I am part of a team working at my firm (Bates Wells) with the Law Society (the English equivalent of the ABA) on an international research project to support women lawyers round the world. Our project is striving to address one of the main issues faced by women globally, which is the lack of support mechanisms and/or organisations available to them within the legal sector. This research builds on previous international research carried out by the Law Society.

This current piece is a new step forward in understanding the varying options for support, which will lead to the drafting and publication of a practical toolkit for women in law all around the world. We hope the toolkit will set out steps on how to access and build on existing models of support, as well as how to establish these new types of groups. We strongly believe that more can be done to increase opportunities and experiences for women within the legal profession and our ambition is to help women develop the confidence and knowledge necessary to progress in their legal careers.

We are hoping you would be able to circulate our survey to your members and/or contacts.  The survey will be used as a basis for our toolkit and any insights will contribute greatly to our understanding. The survey has 12 questions which take approximately 10 minutes to answer and all responses are confidential. The survey as available at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/internationalwomeninlaw

We are also looking for case studies of groups and organisations that are already set up and modelling best practice and your organisation seems like a great example. If someone from your organisation was willing to have a quick phone call, we would appreciate this greatly.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to drop me an email .

Best wishes,

Eloise

Eloise Pollard
Trainee Solicitor
Public & Regulatory

The QLaw Foundation LGBTQ+ Legal Clinic is rolling out an exciting new volunteer training program starting November 22. This multi-part training is part of our new partnerships with Entre Hermanos and the Lavender Rights Project, and offers great training for new and returning volunteers, as well as attorneys who want to volunteer with our pro bono network launching in 2020. The new trainings will cover lots of key issues and topics that will be coming our way through the new partnerships, including legal issues affecting Latinx individuals and immigration and asylum issues, legal and non-legal issues for survivors of violence, as well as case management, intake, and client relationship-building. We are really excited about our new client-focused clinic model and community partnerships, and cannot wait to get all of our existing volunteers and new volunteers on board!

 REGISTER HERE!

Who should attend this training? All current QLaw Foundation LGBTQ+ Legal Clinic volunteers, past volunteers who are interested in getting involved, prospective volunteers, and interested law students.

When is the training? Friday, November 22, 2019, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Where is the training? Davis Wright Tremaine, Downtown Seattle (920 5^th Avenue, #3300, Seattle, WA, 98104 – thank you, DWT, for your support!)

Where can I register? Agenda, registration, and other details are available here!   

Will there be CLE credit? Yes! We are applying for CLE credit; information about pending and approved credits will be on the registration page.

Is there a cost? The training and CLE is free of charge to all who agree to volunteer at the LGBTQ+ legal clinic or with our pro bono network.  For those who do not plan to volunteer, the cost is $40.00 for QLaw Association members and $75.00 for non-members.

What if I cannot attend? The CLE will be recorded and will be available online at a later date. However, the training will include lots of simulations, discussions, and hands-on learning, so we do encourage all who are able to attend in person.

Will there be more trainings? Yes! We have another training coming up in December. Stay tuned for a save-the-date in the coming weeks.

Please contact denise@qlawfoundation.org with any questions!

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project ~

REPRESENTING IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

U-VISAS AND ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS APPLICATIONS FOR U-VISA RECIPIENTS

Thursday November 14, 2019

12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Perkins Coie

1201 Third Avenue Suite 4900

Seattle, WA 98101

**Lunch not provided** **4 CLE credits pending**

Topic

12:30-1:30 Working with Survivors of Domestic Violence

1:30-3:00 The U-Visa Application Process

3:00-4:15 Adjustment of Status for U-Visa Recipients

4:15-4:30 Questions

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

To register for the above training, please complete the information below and fax to Jordan Wasserman at 206-587-4025 or email to jordan@nwirp.org. Please register no later than November 11, 2019.

Registrant: ________________________________________________________________________

Last Name, First Name

Agency/Organization: ________________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________ City____________ State______ Zip_________

Telephone Number: ( )___________________ Fax Number: ( )__________________________

E-Mail Address: _____________________________________________________________________

Check One

____ I agree to pay $150 for attending this CLE.

____ My attendance at this CLE is free because I agree to take a pro bono U-Visa or U-Visa Adjustment of Status case from NWIRP within the next 6 months.

Presenters

Roxana Rahmani:

Roxana is a staff attorney in the VAWA Unit, where she provides direct representation to immigrant survivors of violence. Prior to joining NWIRP as a legal fellow in the Children and Youth Unit, she was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Catharine F. Easterly of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Rachael Scheibert:

Rachael coordinates the Adjustment of Status applications for survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other crimes in NWIRP's VAWA unit. She earned her BA from Bard College in New York. Prior to joining NWIRP, Rachael worked as an immigration paralegal and volunteered as a labor rights advocate working to recover stolen wages for Spanish-speaking King County residents. She is passionate about immigration law and helping others access their rights.

Maha Khalil:

Maha is a staff attorney with the Violence Against Women Act Unit (VAWA). Prior to joining NWIRP, Maha represented immigrants in a wide range of immigration matters with a focus on working with asylum seekers and clients in removal proceedings in Texas. She earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. She is licensed to practice in Texas.

Jenny Mashek:

Jenny is the Directing Attorney of NWIRP's Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Unit. The VAWA Unit represents immigrant survivors of violence with VAWA Self-Petitions, I-751 Waiver Petitions, U Visas, and T Visas, as well as removal defense. Jenny received her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her J.D. from the University of Iowa. She spent five years practicing law at Farmworker Legal Services of Michigan before joining NWIRP in May 2008. Jenny is fluent in Spanish.

More Information and to Register

The National Association of Commissions for Women is conducting a national survey, asking women living in the U.S. to tell us what their top five issues or concerns as women are. We want to be sure that the voices of the women in Washington are included in this survey. The questionnaire is brief – it takes just a few minutes to complete, and share - and it will give us important information.

Please click on this link and take the Voices of Women in America Survey. Share the link with your friends, colleagues, associates, networks. Let’s get as many women from our community as possible to share their concerns. It’s quick and easy. Just click on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch20HrXD013CQa2mvQtdeB4xHzwNVS5ikY9j6h3mnhnOLlxg/viewform.

The National Association of Commissions for Women is 501(C)(3) organization representing the women’s advisory boards established by city, county and state governments across the country. The commissions for women/Commissions on the Status of Women were created specifically to advise their local governments on the concerns of women in their jurisdictions. You can help them do that well by completing the Voices of Women in America survey and sharing with your networks.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL

We seek to appoint several Bigelow Fellows, appointed at the rank of Lecturer, to teach in the school's legal research and writing program effective July 1, 2020 or thereafter. 

• The appointment is for one year, but reappointment for a second term is also possible.
• Candidates must have a law degree from an accredited law school (J.D. strongly preferred) and be capable of designing and carrying out a program of tutorial instruction for first-year students. 
• The Law School seeks candidates who demonstrate the promise of distinguished legal scholarship and law teaching, who have relevant experience that will qualify them to act as teachers and mentors of students, and who will bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives to the Law School that will enrich and improve student experiences and the Law School's intellectual culture. 

Application Instructions

Applications only accepted at: apply.interfolio.com/65687. Resume, cover letter, reference contact information, writing sample(s), transcript, and 2-3 letters of recommendation must be submitted when applying. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled or until June 30, 2020.

The Judicial Conference Committee  on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System is presenting a program called "Roadways to the Federal Bench:  Who, Me? A Bankruptcy Judge?" on October 24, 2019, in Seattle, Washington.  The program is aimed at increasing diversity on the bankruptcy bench.  It will involve a live-stream from Washington, DC of a presentation for about an hour, followed by the participants meeting with federal judges for about an hour, followed by a reception.  We expect to have 100 participants (consisting of law students and young lawyers) separated into groups of ten, with each group meeting 2-3 federal judges for 15 minutes at a time in a "speed dating" format.  The judges will offer their thoughts and insights on how to get to the federal bench.  

Live Broadcast from Washington, DC

United States District Court

700 Stewart Street

Contact Paula Sutton, Psutton@bskd.com

American Constitution Society’s 2019 National Lawyer Convening, October 17–19, in Atlanta, GA.  Public Interest Fellowship funding is available to cover travel (airfare, rail, or mileage) and registration costs for public interest and government attorneys earning $100,000 or less.  We welcome all Washington Women Lawyers members to engage with ACS’s network and encourage all to attend! 

The Convening offers the opportunity to celebrate our progressive legal community and empower attendees to be progressive champions and partners in their communities. Confirmed speakers include Hon. Kim Jolson (S.D. Ohio), Hon. Beverly Martin (11th Cir.), Hon. Carlton Reeves (S.D. Miss.), Nancy Abudu, Jarrett Adams, Stephen Bright, Conchita Cruz, Barb McQuade, Neil Kinkopf, Josie Duffy Rice, Eric Segall, Elliot Williams, and more.

The deadline to apply is September 17, 2019. If you have questions about the salary cutoff or the scholarship application in general, please contact me at mgreene@acslaw.org.  We will review applications on a rolling case-by-case basis. I hope you will consider applying and please share with your network!

QLaw Foundation of Washington is proud to host:

LGBTQ+ Community/Legal Convening

9/27/2019, 10am-3pm

Seattle University School of Law, Room 110

901 12th Avenue, Seattle, 98122

Facilitated by Nikkita Oliver!

RSVP to: info@qlawfoundation.org

This event will create an opportunity for LGBTQ+ community, and particularly queer and trans communities of color, to connect with legal services providers to communicate current or emerging needs, and for legal services providers to take LGBTQ+ communities “behind the curtain” and provide understanding about their programs, functions, decisionmaking with respect to taking cases, and strategic approaches.

If you are a legal service provider, this event is for you!  If you are part of LGBTQ+ community-based movements and organizing, this event is also for you!

This gathering is organized around the principles that community-led movements are effective in creating positive change, and that legal systems can not only help solve problems for community members, but also can be mobilized in support of community-led movements when everyone has a place at the table.  We will provide opportunities for large and small-group discussion addressing how legal services are delivered in communities, the role legal providers play, and where service delivery is currently out of alignment with communities’ need – at the end of the day, understanding one another’s roles and experiences more clearly.

We are able to provide small honoraria to community-based and/or QTPOC-led organizations.

We hope you will join us!  Please direct questions and accommodation needs to Denise Diskin at denise@qlawfoundation.org.

**This event is generously financially supported by a Powerful Communities grant from the Washington State Bar Association.**

Miller Nash Graham & Dunn ("MNG&D") is seeking a partner-level attorney with significant experience in commercial loan workouts and restructurings and commercial bankruptcy to join its Seattle or Portland office.  Experience with bankruptcy, receivership, and related insolvency proceedings is required, as well as strong academic credentials and analytical ability.  Candidates with portable business are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, please upload as one PDF:  A cover letter, résumé, and law school transcript (unofficial is acceptable) and send by e-mail to Bethany Brown, Director of Legal Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, at MNRecruiting@millernash.com.  For record-keeping, please include the ad source in the subject line of your e-mail (e.g. WSBA ad, OSB ad, firm website, etc.).

MNG&D is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace.