacement bar card. There is no charge.
A photo bar card is also available.
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Bar News is the official publication of the WSBA. It is published monthly. For more information about Bar News, see Bar News Frequently Asked Questions.
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What are Status Certificates, and how can I order one?
Status Certificates (formerly called Certificates of Good Standing)
There are two types of certificates. One is provided by the Washington State Bar Association and the other by the Washington State Supreme Court.
The status certificate provided by the WSBA certifies Washington State Bar Association membership and date of admission. The standard charge for the certificate is $25. Extra copies requested at the same time are $1 each. If certificates are requested for several lawyers from a firm, the charge is $25 for each lawyer (and $1 for each extra copy [per lawyer] requested at the same time). If a discipline check (summary of any grievances filed against the lawyer or discipline imposed on the lawyer) is required, there is an additional fee of $30 for the discipline check. Requests for discipline checks must be signed by the attorney. Extra copies requested at the same time are $1 each. The standard turnaround time for status certificates and discipline checks is one to two weeks.
For expedited or other special service, there is an additional fee of $7.50.
To order a status certificate or discipline check, send a written request to the WSBA Service Center at 1325 Fourth Ave., Ste. 600, Seattle, WA 98101-2539; fax 206-727-8316. Please include the following:
- Name
- Bar number
- Number of copies requested
- Address where the certificates should be sent
- Whether a status certificate, discipline check, or both is required
- The appropriate fee
- A release signed by the attorney for discipline checks
Payment may be made by check (payable to WSBA), MasterCard or Visa. If paying by credit card, please provide card number, expiration date, and the name as it appears on the card. The process takes one to two weeks.
Another type of certificate is available from the Washington State Supreme Court. If you need a certificate from the highest court or an officer of the court, please call the clerk's office at 360-357-2077. The charge is currently $5.
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How can I find out about Continuing Legal Education (CLE)?
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Where can I find information about courts?
The Washington Court Directory is at http://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/ and includes a list of courts by county at http://www.courts.wa.gov/court_dir/?fa=court_dir.county
For links to many court Web sites, see Law-related Web Links.
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Where can I find information about Employment?
- If you are an attorney seeking employment, see the WSBA Job Center (updated weekly).
- Bar News magazine includes a classified ad section each month with positions wanted and positions available.
- The yellow pages in WSBA Resources lists some employment agencies for attorneys.
- For information about employment opportunities at the WSBA, see the WSBA Job Center or contact the Human Resources manager at 206-727-8245 or e-mail questions@wsba.org.
- Lawyer Services Department (LaSD) has a quarterly newsletter, Sidebar, for general career services. To be included in the mailing list for this publication, call 206-727-8268.
- The WSBA is looking for qualified persons to help us in our mission to promote justice and serve our members and the public. See career opportunities at the WSBA.
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Where can I find Ethics Opinions for Attorneys?
See the Professional Responsibility/Ethics Program page.
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What is IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts)?
An IOLTA (Interest On Lawyers' Trust Accounts) account is a pooled, interest-bearing trust account for deposit of client funds that are nominal in amount or expected to be held for a short period of time. For a short summary of more information, see the Trust Account FAQ.
A WSBA booklet titled Managing Client Trust Accounts: Rules, Regulations and Common Sense is available. This is a guide for attorneys in dealing with trust account questions. Call the WSBA Service Center at 206-443-WSBA or 1-800-945-WSBA or e-mail questions@wsba.org to receive a printed copy.
For specific questions, call the WSBA auditors at 206-727-8242 or 206-733-5937. IOLTA is administered by the Legal Foundation of Washington. For more information, call 206-624-2536.
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The WSBA Judicial Recommendation Committee screens and interviews candidates for state appellate court positions and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors.
Those interested in appointment to the state courts of limited jurisdiction (Washington State Superior, District and Municipal Courts) should contact the local bar association for that county, or if there is no formal association, contact the court directly.
Questions regarding federal courts (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court) should contact those courts directly. For links to many court Web sites, see Law-related Web Links.
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In the U.S. Supreme Court case Keller v. State Bar of California, the court ruled that a bar association may not use mandatory member fees to support political or ideological activities that are not reasonably related to the regulation of the legal profession or improving the quality of legal services. The bar is required to identify that portion of mandatory license fees that go to such "nonchargeable" activities and establish a system whereby objecting members may either deduct that portion of their fees or receive a refund.
For more information see page A2 of the license packet and the Keller Compliance Option Notice.
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Where can I find information about lawyer referral services?
The WSBA does not operate a lawyer referral service. Some local county bars operate referral services, and often provide referrals for nearby counties. See Access To Justice Board's list of referral services in Washington State.
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Where can I find information about pro bono referrals (for low-income individuals)?
Call CLEAR Intake at 1-888-201-1014 or see the Access to Justice Network web pages.
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Where can I find information about other referral services?
The American Bar Association maintains a directory of lawyer referral services by state. For more information, visit their website at www.abanet.org/legalservices/lris/directory/.
The information provided by referral services is not reviewed by the Washington State Bar Association.
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What is the Legislative Hotline?
Call 1-800-562-6000 to:
- Send a message to your state legislators, the governor, the lieutenant governor, or Senate and House committees,
- Check the status of a bill
- Check if a bill is scheduled for a hearing
- Order from the Bill Room the following: bill status, legislative meeting schedule, copy of a bill, or other bill-room materials,
- Obtain information about bills before the legislature. During legislative session: Monday - Friday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Interim: Monday - Friday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
- For more information, see the Legislative Committee
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Where can I find information about licensing?
Information about licensing, admissions, and MCLE
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How do I order mailing labels?
For information on ordering mailing lists and/or labels, call 206-727-8276, or e-mail kenber@wsba.org to request a mailing label order form and price list. The form may be downloaded as a printable file. See also Policy Regarding Member Information and Member Demographics.
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Where can I find information about membership status change?
Information for members about changing their membership status is available on the status change page of the WSBA website.
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A copy of the RPCs is free to members and nonmembers; to order call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or e-mail questions@wsba.org.
The RPCs are available at www.courts.wa.gov/rules/list.cfm?group=ga&set=RPC. For links to the Admission to Practice Rules, Rules for Lawyer Discipline and other related materials, see the Law-related Web Links.
All active attorneys must complete and submit a trust account declaration every year. This applies to every WSBA member in active status, whether or not you are actually practicing law or have a trust account. These forms are due February 1 of each year. If you did not receive your annual licensing packet, you should contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA to obtain one. Click here for more information about filling out your trust account declaration.
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