December 2001

FYI: For Your Information

Snohomish County lawyer Paul R. Lehto has been elected to the recently created at-large position, representing the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) on the WSBA Board of Governors. He was nominated by the WYLD board of trustees, and his term expires in September 2003. Mr. Lehto is an active member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, and served as chair of the Snohomish County chapter. He is a mentor to younger lawyers, and is working with the Snohomish County Bar Association to establish a program for young lawyers to work with at-risk middle-school students who are interested in exploring the legal profession. Mr. Lehto's Everett-based practice emphasizes business law, civil litigation and consumer law. Mr. Lehto recently opened CopyCare, a copying service that donates all profits to charity. He is also developing a model for a nonprofit law firm designed to better meet the social obligations of the community in which it is based. Mr. Lehto was instrumental in planning a retreat last summer for lawyers and scholars interested in better approaches to conflict resolution and the study of the role of law in a democratic society.

Pursuant to GR22, family law cases (any case filed under RCW chapters 26.09, 26.10, 26.12, 26.18, 26.21, 26.23, 26.26, 26.27, 26.50 and 26.52) will be required to submit a completed confidential information form (CIF) at the time of the initial filing. The CIF and confidential financial source documents cover sheet are available at no charge at the King County Superior Court Clerk's office Web site (http://www.metrokc.gov/kcsc), in the clerk's office, or on the Washington State Courts' Web site (http://www.courts.wa.gov/). Other family law forms are available on the court's Web site, or may be purchased from the clerk's office.

ABA President Robert Hirshon has called upon America's lawyers to unite during this difficult time. Lawyers are working with the ABA to provide legal services to victims of the recent disasters. Areas of help include legal assistance for victims, military personnel, and lawyers whose practices were affected; and ABA programs that can provide legal information or referrals and information on how lawyers can volunteer to help or make a donation. More information is available at http://www.abanet.org/.

Licensing packets, which include license fee, trust account and MCLE reporting (C-2 Compliance Affidavit) forms, will be mailed in early December. If you have not received your licensing packet by the first week in January 2002, please call the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or e-mail questions@wsba.org to request a duplicate. Please note that it is your responsibility to pay your annual license fee, regardless of whether you receive the licensing packet.

Now is the ideal time to check that the WSBA has your correct address in its database. You can check by going to the online lawyer directory on the WSBA Web site at http://pro.wsba.org. If your address has changed, please notify the WSBA Service Center as soon as possible by e-mailing questions@wsba.org or faxing the change to 206-727-8319.

In addition to your license fee, per APR 15, the Supreme Court has ordered that all active members must pay a $13 assessment to the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (LFCP). We encourage you to pay your license fee (and active members the LFCP fee) promptly to avoid penalties. A 20 percent late-payment penalty is imposed if the annual license fee is not paid by March 1, 2002. After April 1, 2002, a 50 percent late-payment penalty is imposed. If your license fee, penalty assessment or LFCP fee remain unpaid after May 1, 2002, the delinquency will be certified to the Supreme Court, which will enter an order of suspension from the practice of law. In order to be reinstated to your former status after suspension for nonpayment, you must pay double the amount of the combined fee and penalty (triple the original fee). For active members, nonpayment of the LFCP fee is also cause for suspension.

For more information, please see the WSBA Web site at 
www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/, or contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA (9722), 206-443-WSBA (9722) or questions@wsba.org.

Active WSBA members who are in Reporting Group 1 (active members admitted through 1975; or in 1991, 1994, 1997 or 2000*) will report CLE credits for activities undertaken in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Newly admitted members are exempt from reporting CLE credits during their year of admission and the following calendar year. Thus, if you were admitted in 2000 you will not report this reporting period even though you are in Group 1. You will first report at the end of 2004. (New admittees may earn CLE credits, however, starting from their admission date, and those credits may be applied toward their first reporting period.)

If you are in Reporting Group 1, please do the following to meet your CLE requirements:

1) Complete approved CLE credits totaling at least 39 general and six ethics for the three-year period (1999 through 2001);

2) Submit these credits and attendance to the WSBA either through the sponsor or directly to the WSBA;

3) Sign the C-2 Compliance Affidavit certifying attendance of the listed courses; and

4) Send the C-2 Compliance Affidavit to the WSBA by February 1, 2002.

Your C-2 Compliance Affidavit contains all courses and credits to your record for 2001 CLE activities submitted by sponsors. Please review it carefully and make any necessary changes or additions to this credit information. If you have CLE credits for activities in 2001 that were not earned through live courses, you must enter this information. You must also enter course/credit information for activities undertaken in 1999 and 2000. You must then sign, under penalty of perjury, that the credit information you submit is true and correct.

In the near future, through a confidential password you will be able to go to your individual record in the MCLE database and make changes to your personal information, add approved CLE activities, apply for course approval, and make corrections to your credit amounts.

Remember that although sponsors are now responsible for reporting credits from live seminars, each individual attorney attending such seminars is responsible for informing the sponsor of the amount earned for that seminar. If you do not attend the entire seminar, please inform the sponsor, so the sponsor can submit the correct number of CLE credits you earned.

A Senior Lawyers' Discussion Group meets Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Lawyers' Assistance Program office (WSBA, 2101 Fourth Ave., Third Fl., Seattle). If you are a senior lawyer and would like to talk with other retired or soon-to-be-retired lawyers about issues of interest, please contact Mike Hoff at 206-733-5988 or mikeh@wsba.org.

Washington estate tax will be experiencing some major changes resulting from the federal Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. The state death-tax credit will be phased out between now and January 1, 2005. To phase out the credit, the reporting thresholds will increase while the percent of current state credit allowable will be reduced. For instance, 2002 deaths will have a reporting threshold of $1 million, and the percent of the current state credit will be 75 percent (versus $675,000 and 100 percent for 2001). For July 1, 2000 due dates and after, there is no longer a voluntary filing penalty, but late-payment interest will still apply. The interest rate for 2002 will be seven percent. For more information, contact the Department of Revenue Estate Tax Section at 360-753-5547 or 360-753-7518.

WestCoast Hotels, the WSBA and Legal Aid for Washington (LAW) Fund have created a partnership to raise funds for low-income legal services. Through the end of 2001, WestCoast Hotels will make donations to LAW Fund, based on the number of nights that anyone associated with the WSBA stays at any of the 47 Washington WestCoast Hotels. By simply asking for the WSBA rate, guests will receive a reduced room rate, and LAW Fund will receive $5 for each night's stay. Contact WestCoast Hotels at 800-325-4000.

In the spring of 2001, a 30-page survey was sent to all private law firms in Washington with five or more attorneys. The glass-ceiling survey was designed to answer the following question: Based on objective data, what is the status of women and minority lawyers in private law firms in the state of Washington? After years of pondering the question, sharing anecdotes, and reviewing the results of studies conducted in other states and nationally, a coalition of organizations determined it was time to get an accurate answer to that question.

The Glass-Ceiling Task Force, composed of representatives from the King County Bar Association; Washington Women Lawyers, state and King County chapters; the Supreme Court Commission on Gender and Justice; the Washington State Bar Association; Northwest Women's Law Center; and Washington Women Defenders, worked for more than two years to devise a plan for conducting the survey; design a survey instrument; raise money to administer the survey; and employ a research firm with the expertise to ensure valid and reliable results.

The survey was mailed in May 2001. A firm administrator or designee was asked to respond on behalf of the firm, providing information based on the firm's circumstances during 2000. Questions covered recruitment and hiring, promotion and retention, compensation, professional growth, work life and firm culture, and anti-discrimination and sexual harassment practices. Over the summer, the results were tabulated and analyzed. A final report is now being prepared.

Survey findings will be reported in Bar News, with full survey findings available upon request. Stay tuned for more information.

Did you know that easy-to-understand pamphlets on a wide variety of legal topics are available from the WSBA? For a very low cost, you can provide your clients with helpful information. Pamphlets cover a wide range of topics:

Legal Fees

Each topic is sold separately. Pamphlets are $9 for 25, $15 for 50, $20 for 75, and $25 for 100. Pricing for larger quantities is available on request.

Additionally, copies of The Law Book, a special supplement to the King County Journal newspapers, are available. The 12-page tabloid includes articles by WSBA members on a wide range of topics. The cost is $20 for 100 copies.

To place your order or for more information, please contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA. Sales tax is applicable to all in-state orders.

The WSBA CLE bookstore will be open at the WSBA office at 2101 Fourth Ave., Fourth Fl., from December 3 to December 31. Hours of operation will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of December 25 and January 1, when the bookstore will be closed. Monday, December 24 and Monday, December 31, the bookstore will be open from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Available MCLE A/V credit-approved material will include a limited supply of selected taped seminars with coursebooks. Payment may be made by cash, check, MasterCard or Visa. (You may claim up to 15 total A/V credits for the current reporting period. All ethics credits can be acquired using approved A/V self-study.)

The lawyer directory on the WSBA Web site just got better! A link to your Web site can now be included in the WSBA online directory, so people can go directly from your directory listing to your Web site. This will be a significant benefit to you and those seeking information!

The regular fee for this service will be $75 annually ($50 if you sign up July 1 or later). But if you sign up before December 31, 2001, you'll pay the charter-member fee of just $50, which will cover your listing through December 31, 2002.

For more information and a sign-up form, see the WSBA Web site at www.wsba.org/lawyers/addlink.htm.

The American Law Institute-American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Professional Education (ALI-ABA) is accepting nominations for the 2002 Francis Rawle Award for outstanding contributions to the field of post-admission legal education. The award committee will review all nominations for evidence of exceptional service in post-admission legal education, including publications, lectures, and the creation or administration of programs. Nominations are due by March 1, 2002, and should be mailed to Rawle Award Committee, ALI-ABA, 4025 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. For more information, contact Donna Maropis at 800-253-6397, ext. 1612.

The East King County Bar Association (EKCBA) will host a holiday party December 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue. The party includes a buffet dinner, no-host bar and silent auction, and will feature Joe Koplin's Jazz Quintet. For more information, contact the EKCBA at 425-637-3097.

Law Week 2002 is an exciting opportunity for lawyers and judges to bring public legal education into the classroom. Each year, Law Week provides an enriching experience to youth through positive interactions with lawyers and judges. Law Week 2002 will take place the week of May 1. To learn more about the program or to participate, visit www.wsba.org/media/publications/lawweek/ or contact Lisa KauzLoric at 206-733-5944 or lisak@wsba.org.

The Legal Foundation of Washington will host the 16th Annual Goldmark Award Luncheon on Thursday, February 21, 2002 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center from noon to1:30 pm. The Legal Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that has distributed over $51,000,000 for legal services to the poor since 1985.

The Honorable William L. Dwyer, Senior U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington, will receive the Goldmark Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of a lifetime of exceptional leadership, both as an attorney and as a federal district court judge. Justice Rosalie Abella of the Court of Appeals for Ontario, Canada, will give the keynote address.

The Goldmark Award honors the memory of Charles A. Goldmark, a Seattle attorney, community leader and ardent supporter of access to justice. Please clip out and return the coupon below with your check payable to the Legal Foundation of Washington.

___ Yes, I would like to honor the work of legal services by attending the luncheon. I will bring ____ additional guests. ($35/person enclosed).

___ My firm would like to be an Equal Justice Sponsor ($1000 enclosed). Eight members of our firm will attend. (A charitable contribution of $720 will help cover luncheon expenses.)

___ My firm would like to be an Equal Justice Supporter ($500 enclosed). Four members of our firm will attend. (A charitable contribution of $360 will help cover luncheon expenses.)

___ I would like to be a Goldmark Donor ($100 enclosed). Two lunches will be provided and a charitable contribution of $30 will help cover luncheon expenses.

___ No, I cannot attend the luncheon, but I would like to support the luncheon with a donation of $ ____ .

Name(s):___________________________________________

Please indicate if a vegetarian meal is preferred.

The Legal Foundation of Washington is a 501(c) (3) status institution.

WSBA logo merchandise is now available. The WSBA Store includes Cutter & Buck polo shirts, twill baseball caps, ball-point pens, and brass luggage tags emblazoned with the WSBA logo. To order, contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA. For more information and to view products, see the WSBA Web site at http://store.yahoo.com/wsbastore/.

Polo shirt (pewter or white) - $56

Baseball cap (stone) - $24

Ball-point pen - $12

Luggage tag - $7

Prices include shipping and handling.

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