September 1999

Section Annual Reports - 1999

Excerpted from the Sections’ recently submitted Annual Reports. Look for the WSBA Committee Annual Reports in the October FYI.

The Section’s 8th Annual Northwest ADR Conference, jointly sponsored with the University of Washington Law Foundation, drew record attendance. Easy access to the Section’s ADR Directory is now available through the Section’s page on the WSBA website. The Court Rules and Legislation Committee considered a number of matters; study and comment were prepared on: (1) the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA), (2) a proposed statute to authorize mediation in guardianship proceedings, and (3) the WSBA’s proposed rule defining the practice of law. The Section continued its outreach efforts, focusing especially on the law-school community and practitioners who live and work outside the greater Seattle area.

The Section reports that its annual seminar, held in November, was well received and financially successful, with uniformly excellent presentations. In June, revised Section by-laws were adopted. The Section is well underway toward the publication of a new revision of its handbook on state antitrust and consumer protection law.

The Section sponsored two major CLEs: the Northwest Securities Institute and the Mid-year Meeting. The Securities Committee continued its informal "Meet the Securities Regulators" program, and the Partnership Committee co-hosted with the WSBA a seminar on the new Revised Uniform Partnership Act. The Section’s Ad Hoc Committee on Legal Opinions published its report on opinion letter practices in Washington. The Committee on Conflicts of Interest in Business Law is working on an updated version of its Conflicts of Interest in Business Transactions deskbook, while the Corporate Act Revision Committee has begun a project to assemble and publish the comments prepared by the Committee over the last 10 years in connection with RCW 23B (the Business Corporation Act). The Law of Commerce in Cyberspace Committee commented on proposed changes to Washington’s Digital Signatures Act, and during the upcoming year anticipates an active agenda including consideration of two proposed uniform acts – the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

The Section sponsored a Corporate Counsel Institute, a one-day program designed to educate and update corporate lawyers on key current issues. The Section continued its successful program of quarterly dinners, as well as informal luncheon and breakfast CLE round-table sessions. The Section also published an updated directory of corporate counsel in Washington and a quarterly newsletter, Corporate Counsel.

Together with the Oregon State Bar, the Section sponsored the 11th annual Northwest Bankruptcy Institute, bringing over 200 people to Seattle for the seminar. The Section has been active in editing materials and in providing financial support for various community legal-services organizations. The Section remains the only institution with a statewide membership involved in the creditor/debtor law field, and as such, it is routinely requested to comment on the administration of the courts and the implementation of various court rules. For the second consecutive year, the Section, through its chair, participated in the annual conference of Washington bankruptcy judges.

The Section hosted two seminars – an ethics seminar (the Section’s third), and a seminar focused on sentencing. Both were well attended, had outstanding faculty, and included law students. The Section also co-sponsored the annual Criminal Justice Institute with the WSBA-CLE. Section Chair David Skeen served as moderator, and several members of the Executive Board and Section were speakers. The Section’s web page continued to grow.

This was a busy year legislatively, as the Section was involved in reviewing draft recommendations of the Washington Health Care Association concerning code directive surrogate decisions. A dialogue was created with the Washington Health Care Association, the Department of Social and Health Services, the Attorney General’s Office, and the King County Bar Association Elder Law Section concerning the policies. The Section supported House Bill 1525, which proposed that mediation and alternative dispute resolution be available by court order in guardianship cases under appropriate circumstances in post-appointment disputes. Senate Bill 5447 attached to House Bill 1525 was unanimously opposed by the Section for its attempts to treat RCW 11.88 guardians ad litem the same as RCW 26.09 guardians ad litem under one broad umbrella. The Elder Law Consumer Information pamphlet was completed and is now available in printed format and on the WSBA website. The Section sponsored a CLE titled Elder Law Update and Other Areas, held in Seattle and Spokane.

The Section’s Executive Committee devoted the majority of its meeting time to the review of proposed legislation. With the addition of the Section’s Legislative Coordinator, the views of Section members are being heard in the Legislature, where House and Senate members now look to the Section for counsel on issues such as relocation, third-party access to children, and parenting plans. The Section takes pride in the enactment of Chapter 174 of the Laws of 1999, which deals with the modification of parenting plans. In conjunction with its Mid-year Meeting, the Section presented awards to King County Superior Court Judge Deborah Fleck (Jurist of the Year), Martha Cohen and the King County Superior Court Office of Interpreters Services (Professional of the Year), and Bellevue attorney and WSBA Governor Marijean Moschetto (Attorney of the Year).

The Section continues to provide educational services to its members through mini CLE seminars. These short (1-1/2 hour) presentations focus on late-breaking issues in health law. Topics covered ranged from compliance with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act to legal issues affecting health-care provider Y2K compliance efforts. The Section’s newsletter provides a forum for Section activities and more thorough exposition of recent legal developments.

The Section worked with WSBA-CLE to sponsor the first annual "New Lawyer" CLE presentation aimed at solo practitioners with less than three years’ experience. The Section has continued to have a presence on the Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) steering committee, currently focusing on promoting the awareness of this service to WSBA members. The Section’s brown-bag lunches have continued; topics have been as diverse as "Marketing for the Law Office" and "Motivating Associates." Members are kept informed through a quarterly newsletter and an e-mail discussion group.

The Section focuses on statutes regulations and cases that relate or pertain to the field of public procurement and private construction contracts. The Section sponsored a CLE titled "Keeping Current," with Secretary of Transportation Sid Morrison as the luncheon speaker. The Section’s tradition of forum meetings was continued – these small, informal, after-work gatherings keep members abreast of timely topics of interest, and provide the opportunity for professional networking and the exchange of information, experience and ideas.

The Section continued its involvement in legislative matters, reviewing and commenting upon numerous proposed bills.1999 saw the passage of the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA), a bill drafted and sponsored by the Section. The Section presented several successful CLE seminars in conjunction with WSBA-CLE, and conducted its annual 2-1/2 day mid-year meeting and conference. The Section distributed to its members a CD-ROM containing all state statutory and administrative code materials most closely associated with a real property or trust and estates practice, continued publication of its quarterly newsletter, and established pages on the WSBA website.

Membership in the Section is now 150 members strong. A newsletter focusing on post-law-practice activities is produced quarterly. The Section’s Second Annual Meeting, an all-day event, was held in August. The Annual Meeting gave attendees the opportunity to meet and socialize with fellow members, while its educational programs provided attendees with CLE credits.

We regret that reports from the following sections were not received in time for publication:

• Administrative Law
• Environmental and Land Use
• General Practice
• Indian Law
• Intellectual Property
• International Practice
• Litigation Law
• Taxation Law
• World Peace Through Law.

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