Editor's Column

By Jason T. Vail

One of the peculiarities of the editorial cycle is the fairly lengthy delay between the completion of the content of an issue of De Novo and the time at which you, the readership, receive it. For example, as I write this column we are enjoying a beautiful, warm late-summer day in August. I have just recently returned from a long vacation and road trip back to the family homestead on Starvation Lake in the northeast corner of our state where I got to appreciate the kind of genuine summer weather that I miss so dearly as a reluctant transplant to western Washington. However, I know that by the time this column appears in print, both the warm weather and the vacation will be distant memories as we descend into fall. By that time I will be exchanging the shorts and t-shirts I wear on my daily bicycle commute to work with layers of fleece and my bright-yellow rainsuit on those frequent days of inclement autumn weather.

There will be many other more significant changes that will occur in the interim time period as well. The approximately 1,000 applicants who sat for the bar exam just a few weeks ago will be anxiously awaiting their results which, by the time of publication, will be mere days away. Following this, the ranks of the WYLD membership will swell with newly admitted attorneys. But with every gain is a loss; the growth in our membership will be met with the departure of many of our members who will "age out" by the end of the year. This will be felt more immediately among the leadership of the WYLD as the end of September marks the time of turnover at all levels of the Bar's volunteer corps, from committees on up. The WYLD Board of Trustees will lose the talents of Julia Bahner (King District), Jennifer Brugger (Peninsula District), and Heather Young (Pierce District), as well as President Noah Davis and Katie O'Sullivan, the WYLD's representative on the WSBA Board of Governors. Though their terms are ending, we look forward to their continued leadership and involvement with the WYLD in the future.

Similarly, we look forward to the inclusion and involvement of our new admittees and new elected leadership, including President John Brangwin, whose inaugural column appears in this issue of De Novo, and President-elect Mark O'Halloran. We also look forward to the contributions of the newest members of the WYLD's various committees. I would like to make particular note of the WYLD's Editorial Advisory Board ("EAB"), the board that has oversight and input into this very publication. The EAB's membership has been vitally important to the continuous commitment to quality of De Novo and it shows: At the 2006 annual meeting of the ABA in Hawaii, De Novo received the first place Award of Achievement from the ABA Young Lawyer Division in its budget category. This is a great accomplishment for the WYLD and is due in large part to the exceptional work of the EAB. By the time this column goes to print, the EAB will have lost several key members, and it is my hope that some of you will step up and become a part of this publication through participation on the EAB. Involvement with the EAB is easy and it starts by joining our listserve. Please send an email to myself or denovo@wsba.org if you would like to join or if you simply have questions about the EAB.

In addition to participation on the EAB, an additional opportunity for service to De Novo can be found in the call for applications for the assistant editor position. As my term as editor winds down in early 2007, assistant editor Shelley Ajax will take the reins as the new De Novo editor and thus will need her own assistant editor who will serve her as well as she has served me. I invite you to look at the call for applications in this issue and consider applying if you have the skills and interest to assume this role. I cannot overstate both how important and downright fun involvement with this publication is, and I hope we can recruit more great talent to our team.

Finally, and of most significance to myself personally, there will be another substantial change in WYLD leadership that will occur between the time I write this and the time it appears in print: The WYLD will have a new governor on the WSBA Board of Governors (otherwise known as "the BOG"). As I mentioned above, Katie O'Sullivan's term on the BOG will be expiring, and it is my tremendous honor to be taking her place for the next three-year term. Having a voice on the BOG is greatly important to the young lawyers of our state. Ms. O'Sullivan has most ably and effectively represented the WYLD during her term on the BOG, and so it is not without some trepidation that I intend to do my best to fill her shoes; she has, after all, set a very high bar for me, and I hope to live up to her example. It is a great privilege to serve you, the membership, on the BOG, and to that end the next issue of De Novo will feature a new and ongoing column: The BOG Report. This column will be my opportunity to reach out to the membership, report on the activities of the BOG, and to invite feedback on issues of concern to you. I intend for my governorship to be as transparent as possible so that I may most effectively represent you, and the BOG Report will be one of my many efforts to achieve this.

It is truly amazing how much change can happen in a short time, particularly at this time of the year. As these changes occur, I hope you will take the time to contribute your talents and seek out opportunities for service to your Bar and Young Lawyer Division. I look forward to working with you.

Jason T. Vail is editor of De Novo. Mr. Vail is a staff attorney with the Seattle office of Northwest Justice Project and is a staff attorney-legal editor with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law's legal journal, Clearinghouse Review. He can be reached at 206-464-1519 or jasonv@nwjustice.org. All opinions are solely his own and not those of the WYLD, the WSBA, or De Novo.