Starbucks Corporation Law & Corporate Affairs Department 2018-19 Diversity Mentorship Program Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs Department is pleased to solicit participants for the Starbucks Diversity Mentorship Program. This program will connect Starbucks in-house lawyers with private practice junior attorneys from diverse backgrounds in one-to-one mentorship relationships. Starbucks legal department boasts one of the most experienced and diverse groups of attorneys in the region, and its lawyers are excited to share their insights into learning the practice of law, succeeding in law firm and other private practice environments, and for those who are interested, planning for in-house career opportunities. 

Following a kick-off reception for incoming mentees and past participants, this program will foster direct, informal interactions over a one-year period to help diverse junior attorneys learn their craft and network in the local community of legal professionals and business leaders. The program is open to all lawyers in private practice in their first six years as an attorney, and who are members of one or more minority bar associations or diversity affinity groups. 

If you are interested in applying, please submit a cover letter and resume to Sonya Goykhman at sgoykhma@starbucks.com by Friday, June 1. In your cover letter, please identify your current area of practice (and your desired area, if different), your general interest in receiving mentoring, and the minority bar association(s) or affinity group(s) to which you belong. If you have any questions, you may contact committee chairs Joanie Kim (jokim@starbucks.com) or Brittany Johnson (brijohns@starbucks.com).

The National Women’s Law Center ("NWLC") is seeking attorneys to join its Legal Network for Gender Equity. The NWLC’s Legal Network will provide access to legal representation, resources, and information to those facing sexual harassment and/or sexual discrimination on the job, at school and in the health care system.

The NWLC has already recruited more than 200 attorneys from across the country who stand ready to provide an initial free legal consultation and, when appropriate, representation. The recently announced Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund will be providing financial support to the Network and will support some of the cases brought by attorneys in the Network.

The NWLC is recruiting additional attorneys to join the Network from all states and in particular from following: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the Network,learn more & sign-up here>>

For questions, please contact NWLC’s Legal Director, Sunu Chandy (schandy@nwlc.org).

Below is an article from the January newsletter of the National Association of Women Judges that shares a resource to help us better understand the law firm landscape for women:

Lean In and McKinsey & Company partnered to produce Women in Law Firms 2017. 

The report focuses on women in law firms in North America. Out of the project's 222 participants, 23 are law firms that employ more than 16,000 attorneys. The firms provided the project with their talent-pipeline, programs and policies data. Additionally, more than 2,500 of their attorneys answered an experience survey. All of the information shared across the various sources allowed the project to highlight challenges law firms face to advance women relative to the rest of the broader corporate world.

The report summarizes research into three key areas: (1) gender diversity in law firms' talent pipeline, (2) differences in men and women's expectations and experiences, and (3) firms' diversity policies and programs.

It concludes with priorities to improve gender diversity:

• culturally acceptable flexible work programs that encourage attorneys to take advantage of them;
• developing senior level connections to strengthen coaching partnerships that can accelerate careers and build retention and recruitment; and
• make diversity a priority that demands accountability for progress.

We thank NAWJ Resource Board member Tom Leighton of Thomson Reuters for sharing this report with us. Click here to learn more about the Women in Law Firms 2017 report.

The King County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section is hosting a program on “Sexual Harassment Issues in ADR” on February 8, 2018 at Noon to 1:30 pm at the King County Bar Association office in Seattle. Marcella Fleming Reed is our program leader.

CLE Credit – 1.5 CLE Credit Pending

While Section members are not required to register or RSVP for the live meeting or webcast, we would appreciate having guests RSVP for the live meeting to assure sufficient seating for participants.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

PROGRAM  AGENDA

11:55 AM            Introduction of Program and Discussion Leader

12:00 PM            Section Discussion: “Sexual Harassment Issues in ADR” with Marcella Fleming Reed, JD, M.Ed., SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Marcella Fleming Reed will lead our attendees in reviewing and discussing the following professional challenges for mediators, arbitrators, and advocates when faced with sexual harassment cases:

·       How do we balance the value of confidentiality and privacy with the risk of perpetuating inappropriate behavior through non-disclosure provisions?

·       Should an ADR provider agree to serve in a mandatory arbitration process when the claimant communicates a wish to pursue another forum?

·       How does an ADR provider ensure that statutory issues are addressed in a responsible way?

·       What responsibility do ADR providers have in addressing overall cultural issues in the workplace or organization when a single and specific claim is presented to them?

1:30 PM                Conclusion of program

DISCUSSION LEADER BIOGRAPHY:

Marcella Fleming Reed:  Marcella Fleming Reed, JD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP founded MFR Law Group, PLLC in 2002.  Marcella provides human resource and employment law advice to employers, conducts management training, investigates EEO and ethics complaints, and mediates employment disputes.  She also serves as a consulting and testifying expert for both plaintiffs and defendants regarding human resource policies, procedures, and practices.  Prior to opening MFR Law Group, Marcella was Director of Employee Relations for the Boeing Company. Marcella graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988 and obtained an M.A. and B.A. in Educational Administration and Elementary Education from the University of Iowa in 1980 and 1979, respectively.  She is licensed to practice law in Washington and Virginia, and she is certified by the Human Resource Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resource Professionals as a Senior Professional in HR. Her firm is in Mill Creek, and she can be reached at marcella@mfrlawgroup.com

Webcast:  This section meeting will also be offered to KCBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section members via an internet video stream.  To participate by streaming video and to download materials, please go to https://www.kcba.org/For-Lawyers/Members/Sections/Alternative-Dispute-Resolution approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting.

On Saturday, February 3, 2018, the City of Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and community partners will host the Seattle United for Immigrants and Refugees Mega Workshop, which will serve over 1,000 community members who need citizenship assistance and immigration consultations. 
 
We have a huge need for volunteers, especially immigration attorneys and paralegals.

NOTE: You do not have to be an immigration attorney to volunteer, especially for helping individuals fill out their N400 Naturalization forms.

Check out the volunteer roles here and sign up here. After you register, forward this message to your friends and family so that they can join as well. 
 
Please note - registration takes two steps. You need to create a Volunteer Profile first. Then, once you get a confirmation email, you can register for the event and pick your shift. All volunteers will receive training.
 
Please also help us get the word out.
 
There is a great need for immigration legal consultations and citizenship assistance – tell your friends and neighbors about these free services. For questions about services and eligibility, individuals can call our multilingual helpline (206) 386-9090.
 

The Canadian Bar Association British Columbia, Women Lawyers Forum and the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associa tions are proud to present Challenges and Rewards for Women in Politics — Both Personal and Professional: A Conversation with the Honorable Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General of the State of Oregon, and the Honorable Suzanne Anton, QC, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Province of British Columbia. The luncheon is co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession.

Early-bird pricing (until Monday, January 22) is CAD $70. Registration is on-line only.

Essentials of Persuasion: Appellate Legal Writing in Washington and Beyond

Please join an all‐star lineup for a day devoted to honing your brief writing skills. Program Chair Ken Masters has assembled an outstanding faculty consisting of members of the judiciary, the appellate bar, and the law school faculty, each of whom will share strategies and techniques for appellate writing that does what it is meant to do: educate and persuade. Topics include: • How the structure of the brief aids persuasion; • Telling your client's story in the statement of the case; • The most effective types of arguments for judges & commissioners; • Visual legal writing ‐ persuasion with pictures; • Appellate motions practice ‐ persuading the Gatekeepers; and Ethics on appeal.

Details and registrations here.

Please join the Korean American Bar Association of Washington for our annual banquet celebration!

Thursday, February 15, 2018
The Four Seasons Hotel
99 Union Street
Seattle, WA

Individual Ticket - $120
Active KABA Member - $80
(If you would like to receive the KABA member discount code please contact Paige Hardy at paigeh@kcba.org)
Door Price - $140

Cocktail reception to begin at 5:30*
Program to begin at 6:30

*Cash bar only

More info here/.

Both programs provide multiple benefits, including providing recipients with funding to attend the GPSolo’s Fall and Spring conferences for one year.

Here’s the link to the Young Lawyers Fellowship: https://www.americanbar.org/ groups/gpsolo/initiatives/ young_lawyers_fellowship.html

Here’s the link to the Diversity Fellowship: https://www.americanbar.org/ groups/gpsolo/initiatives/ diversity_fellowship.html

Applications are  due April 6, 2018. 

Hello everyone. I’m a senior at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, WA, and I’m completing a research project as part of my AP Capstone class on the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation as a technique for reducing anxiety in lawyers.

Some studies in recent years examining the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation for lawyers such as the study between the National Association of Women Lawyers and Seyfarth Shaw have found promising results. In order to build off these, my study tries to focus on being realistic about how people can feasibly incorporate mindfulness into their lives and the impacts of even brief meditations over a short period of time.

I’ve consulted with some professors at Gonzaga and EWU to design the study and gotten approval from my school’s administration, so now I’m trying to find participants. I’ve designed a two-week long daily meditation program using the mobile mindfulness meditation application “Headspace.” Participants will be divided into control and experimental groups, and I’ll measure changes via a short anxiety survey taken at the beginning and end of the study. The time commitment would be about fifteen minutes or less for fourteen days and everything will be communicated over the internet, mainly using Google Forms. I’m using a delayed control group design, which means the experimental group will have access to the meditation first, but after the control group has fulfilled their commitments and taken the second anxiety inventory they will also get access to the meditation program so that they have access to the same opportunity. The following is a link to a Google Form, which gives more information about the study and eligibility: https://goo.gl/forms/BoWyT4l3X4DFOsx23. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to email me at bpowersbeggs@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time,

Bridget Powers Beggs