Civil Rights Committee

Thursday, October 2, 2008 – Civil Rights Committee Mini-CLE: Disability Issues in Education.  The WSBA Civil Rights Committee invites attorneys and the public to attend a program on special education including a discussion of learning disabilities, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (or "IDEA"), statutory history and coverage, and a Ninth Circuit case law update.

When:      Thursday, October 2, 2008  
                
                 Noon - 1:30 p.m. 

Where:     Washington State Bar Association
                 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600
                 Seattle, WA  98101

Credits:    1. 5 general CLE credits

Cost:        Free for all registrants

Click here for course materials.

Speaker Bios:

David Girard is an attorney in private practice in Seattle concentrating on disability law.  He was an attorney with Evergreen Legal Services, Columbia Legal Services and Disability Rights Washington (formerly the Washington Protection and Advocacy System). 

Jeannette Cohen has a Master's degree in Special Education from the University of Washington and a law degree from Seattle University.  Ms. Cohen taught as a special education teacher for ten years working with children with autism, severe learning disabilities, and severe emotional and behavioral challenges.  Ms. Cohen then worked as an Educational Consultant on behalf of parents with special needs children in public schools in the greater Puget Sound area, providing feedback and recommendations to IEP teams. Currently with a law degree, Ms. Cohen continues to represent parents with special needs children attending public schools in the greater Puget Sound area; children who are challenged with a variety of disabilities.  Ms. Cohen's practice focuses on school issues involving Special Education, 504, discipline, bullying and harassment, and assault or abuse from staff, as well as helping parents obtain services through the Department of Developmental Disabilities and applying for guardianships for their children.

Registration:   Please register online at: https://pro.wsba.org/forms/cle/CR91002.asp

Questions and/or Special Accommodations:  Sharon Payant at spayant@perkinscoie.com.

Monday, September 22, 2008 – Civil Rights Committee Mini-CLE: 2008 Seattle Civil Rights Conference: Opportunities, Next Steps. 

The WSBA Civil Rights Committee invites attorneys and the public to attend its 2008 Seattle Civil Rights Conference: Opportunities, Next Steps.

The conference will cover past, present, and future issues in civil rights and will include discussions of civil rights jurisprudence, federal civil rights violations, and state hate crime laws and issues. For the program schedule, click here.

When:     Monday, September 22, 2008

                9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Where:   Washington State Bar Association
               1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600
               Seattle, WA  98101

Credits:   6.25 general CLE credits

Cost:       $25 for all registrants
                Free for law students

Course Materials:

Hate Crimes in Washington Presentation
Overview of Federal Civil Rights Statutes Investigations and Prosecutions
Final Report of the 2008 Seattle City Council Police Accountability Panel
PARP Report
Auditor Report October-March 2008
Civil Rights Conference Outline
Strategic Plan 2007-2009
Washington State Human Rights Commission Brochure

Speaker Bios:

Marc Brenman
Kelly Harris
Commissioner Dennis Payne

Questions and/or Special Accommodations:

Please contact Sharon Payant at spayant@perkinscoie.com.

The Civil Rights Committee studies and, as directed by the Board of Governors, investigates matters relating to American civil liberties, to keep the spirit of civil rights alive within the bar and the community. The Committee submits recommendations concerning such matters to the Board of Governors.

Chair
Tracy Flood
(360) 895-2400
fltracylaw@aol.com

WSBA Liaison
Bob Welden
bobw@wsba.org

Board of Governors Liaisons
Anthony Butler
anthonylawrencebutler@gmail.com

G. Geoffrey Gibbs
ggibbs@andersonhunterlaw.com

Past Accomplishments

• April 24, 2008: Civil Rights Committee Conference: Opportunities, Next Steps, Civil Rights Issues Past, Present, and Future
• WSBA Civil Rights Committee Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; 2008 Civil Rights Conference: Opportunities, Next Steps, Civil Rights Issues Past, Present, and Future
• April 17, 2007: Presented a 1-hour CLE program with Mr. Jon Heuvel, Partner, Head of Employment, Penningtons Solicitors LLP, London, on the new age discrimination law in England, and comparisons between the new English law and US law.
• March 23, 2007: Presented a 1- hour CLE program on the WTO Protest case with Tyler Weaver (left), counsel for plaintiffs, and Ted Buck (right), counsel for City of Seattle.  Weaver and Ted Buck discussed the "ban on protest" in Seattle, class certification, probable cause for arrest, and free speech claims in the WTO protest litigation.  Tracy Flood (center), Chair of the Civil Rights Committee, moderated the CLE. 
     
  
• February 8, 2007: Presented a 1-hour CLE program with Drew Hansen (right), author of "The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation" speaking on the legal history of the civil rights movement.
• March 16, 2005: Presented a public forum titled "USA Patriot Act, the War on Terrorism, and Civil Liberties: Balancing Safety and Freedom in the Post-9/11 World" at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma.
• March 2003: Developed and distributed Civil Rights Brochure to inform members of the bar and general public of resources available in the area of civil rights.
• March 15, 2000: Panel Discussion: WTO: GOVERNMENT ACTION/CIVIL RIGHTS.
• June, 2000: Committee recommends moratorium on the death penalty.
• Sponsoring a speaker for an educational "Brown Bag" Luncheon to discuss the ABA-proposed death penalty moratorium.
• Organizing, sponsoring and presenting a CLE session at the WSBA Celebration 2000 Convention on the topic of Teen/Student Civil Rights.
• Preparing a Proposed Evidence Rule 412 to the WSBA Rules Committee; although not approved for submission to the Board of Governors, the proposed rule is currently undergoing revision for re-submission.
• Soliciting and sponsoring publication of articles in the WSBA Bar News: U.S. Representative Jay Inslee, The Fight for Privacy: Technology and Financial Services Industry Consolidation Impacts on the American Consumer (May 2000); and Michael Subit, Segregation as a Constitutionally Protected Right: The Legacy of Washington Supreme Court Justice Mallery (February 2001).
• Organizing and presenting a CLE on Taxation of Civil Rights Settlements in Discrimination Cases.