June 2002

FYI: For Your Information

Pursuant to WSBA Bylaw Article VII, Section F – Resolutions, any 10 active members of the Washington State Bar Association may present a written resolution to the Board of Governors for consideration at the WSBA annual business meeting. This year's meeting will be held September 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the W Seattle Hotel, 1112 Fourth Ave., Seattle.

Resolutions must be filed with the WSBA executive director at least 90 days before the annual meeting (by 5:00 p.m. on June 17, 2002), and must be accompanied by a written report explaining the resolution. The resolution and explanatory report together shall not exceed a total of 1,000 words. Send resolutions to Executive Director, WSBA, 2101 Fourth Ave., Ste. 400, Seattle, WA 98121-2330.

The Board of Governors will refer any resolutions addressing issues within the purposes of the WSBA to the WSBA Resolutions Committee. Those purposes are set forth in Article I of the WSBA bylaws and General Rule 12 of the Washington Court Rules. Not more than 11 nor less than seven days before the annual meeting, the Resolutions Committee will hold a public hearing at the WSBA office. Proponents and opponents of resolutions may attend the hearing in person or present their views in written form for consideration by the committee. Proposed resolutions will be published in the August 2002 issue of Bar News, along with the date of the Resolutions Committee meeting and a list of committee members.

For further information, please contact WSBA General Counsel Robert D. Welden at bobw@wsba.org or 206-727-8232.

The WSBA annual awards dinner and business meeting will be held Thursday, September 12 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the W Seattle Hotel, 1112 Fourth Ave., Seattle. Future issues of Bar News will contain detailed information about the event.

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 www.courts.wa.gov/rules/proposed/2002mar/
word/ProposedELC.doc.

2002 Edition of WSBA-CLE Washington Life Insurance Trust Deskbook Goes to Press

A new edition of the Washington Life Insurance Trust Deskbook, edited by Paul R. Willett, will be released later this month. This deskbook includes three model trust forms (on diskette), drafted in light of Washington community property and trust law, and extensively annotated with references to applicable IRS cases and rulings. This one-volume sourcebook for Washington estate planners sells for $85. As with all WSBA deskbooks, purchasers who sign up for the Automatic Update Service will receive a 10 percent discount on their purchase. To order, call 206-733-5918.

There's a new Web site you'll want to bookmark: 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, which also contains useful links to other legal resources, is updated weekly.

If your client is involved in a personal injury case and has received or is receiving medical-assistance payments for his medical care, you are required to contact the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). RCW 43.20B.060 places a lien for the reimbursement of the medical bills that have been paid by public assistance against any settlement of judgment your client receives from a third party responsible for your client's injuries. Before settling your client's claim with the third party and/or their insurance company, please contact the COB Casualty Unit of DSHS at 800-562-6136 or COB Casualty Unit, PO Box 45561, Olympia, WA 98504-5561 to supply the information that DSHS requires. Failure to pay any lien imposed by the department may subject you to personal liability for funds improperly distributed (RCW 43.20B.070).

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, D.C. 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.

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 that are not in any textbook. The program is not a structured mentoring program and does not supplant any similar programs of local bars. We connect lawyers with similar practices in the same geographic area for mutual information-sharing and goodwill. For more information, contact Peter Roberts at 206-727-8237 or peter@wsba.org.

We are pleased to announce that informal ethics opinions are now available on the WSBA Web site at http://pro.wsba.org/. 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.

June 7 – Yakima

July 26-27 – Ocean Shores

September 13-14 – Seattle

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.

CASA Volunteers Needed

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.

The 2002 WSBA Bar Leaders Conference and Access to Justice (ATJ) Conference will be held June 7-9 at the Yakima Convention Center. For bar leader information, please contact Toni Doane at tonid@wsba.org or 206-727-8293. For ATJ information, please contact Sharlene Steele at sharlene@wsba.org or 206-727-8262.

The online MCLE Credit-Tracking System (http://pro.wsba.org/) is ready for you to use. Here's what you can do using the new system:

•  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/, 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.

The average coupon equivalent yield from the first auction of 26-week treasury bills in May 2002 is 1.893 percent. The maximum allowable interest rate for June 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.

CLE Credits for Pro Bono Work? Limited License to Practice with No MCLE Requirements?

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.

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) has expanded its offering of free legal clinics. Multilingual services will operate twice monthly for people who speak Spanish, Russian or Ukrainian. For schedule information and appointments, call 425-747-1663.

The WSBA World Peace Through Law Section and the Seattle Chapter of the United Nations Association are sponsoring a two-credit CLE seminar on June 13 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the WSBA office (2101 Fourth Ave., Suite 400, Seattle). Gonzaga law school professor Father Robert Araujo, S.J., will present "The International Criminal Court — The Option for Dealing with Terrorism." The cost is $10. For more information, contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA.

The lawyer directory on the WSBA Web site has been enhanced! 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.

For deaths occurring January 1, 2002 and after, Washington has different estate tax reporting requirements than the federal government. Federal estate tax law changes, enacted after January 1, 2001 by the "Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001," do not apply to the filing and reporting requirements of Washington's estate tax. The state of Washington operates under RCW 83.100.020 (15), which references the Internal Revenue Tax Code as it existed January 1, 2001. For more information, contact the Washington State Department of Revenue at 360-753-5547 or 360-753-7518.

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.

As one of the projects undertaken by the Proud to Be a Lawyer Task Force formed by 2000-01 WSBA President Jan Eric Peterson, we purchased 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 the radio, and also reformatted them into large signs.

Working cooperatively with the King County Bar Association's Public Information Committee, spots were broadcast on KIRO radio during the weeks of April 29 (to coincide with Law Week) and May 13. We plan to expand radio advertising into other areas in the state.

At the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, four backlit signs are in highly visible areas (including baggage decks and near a security area). These signs will be in place through the end of July.

In a ceremony at the Chelan County Courthouse in Wenatchee on March 19, district court judges were presented with copies of the WSBA Creed of Professionalism. Participants were (left to right) lawyer Steven W. Woods, court clerk Sherrill Keller, Judge Alicia H. Nakata, Judge Thomas C. Warren, Deputy City Prosecutor Randy L. Thies and Deputy County Prosecutor Stephen D. Funderburk. Seated are Chelan-Douglas Counties Bar Association President Russell J. Speidel and lawyer Donald C. Bell.

Okanogan County Bar Association President Karl Sloan and Peg R. Callaway of the WSBA Professionalism Committee presented judges Jack Burchard, Christopher E. Culp and David S. Edwards the WSBA Creed of Professionalism for their courtrooms. The Okanogan County Bar Assocation also presented Richard B. Price with a certificate of appreciation for epitomizing the ideal of professionalism. Pictured L-R: (front) Richard B. Price, Peg R. Callaway, Karl Sloan; (back) Judge Christopher E. Culp, Judge David S. Edwards, Judge Jack Burchard.

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.