The Board would like to invite you to serve as a Judge in our upcoming 2019 Spring Mock Trial Competition. We have plenty of openings for Judges in our preliminary rounds, taking place on Friday March 15 at 5:00 PM and at 7:00 PM, and Saturday March 16 at 10 AM and 12 PM (Noon).

If you are available for any of the above times, or perhaps multiple consecutive times, the commitment would entail arriving at Seattle University School of Law 30 minutes before your first round begins, judging your respective round, grading competitors’ performances, and providing feedback.

Dinner is provided to our judges in advance of the competition on Friday night, and breakfast is provided to our judges in advance of the competition on Saturday morning.

Serving as a judge is a great opportunity to earn CLE credits and give back to the legal community by mentoring and educating law students. With your assistance, we can offer Seattle University law students the best oral advocacy experience possible.

We would greatly appreciate your assistance in judging this competition. If you are interested and available, you can sign up via this google form: https://goo.gl/forms/w0lB1Aos0qLPae5z2 . Once you’ve submitted your response, the Moot Court Board will send along a confirmation letter, competition information, and parking information in advance of the event.

The Mock Trial committee is seeking volunteer attorney raters for the 2019 Mock Trial tournament. More details below. Please email Jill Sasser (jill.sasser@landerholm.com) if you are able to volunteer.

The High School tournament will be held on Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28.

Wednesday, February 27:

Round 1 - 12:30-3:00pm

Round 2 - 3:00-5:30pm

Round 3 - 5:30-8:00pm

Thursday, February 28:

Round 4 - 12:30-3:00pm

Round 5 - 3:00-5:30pm

Round 6 - 5:30-8:00pm

The tournament is held at the Clark County Courthouse. Attorney raters need to meet in the first floor jury assembly room for trial assignments. Please arrive about 15 minutes early to get courtroom assignments and score sheets. Each round lasts about 2.5 hours. You will need to watch the trial, fill out a scoresheet and offer brief and positive feedback to the participants. You do not need any experience to participate.

In exchange for your time we can offer our gratitude, some food and drink, and the enjoyable experience of watching students participate in this program.

JustLead Washington is now recruiting for its Board of Directors. As you may know, JustLead is a statewide organization offering training, consulting, and other capacity-building support to the equity & justice community that is focused on leadership and organizational development, race equity, and collaboration between legal and community partners. JustLead’s inaugural board started as a small but mighty team of Leadership Academy alumni who were (and still are!) willing to help steward the birth and growth of JustLead, but as our now 2-year-old organization grows we are hoping to recruit a new cohort of board members who can join our team in 2019.

JustLead is seeking board members who are excited to engage in big conversations about what a strong community of equity & justice advocates and organizations look like and who are willing to champion JustLead’s work within their networks and communities. We are intentionally seeking a mix of JustLead program alumni and folks who are newer to JustLead, legal and community partners, and folks from around the state. We welcome and encourage applicants who have personally navigated the law & justice systems and who have been directly impacted by racism, poverty, and other forms of structural oppression.

Are you ready and excited to become part of our growing team? Do you know anyone else who might be? Please help us spread the word! Please see attached for a board recruitment announcement and more information; you can also find information at https://justleadwa.org/about/job-openings/. Board applications are due January 18^th,, and interested applicants will have an opportunity to talk with current board members and attend a board meeting before confirming their interest. For questions or assistance in completing a board application please contact info@justleadwa.org.

Complimentary QLaw membership!  QLaw is the LGBT bar association of Washington.  Members of other minority bar associations such as WWL interested in QLaw’s mission—whether you identify as LGBT or as a dedicated ally—are invited to join QLaw for the 2019 membership year for free.  QLaw is doing this to promote more interaction and flow of ideas between our groups, better serve those with intersectional identities, and maximize the diversity of our membership.  To join, go to www.qlaw.org/join and use the discount code MBA2019.  The discount applies only for new QLaw members.

Write for Litigation News!

The ABA Section of Litigation’s national news magazine seeks excellent writers interested in joining its editorial board as contributing editors.  Contributing editors write four articles per year and attend two ABA conferences (partial reimbursement available).  Reaching an audience of over 40,000 members, this is a great opportunity to get your name out there and connect with attorneys across the country. 

Interested?  Participate in our annual write-on competition!  Send a resume and writing sample to LitNewsWriteOn@gmail.com by January 18, 2019.  We will notify applicants selected to participate in the competition by February 1, 2019. 

On behalf of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the King County Bar Association, we write to ask for your help in identifying nominees for the Mentor of the Year Award. All finalists will be recognized at the YLD Winter Soiree on February 7, 2019, where the winner will be announced. YLD mentors provide the invaluable gift of time, teaching, and training to new lawyers.

As members of KCBA’s Diversity Committee, we hope to assist the YLD in creating a broad, diverse pool of nominees. Could you share this request for nominations to your membership or others whom you believe might know of a worthy nominee? To nominate a mentor, the nominator should submit an a short explanation of why the mentor deserves the award. Specific examples of assistance provided by the mentor are helpful. Nominations should be between two paragraphs and no more than one page. Nominations and any questions about the award or nomination process, should be submitted to Anna Robson at AnnaR@kcba.org by January 14, 2019. Nominators must be current YLD members, defined as a lawyer 36 years old or under or in the first five years of practices, whichever comes later.

Social Networking Luncheon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When:

Tuesday, December 4th, 2018, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Where: Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, 1420 Fifth Ave., Suite 3400, Seattle, WA 98101

RSVP: through Big Tent (preferred if you are a MAMAS member) or by email to lunchseminars@mamaseattle.org.

Please join us for a fun and informal networking event. Light lunch and dessert will be provided. Due to the nature of this event, we will not be offering telephone participation. Please join us in person!

MAMA Seattle would also like to thank our

Platinum sponsors:

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Garvey Schubert Barer

K&L Gates LLP

Yarmuth Wilsdon PLLC

Gold sponsors:

Keller Rohrback LLP

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Perkins Coie LLP

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt

Summit Law Group PLLC

www.MAMASeattle.org

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) is looking for a candidate to serve in the Commission-appointed position on the SEEC.

The SEEC is a seven-member, volunteer body that interprets and administers Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program, as well as the Whistleblower Protection, Ethics, Elections, Lobbying and Voters’ Pamphlet Codes. The SEEC advises the City Council and the Mayor on promoting ethics in government, and appoints and oversees the work of an executive director, who is charged with implementing SEEC decisions. Commissioners act as judges when a person is charged with violating one of the Commission-administered codes, and issue advisory opinions. Through staff, the SEEC publishes guides to the codes it enforces, and conducts educational programs on the Commission-administered codes.

The SEEC meets the first Wednesday of every month at 4:00 p.m., and occasionally Commissioners need to attend special meetings. Commission members usually spend between two and five hours per month on SEEC business, although the workload can vary.

Commissioners serve three-year terms and can be reappointed. The successful candidate will be selected by the six current commissioners, and must be confirmed by the City Council. The appointee’s terms will start early in 2019 and run until December 31, 2021. Women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young persons, senior citizens, persons of color, and immigrants are encouraged to apply.

Residency in the City of Seattle, while not required, is an asset. Commissioners cannot be active in Seattle election campaigns during their time on the Commission. To be considered for appointment to the SEEC, please send a letter of interest and resume by December 14, 2018 by e-mail to wayne.barnett@seattle.gov, or by mail to: Wayne Barnett, Executive Director Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission P.O. Box 94729 Seattle, Washington 98124-4729 For more information, please contact Wayne Barnett at (206) 684-8577, or by e-mail at wayne.barnett@seattle.gov.

Supreme Court Invites Public Participation in Bar Structure Work Group

Apply by Dec. 7 to help determine the future of legal regulation in Washington state

SEATTLE, WA [Nov. 15, 2018] — The Washington Supreme Court seeks applications for a public member to serve on its work group to conduct a comprehensive review of the structure of the Washington State Bar Association

(WSBA).

WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s nearly 40,000 lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation to protect and serve the public, the WSBA both regulates lawyers and other legal professionals and serves its members as a professional association.

Pending lawsuits regarding the legal status of bar associations across the nation as well as recent case law prompted the Washington Supreme Court to form the bar-structure work group. It will ultimately make a recommendation to the full Court as to WSBA’s future structure, which might be remaining status quo, dividing into a mandatory and a voluntary bar association, or forming some sort of hybrid.

Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst will chair the 10-person work group, which has one seat reserved for a public (nonWSBA member) representative. The work group will review and assess WSBA’s structure in light of recent case law with First Amendment and antitrust implications; recent reorganizations by other state bar associations and their reasoning; and the additional responsibilities of WSBA due to its administration of Supreme Court appointed boards.

Meetings will be held at WSBA offices in Seattle. Meetings will begin in January 2019 and will be held every three to four weeks for six to eight months. All meetings will be open to the public; a schedule will be posted at wsba.org when available.

Interested applicants should apply to:

The Supreme Court, Attention: C.J. Mary Fairhurst

PO Box 40929, Olympia, WA 98504

Applicants should indicate they are applying for the public-member position and include the reason for their interest and pertinent background information. The deadline for applications is Dec. 7, 2018. In making its selections, the court will be looking for diversity in all its aspects.

About the Washington State Bar Association

The WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s nearly 40,000 lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation to protect and serve the public, the WSBA both regulates lawyers and other legal professionals and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. The WSBA’s mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice. For more information, visit www.wsba.org.

Request for Content Proposals

2019 Access to Justice Conference

Amplifying the Power of Community

Spokane Convention Center

June 14-16, 2019

We’re excited to announce that the Access to Justice Board’s Conference Planning Committee is now accepting proposals and ideas for the 2019 Access to Justice Conference. This year’s theme, Amplifying the Power of Community, seeks to shine a spotlight on the our collective power when community members, advocates, judges, attorneys, leaders, funders, and policymakers across Washington State come together to champion justice.

Please share this call for proposals widely with your networks! The Conference Planning Committee is committed to centering the voices of those who are most directly affected by the systems in need of changing. We strongly encourage proposals from a wide variety of perspectives: those who experience injustice; staff and volunteers from social service organizations, government agencies, community-based organizations and coalitions; members and leaders from communities of color; social justice funders; civil legal aid advocates; criminal justice workers; private pro bono and low bono legal professionals; court staff and administrators; members of the judiciary; nonprofit capacity-builders; students and teachers; and many others. Please help us by forwarding this email to your colleagues and networks who share our commitment to equity and justice.

To learn more about the criteria and submit a proposal, please fill out this form by January 4, 2019. If you have any questions or need assistance submitting the form, please contact BonnieS@wsba.org. If necessary, you may request a Word version of the proposal form to fill out and submit by email. The proposal form is also attached here as a PDF for your convenience.

To learn more about the Conference, visit us online at http://allianceforequaljustice.org/accesstojusticeconference. We will post conference details to this page as they become available.