October 2006

Diversity and the Law

Dynamic Partnerships

The Washington State Bar Association is committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession. This effort includes forging partnerships with our state's numerous and dynamic minority bar associations. This month, Bar News begins a regular column on diversity. This month's column highlights the work of our sister associations. An overview of each associations is provided and contact information given so that WSBA members can get involved. Future columns will feature viewpoint articles written by minority bar association leaders.

Asian Bar Association of Washington — http://www.abaw.org/

ABAW is the professional association of Asian-Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. ABAW provides networking and mentoring opportunities, monitors legislative developments and judicial appointments, rates judicial candidates, and advocates for equal opportunity. ABAW sponsors student scholarships and serves the community through projects including Seattle's International District Legal Clinic.

Upcoming Event: Annual Banquet, October 11, 2006, Seattle.

The Cardozo Society — www.jewishinseattle.org/JF/About/Attorneys/Attorneys.asp

The Seattle Cardozo Society is a society for Jewish attorneys. It sponsors programs that integrate legal and Jewish concerns to demonstrate the unique contributions the legal profession can make to improve the Jewish community. 

Filipino American Legal Society — Jesie R. Castro — 253-589-6598

This organization aims to provide legal services and resources to the Filipino community.

Korean American Bar Association — www.scn.org/kaba-washington

KABA aims to foster the exchange of ideas and information among KABA members, other members of the legal profession, the judiciary, and the community; provides opportunities for fellowship; serves the general and local community; and provides a forum for the unified expression of opinions and positions on issues of concern to KABA members.

Latina/Latino Bar Association of Washington — http://www.lbaw.org/

The LBAW represents the concerns and goals of Latino attorneys and Latino people. Members participate as mentors to law students, actively contribute to the legal system, represent the interests of the Latino community, and work to provide solutions to the access-to-justice issues facing our legal system.

Upcoming Event: Tenth Annual National Latina/o Law Student Conference and Career Fair, October 12-15, 2006, Seattle.

Loren Miller Bar Association — http://www.lmba.net/

LMBA is at its core a civil-rights organization, focused on addressing the issues of race, and social and economic disparities that affect the African-American community. The LMBA was named after Loren Miller, the famed civil-rights attorney who successfully argued Shelley v. Kramer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948). LMBA is a statewide organization and local affiliate of the National Bar Association (http://www.nationalbar.org/).

Upcoming Event: "Using Technology to Empower Our Communities of Color," October 25, 2006.

Northwest Indian Bar Association — http://www.nwiba.org/

NIBA is an organization of Indian attorneys, judges, paralegals, tribal court personnel, and Indian-law pracitioners in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory, which aspires to improve the legal and political landscape for the Pacific Northwest Indian community. NIBA provides role models and mentors; encourages pro bono and civic involvement; and seeks to increase law-school enrollment by Native students.

Pierce County Minority Bar Association — www.orgsites.com/wa/pcmba

The purpose of the PCMBA is to facilitate professional development and relationships among minority attorneys, judges, legal professionals, and community leaders who reside or practice in Pierce County by providing networking opportunities, CLE credits, judicial evaluations, scholarships, and other legal services. 

QLaw: The GLBT Bar Association of Washington — http://www.q-law.org/

QLaw is an association of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) legal professionals and their friends. QLaw is a voice for GLBT lawyers on issues of diversity and equality in the legal profession and in the courts. The organization provides networking opportunities, legal education, issue advocacy, judicial evaluations, mentoring, and scholarships.

South Asian Bar Association — http://www.sabaw.org/

SABA, incorporated July 18, 2001, is composed of local attorneys and law students of South-Asian descent, aimed at promoting pro bono legal services and educational outreach, including in the areas of family law, domestic violence, and immigration. SABA hosts networking activities and sponsors mentorship opportunities.

Vietnamese American Bar Association — http://vabaw.com/default.aspx

VABAW was formed in 2005 for Vietnamese-American attorneys, law students, and friends sharing its vision. VABAW provides support for attorneys to advance their careers, guides students who aspire towards the legal profession, serves as a voice for the local Vietnamese-American community, and represents Vietnamese-American attorneys within the State Bar.

Upcoming Event: Annual Dinner, November 1, 2006, Seattle.

Washington Attorneys with Disabilities Association — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wash-ADG

WADA is an organization of attorneys with and without disabilities which works to educate and enlighten those in our profession about the many barriers to the practice of law, to promote the elimination of those barriers, and to improve meaningful opportunities for attorneys with disabilities in all facets of society.

Washington Women Lawyers — http://www.wwl.org/

The principal purposes of WWL are to further the full integration of women in the legal profession and to promote equal rights and opportunities for women, including preventing discrimination against women. WWL is a statewide organization with nine chapters covering 11 counties.

Upcoming Event: CLE and Annual Dinner, "Leadership and Women in the Law: The Changing Profile of the 21st Century Attorney," November 17, 2006, Seattle. 

Column Editor Beth Barrett Bloom is a 2005 WSBA Leadership Institute fellow, president-elect of QLaw, and member of the WSBA Committee for Diversity. Ms. Bloom is a labor and employment attorney with Frank Freed Subit & Thomas LLP in Seattle. For feedback, e-mail bbloom@frankfreed.com.