July 2002

FYI: For Your Information

343 candidates passed the bar examination that was administered in February 2002. Of the 440 candidates who took the exam, 78 percent passed the test. Names and statistical information is available at www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/2002barexamwinter.htm.

At its June 7 board meeting, the WSBA Board of Governors elected Pullman attorney David W. Savage to serve as WSBA president for the 2003-04 term. Mr. Savage will assume the role of president-elect at the close of the September 2002 business meeting when President Dale L. Carlisle passes the gavel to J. Richard Manning.

At its June 7 board meeting, the WSBA Board of Governors elected Andrea Brenneke to serve as governor from the 7th-East Congressional District. Board election is required for open governor positions pursuant to WSBA Bylaws.

The election of David Savage as president-elect-elect creates an opening for an at-large governor. The term for the position is October 2002 to September 2005. At-large positions exist in addition to the congressional-district governor positions to encourage representation on the board of historically underrepresented groups (WSBA Bylaw Article III, Section M).

Persons interested in this position should send a letter of interest and résumé to the Executive Director, 2101 Fourth Ave., Ste. 400, Seattle, WA 98121-2330, or e-mail oed@wsba.org no later than July 31, 2002. The Board of Governors expects to make its decision at the September 13-14 board meeting.

Nomination deadline: July 31, 2002

The WYLD is accepting nominations for the Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award, Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, and the Professionalism Award. All three awards recognize lawyers who epitomize the best in the legal profession. Nominations are also being accepted for Outstanding YLD Affiliate or Organization for recognition of public-service and/or member-service programs. Awards will be presented at the WYLD "Bridging the Gap" Conference in Seattle on September 21. Letters of nomination should include the nominator's name, address and daytime phone number, as well as a copy of the nominee's résumé or list of accomplishments. Nominations must be received by July 31, 2002, and should be mailed to Lisa KauzLoric, WYLD Liaison, WSBA, 2101 Fourth Ave., Ste. 400, Seattle, WA 98121-2330.

The WSBA's new Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program matches newer admittees with experienced lawyers. Help them get a head start on learning those lawyering skills not found in any textbook. The program is not a structured mentoring program and does not supplant any similar programs of local or specialty bars. We connect lawyers with similar practices in the same geographic area for mutual information-sharing and goodwill. For more information, contact Pete Roberts at 206-727-8237 or peter@wsba.org.

The WSBA annual awards dinner and business meeting will be held Thursday, September 12 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at W Seattle Hotel, 1112 Fourth Ave., Seattle. To make your reservation, please use the form on page 10 of this issue.

The April 16, 2002 advance sheet of Washington Reports published the proposed Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct for comment through July 15, 2002. If adopted, these proposed rules will replace the Rules for Lawyer Discipline. The online version is available at http://www.courts.wa.gov/rules/proposed/2002mar/word/
ProposedELC.doc.

There's a new Web site you'll want to bookmark: http://www.legalwa.org/. This site contains Washington State Supreme Court opinions from 1939 to present, and published Court of Appeals opinions from 1969 to present. It also includes links to the full text of the RCW, WAC, and 70 Washington city and county municipal codes.

LegalWA.org was created cooperatively by the Washington State Bar Association, Municipal Research & Services Center, and the Washington Office of the Code Reviser to provide free public access to case law.

The site has been designed for ease of use. The full text of court decisions is searchable by keyword, and navigation around the site is simple and straightforward. The site also contains useful links to other legal resources, and is updated weekly.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering 114 lecturing and research awards, ranging from two months to an academic year, to attorneys and law faculty for the 2003-2004 academic year. The application deadline is August 1, 2002. For information, see http://www.cies.org/ or contact the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 3007 Tilden St. NW, Ste. 5L, Washington, DC 20008; 202-686-7877; e-mail 
apprequest@cies.iie.org. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

On August 14, the WSBA's Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP) will present an expanded version of its popular traveling seminar. The seminar will be held at Bell Harbor Convention Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and will cover such topics as practice management, trust-account rules, and client-relations ideas. A social hour follows the seminar. For more information, contact Pete Roberts at 206-727-8237 or peter@wsba.org.

The Thurston County Bar Association and the Rotary Club of West Olympia sponsored a Law Day speech contest on April 30. The three finalists, juniors at Olympia High School, spoke about the legal system and the events of 9/11. Pictured L-R: Stephen J. Henderson, WSBA governor, 3rd District; Dale L. Carlisle, WSBA president; Jim Dixon, Thurston County Bar Association president; Laurie Kamerrer, third-place winner; Miranda Metcalf, second-place winner; Melissa Williams, first-place winner; and Charlie Williams, Law Day Speech Contest chair.

The American Bar Association will hold its 125th annual meeting August 8-13 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Guest speakers will include former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Southern Poverty Law Center Director Morris Dees. For more information, call 312-988-5870.

The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has unveiled a newly automated program to find appearance dates for cases in Washington district and municipal courts. Located on the courts' Web site at 
http://www.courts.wa.gov/calendars, the program enables the public to locate future proceeding dates by entering a valid name or case number. This new program utilizes information from the Judicial Information System, which provides case-management automation to Washington courts. The program includes systems for appellate, superior, limited jurisdiction and juvenile courts.

The Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA) is a nonprofit organization of Indian attorneys, judges and advocates in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. The association aspires to improve the legal and political landscape for the Pacific Northwest Indian community. For more information about joining NIBA, contact Gabriel S. Galanda at 206-628-2780 or ggalanda@wkg.com.

We are pleased to announce that informal ethics opinions are available on the WSBA Web site at http://pro.wsba.org/io/search.asp. You can search by subject, key word(s), opinion number, year issued or authority.

Informal ethics opinions are issued by the WSBA RPC Committee, which researches and prepares responses to written ethical inquiries submitted by WSBA members. Informal opinions have not been approved by the Board of Governors, nor do they reflect the official position of the WSBA.

To discuss ethical questions about your own prospective conduct, phone the WSBA ethics line at 206-727-8284 (or 800-945-WSBA, ext. 8284). Your inquiry is considered confidential. If you have a question about the ethical conduct of another lawyer, please call 206-727-8235.

Yes, it's possible! Regulation 103(g) of the Washington State Board of Continuing Legal Education allows WSBA members to earn up to six hours of credit annually for providing pro bono direct representation under the auspices of a qualified legal-services provider. APR 8(e) creates a limited license status of emeritus for attorneys otherwise retired from the practice of law to practice pro bono legal services through a qualified legal-services organization.

For more information, contact Access to Justice Liaison Sharlene Steele at 206-727-8262 or sharlene@wsba.org.

King County Superior Court is seeking volunteers to serve as court-appointed special advocates. Volunteers receive extensive training to represent children involved in custody and visitation disputes in family law cases. They conduct interviews, write reports, and testify in hearings or trials. For more information, call 206-296-9320.

With the exception of a one-hour executive session the morning of the first day, BOG meetings are open, and all WSBA members are welcome to attend. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. Please contact Lori Lee at 206-727-8244 or loril@wsba.org.

Online MCLE Credit-Tracking System

Using the online MCLE Credit-Tracking System, you can do the following:

•  View your CLE courses and credits on your online attendance roster.

•  Make changes to your online attendance roster.

•  Search for approved courses.

•  Apply for course approval.

To enter the MCLE Credit-Tracking System, go to http://pro.wsba.org/ and click on the Member tab. Select Member Login, and follow the onscreen instructions. If you have questions, please contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA.

King County Superior Court (KCSC) filings will no longer be accepted in Bellevue District Court. Instead, documents to be filed in KCSC must be transmitted via mail, courier, or in person directly to one of the clerk's office facilities. For more information, call 206-296-9300 or see http://www.metrokc.gov/kcscc/.

The average coupon equivalent yield from the first auction of 26-week treasury bills in June 2002 is 1.919 percent. The maximum allowable interest rate for July is therefore 12 percent. Compilations of the average coupon equivalent yields from past auctions of 26-week treasury bills and past maximum interest rates for June 1988-June 1999 appear on page 53 of the June 1999 Bar News.

Web Site Links from Lawyer Directory

A link to your Web site can be added to your directory listing, so current and potential clients can find out more about you and your practice at the click of a button.

The fee is $75 annually ($50 if you sign up July 1 or later). If your firm has seven or more lawyers, you'll save through our special pricing structure. Special pricing is also available for those who work for nonprofit or government agencies. For more information and sign-up instructions, see www.wsba.org/media/publications/barnews/addlink.htm.

The WSBA online store is open at http://www.wsba.org/store/default.htm. You can purchase Cutter & Buck polo shirts, twill baseball caps, ballpoint pens, and brass luggage tags emblazoned with the WSBA logo. The store features secure online credit-card ordering. You can also purchase logo merchandise by calling the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA.

• Polo shirt (pewter or white, size L or XL) – $56

• Baseball cap (stone) – $24

• Ballpoint pen – $12

• Luggage tag – $7

Prices include shipping and handling. Sales tax (8.8 percent) will be added to orders shipped within Washington.

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) will hold its annual convention July 20-24 in Atlanta, Georgia. Members will honor outstanding efforts to help injured consumers or prevent injuries. The Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award will be presented July 23 to an attorney and client whose case highlights the importance of the civil justice system, and helps educate policymakers and the public about the importance of consumers' rights. Register online at http://www.atla.org/cle–con/AT02/press.htm or call Eileen Mosley at 800-424-2725, ext. 336.

The Northwest Justice Project board of directors will hold the remainder of its 2002 meetings on July 13 and October 19. Public meetings begin at 9:30 a.m. For site information, contact Lisa Giuffré at 888-201-1012 or 206-464-1519.

The trustees of the Legal Foundation of Washington (LFW) will meet on September 13 at the LFW office in Seattle. The public may appear to comment on the foundation's activities between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m.

The Legal Foundation of Washington is accepting nominations for the 2003 Goldmark Award. The award is given annually to an exceptional individual or organization that, by their vision, leadership and creativity, has provided meaningful access to Washington's civil justice system. Nomination forms are available by calling 206-624-2536, or by e-mailing dtheories@legalfoundation.org. Nominations are due by September 6, 2002.

The WSBA gratefully acknowledges the Washington State Hispanic Bar Association and WSHBA President Hector Steele-Rojas for their hard work and many hours spent translating four of the most popular consumer-information pamphlets into Spanish. The following pamphlets will be available later this summer: Dissolution, Landlord/Tenant Rights, Marriage, and Parenting Act. The pamphlets will also be available on the WSBA Web site at www.wsba.org/media/publications/pamphlets/.

As one of the projects undertaken by the Proud to Be a Lawyer Task Force formed by 2000-01 WSBA President Jan Eric Peterson, the WSBA purchased the rights to use a series of ads originally created for the Virginia Bar Association. These ads have been used successfully by several bar associations around the country, including Oregon.

We adapted the ads for use on radio, and in April and May we worked cooperatively with the King County Bar Association's Public Information Committee to broadcast the spots on KIRO radio in Seattle. We're pleased to announce that we have expanded the program into Eastern Washington. Spots are being broadcast on Spokane station KGA-AM during the weeks of June 24, July 8 and July 22. In Yakima, they're being broadcast on KIT-AM June 17 through July 2. In Wenatchee, the spots are airing on KPQ-AM June 10-21.

The WSBA is pleased to offer photo bar cards to active members. This is an option for those who are interested in having their photo on their card; original and replacement cards without photos are provided at no cost. More information and to order.