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August 2007Around the StateIf you would like to contribute to Around the State on behalf of your county, minority, or specialty bar organization or if you have an interesting law-related story to tell, send your submissions to aroundthestate@wsba.org.
by Joyce Wood General Membership Meeting. The General Membership meeting was held on the last Friday of January 2007, with the highest numbers of attendance in 13 years. The Attorney of the Year Award for 2006 was awarded to Ian Millikan, of Marysville. Ian had several family members attend the event to honor him. Annual election of officers was also held and the results are: Jennifer Gogert, president; Peter Camp, vice president; Halley Hupp, treasurer; and Elizabeth Cullen, secretary. Fundraising. An evening to benefit Snohomish County Legal Services with our 13th Annual “Shamrocks and Gold” Auction was held on March 10 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in downtown Everett. It was a great success with a gross of $72,000. Everyone enjoyed the social hour and charity gambling games before the live auction and dinner. CLEs. Our most recent CLE, “Meet the GAL,” was held on May 11 on the County Campus in our new administration building hearing room. We had high attendance, including new guardians ad litem, local attorneys, and members of the superior court bench. Law Day. May 1 was a great success with positive feedback from students about shadowing their choice of a judge, public defender, or prosecutor. At the luncheon we had speakers from different positions and point of views regarding the practice of law. We had nine high schools with 44 students participating. Swearing-In. Our Spring Swearing-In Ceremony here in Snohomish County was June 14, with 17 candidates sworn in. We had a reception hosted by the Snohomish County Bar Association for our new attorneys, their friends, and their families in the law library. Social Events. Everyone enjoyed the SCBA Night at the Aqua-Sox in Everett on June 29, where members of the Snohomish County Bar Association were admitted free. Next up: Our annual golf tournament on September 14 at Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett. Family Law Section. Our Family Law Section is strong with a growing membership. The section meetings are held every month on the third Monday in the Kinard Room located on the fourth floor of the Snohomish County Courthouse. Guardianship Section. Our Guardianship Section has a new project, assisting people with their Title 11 processes, that was implemented several months ago. The section decided this would be a good project due to the closing of the ARC of Snohomish County. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at the courthouse. Young Lawyers Division. Our Young Lawyers Division meets at the Flying Pig at 5:00 p.m. on the second Monday of the month.
by Chuck Zimmerman, immediate past-president, Chelan-Douglas Counties Bar Association Members of the Chelan-Douglas Counties Bar Association actively participate throughout the year providing volunteer attorney services for the less fortunate by taking on full and complete individual cases or periodically serving one afternoon each week as the free legal services consultation attorney through our local Volunteer Attorney Services Program. We host CLE bar lunches each month, utilizing the talents of our members and providing an opportunity for members to earn CLE credits. Over the past year, the following attorneys graciously gave of their time and talent: Steve Crossland, Kathleen Kilcullen, Judge T.W. “Chip” Small, Robbie Scott, Judge Lesley Allan, Scott Volyn, John Brett, Judith Lurie, Peter Spadoni, John Sobba, Brian Walker, and Julie Norton. In addition, Jim Danielson arranged for Doug Ende of the WSBA to provide a presentation on the new Rules of Professional Conduct. Part of the work of the Chelan-Douglas Bar over the past several years has included raising funds to support our For a Safer Future Program headed by our Volunteer Attorney Services, a nonprofit corporation. A highlight of the year is our Volunteer Attorney Services Awards Presentation. This year, we were fortunate to have local bar member and WSBA President-elect Stan Bastian as a guest speaker. Congratulations to attorneys Susan Cawley, Kathleen Schmidt, and Robin Gaukroger who were honored with this year’s Volunteer Attorney Services awards. Our operating year is June through May and our year just wrapped up with the annual Spring Golf Tournament and Bar Dinner, which was successfully organized by Brett Amrine. Our Bar Association should continue to operate smoothly into the next year under the financial stewardship of Treasurer Erik Wahlquist and with the leadership of our new president, Judith Lurie.
by Anthony C. Johnson, commissioner, Lawyers Basketball League The King County Prosecutors & Defenders squad defeated the Washington Attorney Generals in an all-public-sector-lawyers team clash to claim the 2007 Seattle Lawyers Basketball League title. On May 30, the No. 6 seeded underdog, Prosecutors & Defenders, prevailed over the No. 1 seeded Generals, 40-39, in a low-scoring slugfest. The Generals overcame an early 8-0 deficit to lead 18-16 just before the half, when the Prosecutors & Defenders scored on a last-second inbound play to knot it up at 18. Nobody gained more than a two-point advantage during the second half. The Generals bombed in a three-pointer with four seconds left to take a one-point lead. However, a full court inbound play resulted in a lay-up for the Prosecutors & Defenders with one second remaining. There were to be no more miracles, as the Generals ended the season with an 11-2 record. Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services On May 1, Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services (TCVLS) held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Awards Breakfast. The breakfast was an opportunity to celebrate the successes of our volunteers, and to extend a call to action to stand for the rule of law by providing legal representation for low-income people. The breakfast was also an occasion to recognize some of the amazing work of Thurston and Mason County volunteer attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and partners. Specifically, TCVLS recognized the dedication of three volunteers and one law firm that have been committed to providing low-income people with legal advice, representation, and support during 2006. The award for Clinic Administrator of the Year was given to Diane Partridge, from the Office of the Attorney General. Diane has become a fixture at the TCVLS legal clinics over the past couple of years and continues to serve regularly at both the family law and domestic violence legal clinics. In addition to her work at the legal clinic, Diane has helped organize the local Family Support Center auction, which brings in a great deal of support to TCVLS and other agencies operating at the Center. The award for Pro Bono Attorney of the Year was given to John Jarrett, an attorney in private practice and frequent pro tem commissioner at Family and Juvenile Court in Thurston County. John has been a volunteer for the Thurston County VLP for more than two decades, in which time he has taken over 45 pro bono cases on behalf of low-income people. The award for Clinic Attorney of the Year was given to Judith Anne Redford-Hall, recognizing her tireless advocacy on behalf of clients in the most dire of situations. She helped establish the Mason County Volunteer Legal Clinic and facilitated its success by serving as the attorney mentor at almost every clinic in Mason County in 2006. The award for Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year was presented to Laurel Smith and Associates. Laurel Smith and her colleagues, including Jean Pirzadeh and Nancy Hull, have been dedicated to providing legal services at Olympia legal clinics for many years, as well as providing direct representation to scores of low-income individuals in the rural parts of Thurston County over the years. The keynote speaker at the volunteer breakfast was Seattle University School of Law Visiting Professor John McKay. Mr. McKay discussed the importance of attorneys acting as pillars of the rule of law, describing a justice system with strong pillars based on integrity, ethics, and the willingness to represent clients who are unable to pay. “The justice system is not a justice system unless it serves the poor and the powerless,” noted McKay.
Seattle attorney and WSBA member Joseph J. Velling was recalled on active duty for the 2007 Spring Offensive in Afghanistan. Captain Velling is a Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General assigned to Bagram Airbase serving as the staff judge advocate for Task Force Cincinnatus and Bagram Airbase Operations. Prior to his recall, Captain Velling commanded the Navy Reserve Regional Legal Service Office 319 located at Naval Base San Diego, and his unit was awarded the 2007 Gilbert Cup for the best Navy Reserve JAG unit in the nation. Gates Foundation Donates $1.75 Million to Support ABA’s World Justice Project The American Bar Association’s charity fund has received a $1.75 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help underwrite a project to advance the rule of law in the United States and abroad. The World Justice Project will be sponsored by organizations representing numerous disciplines from around the world. Current sponsors are the ABA and the International Bar Association. ABA President-Elect William H. Neukom, a partner in the Seattle office of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, said that recent events at home — such as the denial of due process to detainees held at Guantanamo Bay — and abroad — such as terrorism and the threat of pandemics — show the growing urgency of strengthening the rule of law in societies around the world. “The rule of law is the platform for communities of opportunity and equity,” Neukom said. “Whether you are a lawyer in Lebanon, Missouri, or a civil engineer in the nation of Lebanon, strengthening the rule of law will help you do your job better and bring greater stability to society.” As one example, Neukom said, organizations that deliver AIDS drugs to Africans can enhance their effectiveness if they can operate in environments free of conflict and corruption. “The rule of law is needed to make communities safe, lift people out of poverty, root out corruption, protect people from disease, and open up classroom doors to all,” Neukom said. In addition to traditional rule-of-law advocates, such as government officials, academics, and nongovernmental organizations, the project will engage representatives from such fields as architecture, the clergy, education, engineering, environment, labor, media, medicine and the military. Neukom said the project’s working definition of the rule of law includes four components: a system of self-government in which all persons, including the government, are accountable under the law; a system based on fair, publicized, broadly understood, and stable laws; a fair, robust, and accessible legal process in which rights and responsibilities based in law are enforced; and diverse, competent, and independent lawyers and judges.
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