June 1999

June 1999 Message from the Executive Director

www.wsba.org

by Jan Michels
Executive Director
janm@wsba.org

If you’re reading this online, you have already found the WSBA website, and can access a wealth of information, tools and links.

Hint: Becoming familiar with the website and learning to use it for your business benefit may take a few hours of practice. Make short visits to the site to see what is there and let what you see sink in before going back for a second session. Each session, dig a little deeper into the choices.

From the introductory page, website visitors can click on a "Site Index" to get information about WSBA programs and services. There are pages of frequently asked questions about the WSBA; introductory comments from the President and Executive Director; and news about current WSBA programs, events and initiatives.

A "Quick Information" section lets website visitors look up member information (in the WSBA lawyer database), job listings and opportunities for volunteer service. (See page 54 for a related article about e-mail addresses in the lawyer database.) The "Site Index" provides an alphabetical listing of everything on the website. A calendar of upcoming WSBA CLE seminars is available. Many sections list executive committee contact information or links to websites of special interest to members. The Alternate Dispute Resolution Section has a unique online directory of ADR providers.

The latest issue of Bar News appears first on the website, with key articles dating back to 1997 in an archive. Many sections post information relevant to their members, such as meeting calendars and legislative updates. Click on LOMAP/Practice Gems/Archive and read through recent practice tips.

The "Law-related Web Links" choice under "Quick Information" is a vast resource for databases of RCWs, Court Rules, the legislative calendar, government data, case law and much more. Members can save themselves hours of searching for this type of information by simply surfing to it from here.

In this information age, our burden is too much information. It is easy to get overwhelmed with diverse opinions, multiple sources of advice from many angles, and the usual lawyer’s sense of never really finishing the research relevant to a decision. The WSBA website offers practice hints, law office management advice, and information screened and recommended by your peers as relevant and helpful. Visit the section pages to see how much help this information can be. Other features soon to be available are online CLEs and a manual about "Picking and Using Technology."

Many sections and the YLD offer interactive communication and contact via e-mail. The Law Practice Management and Technology Section even has RealAudio recordings of section events. This is a growth area, and in the near future you will see more interactive services on the WSBA website, such as committee preference forms, CLE publication orders and section dues forms.

The WSBA’s job is to give members all the tools and help we can. The World Wide Web is becoming not just an adjunct to doing business, but an essential tool for living in the information age. Our member survey has shown us that up to 60 percent of WSBA members use e-mail and the Internet to some degree. We’re using our website for hot news, practice hints, filtered information and quick-find directories, and the site of choice for links to databases. We’re also looking at the possibility of setting up a permanent computer-training lab for members. Most of our current inventory of planned website enhancements are in direct response to what members and sections have asked for on the "Raising the Bar" survey or at town or section meetings. Please continue to inform and educate us at the WSBA about what you want and need — your requests become what we want to do.

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