Volume XIII, Issue II
March/April 1999

The following is a brief summary of the minutes from the Board of Trustees meeting held on January 16, 1999. Contact your local trustee or the Washington State Bar Association if you would like a copy of the official minutes.

Pat Palace reported to the Trustees about the Board of Governors' Meeting held January 8-9 in Olympia. Mr. Palace reported that he would be attending the ABA mid-year in Los Angeles with Laura Bradley, Clayton King, David Vorhaus, Evan Loeffler, Lisa Castilleja, LeShawn Warren, and Brad Steiner. Mr. Palace announced that Sandeep Bawaja was appointed as Co-Chair of the Greater Access and Assistance Project (GAAP) with Trustee Brian Born.

Lisa Castilleja reported that she is recruiting for attorney judges and other volunteers to assist with the YMCA Mock Trial program scheduled for March 1999 in Yakima.

WSBA Staff Liaison Sheri Borgford reported that Randy Winn is the new WSBA Webmaster and will be working on the WYLD website.

The GAAP Committee, chaired by Brian Born, is considering the implementation of a state-wide program to provide free or very low cost legal assistance to individuals who are just above the federal poverty guidelines, and therefore ineligible for legal assistance at most legal service agencies. Brian reported on the current status of the Committee's short/long-term strategies and plans. The Committee has set forth the following goals and timelines to implement the GAAP program:

1. Confirm Committee Leadership. With the addition of Sandeep Bawaja as GAAP Committee Co-Chair, the GAAP Committee leadership has been secured for at least the next three years.
2. Research. Since Brian resurrected the Committee in the summer of 1998, the focus of the members has been primarily research-oriented. The members are researching similar programs in this and other states to evaluate program features, ensure cooperation with existing programs in Washington and to determine feasibility of the program.
3. Consensus Building. The Committee is working with the Access to Justice Board, in addition to other providers of discounted or pro bono legal service providers, to develop a foundation of support for the Committee and to ensure the program does not conflict existing programs.
4. Funding. The Committee will have to secure reliable funding sources until the program becomes self-sustaining.
5. Establish Specific Action Plan. The Committee will present to the WYLD Board and the Access to Justice Board a comprehensive and specific action plan which will set forth the Committee's proposal for implementing the GAAP program.

Mr. Born described the draft hotline standards that were prepared by the Access to Justice Board. The Trustees agreed that legal advice hotlines should be regulated and that the Trustees were not generally opposed to the draft hotline standards.

Mid-Year Chair Stella Edens reported via teleconference on the current status of the Mid-Year planning and provided the board with a tentative schedule and list of potential activities.

Marty Potter described the WSBA's LOMAP program to assist solo and small firm practitioners in business planning, financial management, technology, personnel management, operations management, facilities management, and client relations.

Walt Olsen reported that the WYLD is accepting nominations for three awards recognizing lawyers who epitomize the best in our membership and in our profession. These awards include the Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award, the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, and the Professionalism Award.

WYLD CLE Committee Co-Chair Crystal Dingler reported on the financial results of the WYLD's 1997-98 CLEs and presented a list of CLEs the WYLD will offer during the 1998-99 fiscal year.

Clayton King described a legislative proposal that attorneys' fees and costs be allowed for successful representation of an individual or small business in an administrative hearing under RCW 34.05 when it is demonstrated that the agency's position is "not substantially justified." The Legislative Committee recommended that this legislation be passed as it would promote greater access to justice by encouraging legal representation in administrative hearings. The Trustees, after discussion, The Trustees voted 5-4-1 to support the adoption of the proposed amendments.

RCW 26.09.260 spells out how permanent parenting plans are to be modified. The statute divides the modification of parenting plans into major and minor modifications, depending on the number of "overnights" in the child's residential schedule that are changed. The proposed amendment specifies changes in parenting plans that can be made as minor modifications and allows the amendments to be made by motion. The Trustees voted 10-0-0 to support the adoption of the proposed amendment.

Mr. Russell described to the Board of Trustees the CLE Planning system; Celebration 2000, a special event the WSBA will host to celebrate the millennium in Spokane in September, 2000; the implementation of a poll to survey new lawyers' training during their first years of practice; Internet training for lawyers; and the "Train the Trainer Program" for instructing CLE presenters.

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