Seattle University School of Law and the Washington State Bar Association invite you to attend the Academic Resource Center (ARC) reception. For the past several years, the WSBA Committee for Diversity has hosted a welcome to the profession reception for students in the Academic Resource Center program at Seattle University School of Law. Please join them in welcoming these students on  Tuesday, July 9, 2013 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm at the WSBA Offices, Suite 600, 1325 4th Avenue, Seattle

Staying Ready for Any Opportunity: Keeping Your Resume and Marketing Skills Up to Date

When:Tuesday, July 9th, 2013, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where:  Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, 1201 Third Ave., Floor 22, Seattle, WA 98101
RSVP:  through Big Tent (preferred if you are a MAMAS member) or by email to heathercoldwell@dwt.com.  Please identify if you will attend in person in Seattle or if you will participate by phone.

Description:   Linked-In? Twitter? ATS bots?  Oh my!  Whether you are happy in your current position, or considering your next move, knowledge is power in the job market.  MAMAS members and legal recruiters Pia Bloom and Robin Schachter of Gamoran Legal Consulting will share tips on legal career planning, keeping your resume up to date, and how to evaluate your next opportunity.  

Please bring your lunch and join us for this presentation, and meet fellow MAMAS members!  Cookies will be provided.  We encourage you to attend our brown bag meeting in person to facilitate both networking and a lively discussion.
For those who cannot attend in person, we offer the option to participate by phone.Call in #: 888-757-0729;  Passcode: 1396142354#

When attending via telephone, please use your mute button to prevent background noise, but do not place the call on hold.  Some firms have hold music, which is disruptive to the presentation.  If you need to leave the call briefly, please hang up and call back in when you are able.

MAMAS would also like to thank our

Platinum sponsors:
Garvey Schubert Barer
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Gold sponsors:
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Microsoft Corporation
Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt
Susman Godfrey L.L.P.

Women’s Funding Alliance has been a leader in improving the lives of women
and girls in Washington State for the past 30 years. Working together with
thousands of committed individuals and hundreds of community partners,
we have increased opportunities and broken down barriers. The Power to Do More is a research paper recently commissioned by the Women's Funding Alliance outlining what has been accomplished and guidelines to continue the work.

WSBA-CLE Presents: Same-Sex Marriage: A Practitioners Perspective on Thursday, June, 20, 2013 (Seattle) and Thursday June 27, 2013 (Tacoma).  This is co-sponsored by the WSBA Committee for Diversity and the Attorney General’s Office. Same-sex marriage is an issue that has come to the forefront in our state and nationally. This CLE is aimed at educating practitioners about the implications of Washington’s same-sex marriage law and Federal DOMA, particularly in the area of family law.
     
Tacoma - Thursday, June 27, 2013 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the  Attorney General’s Office – Tacoma
1250 Pacific Ave. Suite 105,Tacoma, WA 98402.

Approved for 1.5 General CLE Credits for Washington Attorneys
TUITION:  $0

Subject: Deadline 6/30 - Tweet your vision of equity in the law!

What is your vision of equity in the legal profession? We want to know ... we need your voice and your vision!

And your opinion could be worth more than you think -- $1,000, to be precise.

Based on different backgrounds and experiences, everyone has a different view of equity and what it means to the profession.

To capture a range of those views, the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity is hosting a contest on Twitter to encourage the discussion and exchange of ideas on equity in the law. Participants will tweet and complete this sentence: "My vision of equity in the legal profession is . . . ."

To participate go to: http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium

The virtual symposium closes June 30, 2013.

Join the discussion to eliminate bias and enhance equity in the legal profession. Together, we can find a voice to advance change.

For more information on the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity, visit www.americanbar.org/GenderEquity.

Thank you - The ABA Task Force on Gender Equity

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Contest ends 6/30/13. For Official Rules and prize description, visit http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium/. Sponsor: American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.

2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon

When: Saturday, February 8, 2014

Where: Hyatt Regency, Chicago

The deadline for the 2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards is July 15, 2013! The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession established the Spirit of Excellence Awards to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who excel in their professional settings; personify excellence on the national, state, or local level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession.  We invite you and your organization to consider nominating a trailblazer in diversity! 

Download a nomination form. Nominations forms must be completed and submitted electronically to spiritawards@americanbar.org However, if the materials are more 15 Megabytes (MB) we ask that the materials be zipped/compressed file. The deadline is July 15, 2013. No extensions will be made.
 

The 2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2014 during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago, IL. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Daniel Serrano at 312-988-5638 or at Daniel.Serrano@AmericanBar.org.

WSBA-CLE Presents: Same-Sex Marriage: A Practitioners Perspective on Thursday, June, 20, 2013 (Seattle) and Thursday June 27, 2013 (Tacoma).  This is co-sponsored by the WSBA Committee for Diversity and the Attorney General’s Office. Same-sex marriage is an issue that has come to the forefront in our state and nationally. This CLE is aimed at educating practitioners about the implications of Washington’s same-sex marriage law and Federal DOMA, particularly in the area of family law.

Seattle -  Thursday, June 20, 2013 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the  Attorney General’s Office – Seattle
800 5th Ave. Suite 2000,Seattle, WA 98104-3188

 

Approved for 1.5 General CLE Credits for Washington Attorneys
TUITION:  $0

Community Representatives Sought for Law-Related Boards and Council

The Washington State Bar Association seeks members of the public to serve on four boards and one council for terms beginning October 1, 2013. Serving on a WSBA board or council is an excellent opportunity to get an insider’s view on how the practice of law is regulated in Washington State.

• · The Council on Public Defense addresses concerns about the quality of indigent defense services in Washington State. Appointment is for a one-year term. The Character and Fitness Board deals with matters of character and fitness bearing on qualifications of applicants for admission to practice law in Washington. The Board conducts hearings on the admission of any applicant referred to it for hearing, considers petitions for reinstatement after disbarment, and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors and Supreme Court regarding admission and reinstatement. Appointment is for a three-year term. Hearings generally are held every month. Three of the 14-16 members of the Board are not lawyers.

 

• · The Disciplinary Board reviews lawyer discipline decisions. It is made up of four review committees; each committee has two lawyer members and one non-lawyer member. One committee meets each month to review requests for public hearing, admonitions, interim suspensions and other matters. The board meets six times a year as a full board.

 

• · The Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection Board compensates clients who have suffered a direct financial loss caused by the dishonest conduct of a lawyer in connection with the practice of law. The Fund is funded by an annual assessment of members of the WSBA by order of the Washington State Supreme Court.

 

• · The Limited Practice Board oversees administration of, and compliance with, the Limited Practice Rule (APR 12) authorizing certain lay persons to select, prepare, and complete legal documents pertaining to the closing of real-estate and personal property transactions. The Board is responsible for the certification and regulation of limited practice officers (LPOs).

Applications are also being accepted for other boards which may have openings during the coming year.

Applications must be received at the WSBA offices by Friday, June 14, 2013. To apply, complete the application posted at http://bit.ly/rnvXKY and return it with your resume as directed on the form. Previous applicants should re-apply as applications expire after one year. Appointment letters for current openings will be sent in late summer. If you have questions, please email barleaders@wsba.org.

That is the provocative question that Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, has encouraged women to answer.  While there are very real structural barriers that have inhibited women from reaching leadership positions in equal numbers as men, Sandberg’s book focuses on what women themselves can do to “lean in” towards creating the challenging and engaging careers that they want. 

King County Washington Women Lawyers and Genevieve Vose, Partner at Susman Godfrey, are sponsoring a “Lean In Circle” – a group of women that get together to discuss the topics raised in Sandberg’s book and the challenges and successes they confront in their own careers.  Would you be interested in joining such a circle?  Learn more at http://leanin.org/ or contact Genevieve Vose at gvose@susmangodfrey.com or 206-516-3836.

Each year the ABA Law Practice Management Section (LPM) offers two (2) positions within its Fellows Program for diverse attorneys. The LPM Fellows Program  is designed to attract, retain, and develop talented diverse attorneys while providing leadership development opportunities for lawyers in under-represented groups.  The intent of the Program is to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion, further demonstrate the Section’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunity in the profession, and to create a pipeline of future LPM leaders.

Selected Fellows will receive the opportunity to actively participate in LPM by working alongside Section leaders to develop content, programming, and education for the Section. Through financial assistance and mentoring, Fellows are exposed to growth opportunities they might not otherwise have access to. The LPM Fellows Program is a great way to experience all that LPM has to offer.

Embodied by the ABA’s Goal III,consideration is extended to all applicants, including racial/ethnically diverse lawyers, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.

Applications for the 2013-2014 Fellows Program are still being accepted. The deadline has been extended to July 1, 2013. For any additional information, please contact Patrick Cary.

Apply today!