Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC),the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Regional Transportation Planning Organization for Spokane County, is requesting Proposals from qualified attorneys interested in serving as SRTC’s legal counsel. Specific expertise is sought from firms that have experience advising a public Board in areas relating to contract law, municipal law, state and federal grant requirements, the Washington Open Public Meetings Act, and the Washington Public Records Act. Statements from interested firms are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. Responses can be delivered electronically to ggriffin@srtc.org. Full information about this solicitation is available at www.srtc.org/news-and-notices.

You are invited to join MAMA Seattle for our upcoming CLE

Allyship and the Legal Profession in 2021

When: Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at 12:00-1:15 PM

Program Access: As a co-sponsor for this event, MAMA Seattle is offering 35 prepaid tickets to MAMA members (non-MAMA members who sign up will be separately invoiced). Tickets will be provided to the first 35 RSVPs. RSVPs beyond the first 35 will be put on a waitlist. NOTE: If you RSVP but learn you are unable to attend the event, please let us know as soon as possible (email: cle@mamaseattle.org), so that we can offer the ticket to another MAMA member on the waitlist.

Where: Zoom link will be sent directly from BASF, on the day of the event.

Topic:  With Covid-19, #BLM and #metoo, the world is no longer the same and the legal industry will no longer operate in the business-as-usual ways that have promoted gender and racial disparity in the past. 

It is no surprise that male lawyers out-earn their female counterparts.  However, it is important to recognize disparities amongst women lawyers.  According to the ABA’s 2020 Report, Left Out and Left Behind, while Asian and white women lawyers make 85 and 77 percent of what their white male counterparts earn, the statistics are even worse for Black and Latina women lawyers.   Black and Latina female lawyers earn 61 and 53 percent of what their white male counterparts earn.  Feminism must recognize intersectionality, and white and Asian women must be cognizant regarding issues of race in order to achieve a more equitable legal industry for women as a whole. 

How can we, as white and Asian female law firm owners and managers, empower other attorneys, especially Black and Latina female attorneys, to take control of their future, enjoy freedom, gain business autonomy, improve their mental health, and make (more) money by starting their own law firm?  Or for those attorneys who are not as entrepreneurially inclined, how can we as support and encourage our Black and Latina female lawyer friends ascend to positions of power in their existing law firms?

Join us for this exciting roundtable discussion where we will discuss these topics and more in an informal setting.

Topics will cover:

• Why recognizing racial disparity in law and pursuing meaningful allyship is so important in 2021;
• How these women-founded law firms are leading the way in allyship so as to support other women, minorities, and/or intersectional individuals in the ownership of law firms and, more broadly, in the practice of law.; and
• What has worked versus not worked in terms of diversity and inclusion efforts, and what needs to change in order to achieve more racial and gender parity in law.

Speakers and Moderator:  Panelists include Sophie Alcorn of Alcorn Immigration Law, Amanda Conley of Brand & Branch, Valerie Fenchel of Fenchel Family Law, and Valerie Kushel of VGK Law.  Panel moderated by Lindsey Mignano of Smith Shapourian Mignano.

CLE Registration

See you there!

CLE Registration

Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association

www.MAMAseattle.org

SABAW united with our national organization SABA North America, SABA Foundation, and 26 other SABA chapters in the US and Canada to launch a Coordinated Campaign Supporting COVID Relief in India: https://www.sabalegalfdn.org/indian-covid-relief. 

All individual donations that we receive at the link between May 10 and May 31, 2021 will be used to support reputable charitable organizations fighting COVID in India, of which UNICEF will be the first one.  All donations should go to the SABA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and will be tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. We are still in the process of vetting non-sectarian organizations and any additions to the charity slate will be announced publicly.  

The current surge is overwhelming Indian health care infrastructure: patients are not able to access hospital beds and oxygen is in short supply. We named UNICEF and its Indian Humanitarian Rush Aid relief efforts as the first charity in our fundraising efforts because it is on the ground, working with partners to deliver urgently needed medical equipment, PPE, hygiene supplies and critical care to those in need. UNICEF’s Office of Innovation has been focused on Oxygen Therapy as a key component of its effort to save lives of children. As a result, UNICEF has been able to procure 15,000 oxygen concentrators as part of its COVID-19 response, helping more than 90 countries across the world. UNICEF (USA) has already shipped 3,000 oxygen concentrators to India last week.

The ongoing crisis in India requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.  As South Asian American attorneys across the U.S. and Canada, the members and supporters of SABA Foundation, SABA North America, and local SABA chapters feel a special obligation to help in any way we can. Please share this information with your friends and community (social media links below). Together, we can make a difference.

Social media to retweet/reshare/repost:

Twitter Post: https://twitter.com/SABALegalFDN/status/1391755153393422336?s=20

LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6798008890442309632

Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/SABANorthAmericaFoundation/photos/a.135045666909020/1501945290219044

And on May 20^th and 21^st, we have 2 FREE Seminars that are approved for 1 CLE each.  Please click HERE for additional details.

May 20^th at 1pm: Fireside Chat with Myrna Perez, - LIWOCA’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner - Myrna is the Director, Voting Right and Elections Democracy, The Brennan Center.  You can access this event directly HERE

May 21^st at 1pm:  Fireside Chat with Paulette Brown – LIWOCA’s Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner, followed immediately by our Closing Reception.  Paulette is a Senior Partner and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer with Locke Lord.  She is also the Past President of the American Bar Association.   You can access this event directly HERE

We would greatly appreciate it if your organization would be willing to share this information with your listserv so members of your organization may consider partaking in this exciting event! Should you have any questions, please feel free to email us at: info@leadingwomenofcolor.org.

Please see our website for more information: leadingwomenofcolor.org.

Housing Attorney

Job Announcement

Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) has an opening on our legal team. This full-time position will provide legal services to low-income residents of Kirkland, focusing on housing law.  This position is funded through a grant.

This is a dynamic opportunity to make equal access to justice in our community a reality. Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) provides civil legal services to survivors of domestic violence (DV) throughout King County, medical-legal assistance to individuals experiencing health-harming legal issues, assistance to individuals facing eviction or other housing problems in southeast King County, and pro bono legal aid to low-income individuals in Kirkland.

Please read the qualifications (below) carefully.  Before applying, you MUST have a current license to practice law in Washington State, you MUST have a passion for equal justice for marginalized communities, and you MUST have the ability to work in a holacratic organization.

Responsibilities

• The primary focus of this position will be housing stability; including eviction cases, tenant’s rights, housing discrimination, and mortgage foreclosure assistance;
• Evaluating the needs of and advising qualified low-income residents through in-depth client interviews and other methods of fact-gathering (court documents, Judicial Information System (“JIS”), police reports, third parties, etc.);
• Assisting clients with drafting and filing petitions, return hearings, as well as drafting any necessary additional pleadings;
• Monitoring active cases to determine if additional pleadings/filings are necessary to address client safety and stability concerns and whether additional court filings are needed to assure client safety and stability;
• Providing representation of clients for filing of necessary additional petitions or motions, and limited representation in court;
• Coordinating with the ELAP Staff Attorney holacracy to represent clients as efficiently as possible in the fact-gathering and representation process;
• Attending Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) classes and conferences identified as furthering the pursuit of ELAP’s Mission as it relates to the Staff Attorney role;
• Representing ELAP at workgroups or other meetings sponsored by agencies in Kirkland Civil Legal Aid communities and the State communities as needed;
• Coordinating with area-wide legal advocates regarding individual client needs in a team atmosphere;
• Regularly appearing in King County Superior and District Courts as needed;
•  Performing such other related duties as directed by the Executive Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

• MUST HAVE a current WSBA license in good standing
• Demonstrated practical experience as an attorney, including case management, drafting of pleadings, interacting with the court system, and representation of clients in court.
• Outstanding verbal, written and interpersonal skills
• Intermediate computer knowledge; Legal Server experience a plus
• Collaboration and team building work style
• Self-starter, with ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to problem-solve and utilize available resources
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to the ELAP mission
• Special consideration given to attorneys who have previous experience with housing law issues.
• Fluency in Spanish given special consideration

Working Conditions and Work Hours

Work Hours:            Base 40 hours/week

Location:                  Office in Kirkland, with a secondary workstation at the main ELAP office in Bellevue

Salary:                        $58,349.50 /year (with step increases indexed for inflation and seniority).

Benefits:                    Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, 401(k) with match, 12 paid Holidays, plus week between Christmas Day and New Year’s off, Vacation, and Sick Leave, bar dues, and full compensated CLEs

Send resume and cover letter to Ngoc Nguyen, Operations Director at ngoc@elap.org.  ELAP will start interviewing at the beginning of June. Priority will be given to candidates who apply by June 2, 2021. This posting is open until filled.

Equity and Inclusion

ELAP is organizationally committed to fighting racism and to incorporating equity and inclusion in our advocacy work and our internal systems and work environment. ELAP expects all staff to uphold this organizational commitment and approach their role with a desire to learn and grow in this area. As with all staff, the attorney filling this role is expected to center race equity in their work and support ELAP’s goal to operate as an anti-racist organization. 

ELAP is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. ELAP promotes mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork and productivity in the workplace. People of color, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA, those with disabilities, mature workers, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply. ELAP is committed to operating as an organization whose staff, board, and clients are diverse in background, experience, race, color, national origin, gender, age, religious preference, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sensory, mental or physical abilities, veteran status, and other qualities that strengthen our work while reinforcing our mission. Individuals needing a reasonable accommodation for the application or interview process or for more information about the project should email Ngoc Nguyen, Operations Director, at ngoc@elap.org.

• Qualified Immunity 360: A Multi-Part Presentation on the History, Legal Basis, and Utility of the Judge-Made Defense to Claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

  The Minority and Justice Commission is sponsoring a day-long presentation on qualified immunity, co-hosted by Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu and Judge David Whedbee of the King County Superior Court. The presentation aims to facilitate a “360-degree” discussion of this doctrine, to educate practitioners, judges, law students, and the public on the mechanics, history, and public policy behind the doctrine.

  The webinar event will be on May 7, 2021, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with discussion afterward for those who are interested), co-sponsored by Washington State’s three law schools and the Washington State Bar Association.  CLE credit is available.

  The current roster of presenters is:

  1. David Owens, Seattle/Chicago-based plaintiff’s side practitioner with active § 1983 litigation across the country, will address his practical analysis when doing case selection, in light of the current qualified immunity case law and procedural obstacles. Mr. Owens, who teaches a class at Stanford on race and § 1983, will also discuss the disproportionate impact of police use of force on communities of color.  [8:30am – 9:30am].
  1. Brian Maxey, former Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Seattle and New York, will discuss an officer’s ability to resort to qualified immunity and its advantages in litigation.  Mr. Maxey will also address related issues of officer indemnification and municipal liability. [9:40am to 10:40am].
  1. Tiffany Wright, adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Law Civil Rights Clinic, will provide the social and legal historical background for the emergence of the doctrine, including the legislative intent that animated the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and the failure in the post-Reconstruction era to enforce constitutional protections under the Act through to Monroe v. Pape, 365 U.S. 167 (1961). [10:50am – 11:50am].
  1. Prof. James Pfander of the Northwestern School of Law will address the legal validity of qualified immunity as rooted in the common law at the time of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, as held in Pierson v. Ray, 386 U.S. 547 (1967), in addition to relevant common law defenses and remedies available during the Antebellum period.
  1. Prof. Janet Hoeffel of Tulane Law School will discuss the advent of the “reasonably unreasonable police officer” in Pierson and as further developed in subsequent case law such as Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982), as the U.S. Supreme Court expanded its theory for qualified immunity based on a public policy of shielding officers from the burdens of litigation.
• [Profs. Pfander and Hoeffel will have a combined presentation, from 12:30pm to 1:30pm]
• 1. Prof. Joanna Schwartz of the UCLA School of Law will address the question of how the public policies that underlie qualified immunity work in practice, in terms of impacts on courts and litigants based on her empirical research. [1:40pm to 2:40pm].
  2. Judge Carlton Reeves, of the Southern District of Mississippi, will discuss his qualified immunity opinion in Jamison v. McClendon, No. 16cv-595-CWR-LRA (S.D.Miss. Aug. 4, 2020), including his approach to drafting and any reactions to the opinion. His presentation will occur in an interview format with Chief Justice Steve González of the Supreme Court of Washington. [3:00pm to 4:00pm].

  Some of these presenters have participated in recent efforts to seek the U.S. Supreme Court’s reconsideration of the doctrine and will discuss this topic, too.

Pre-Registration is required: https://wacourts.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vfeFrkJDSVKxvhmQ2p0gnQ

Save the date for "GOOD Guys: Corporate Edition", a program the Commission on Women in the Profession is cosponsoring with the Woman Advocate Committee, the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations, and the ABA Young Lawyers Division.  On 30 April, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. CT, information will be presented about the progress toward gender equity at in-house legal departments, followed by a panel of corporate counsel male allies who will discuss practical strategies they have seen work when advancing women in the profession.  The Commission on Women in the Profession's Men in the Mix study will be incorporated into the discussion, so the event is not to be missed!  If you are interested,  register here: form.jotform.com/210804629600146 and invite your male colleagues to do the same.  Here is a Linkedin post you can reshare, or copy and paste on another platform: Commission on Women ABA on LinkedIn: #legal #lawyers #diversity

2021 Judicial Academy - A Bootcamp for Aspiring Judges

Have you ever thought about pursuing a career on the bench?  Do you secretly dream of doing it but have no idea how to get started or wonder if the role is really for you?  Do you ever have doubts about whether "someone like you" could ever make it happen?  If you answered yes to any of the above, you owe it to yourself to attend this course.

The National Judicial College is offering a week-long Judicial Academy course this year at the National Judicial College in Reno, NV on October 25-29, 2021. Here is the registration link: 2021 Judicial Academy – A Boot Camp for Aspiring Judges | NJC. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2021.  Scholarships are available.

A personal note from Rania: I attended this course in its inaugural year in 2019 (on a full scholarship covering travel, hotel, and tuition).  It was a FANTASTIC, AMAZING and LIFE ALTERING experience - no joke. If you are at all interested or on the fence, please shoot me an email and we can set up a time to chat.  And/or I can put you in touch with William J. Brunson, the Director who runs this course at the National Judicial College (a highly respected institution that trains trial judges from all over the country).

 LIWOCA is a national organization dedicated to providing a community within the practice of law for women of color attorneys through educational and networking opportunities. This year LIWOCA is hosting its 16^th annual conference virtually in a series of webinars. 

Tickets for the entire series are only $99. A flyer is attached. The other programs in the series are:

• April 29 - Interactive Career Counseling and Young Professionals Small Group Coaching
• May 6 - The Imposter Syndrome
• May 1 - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Young Professionals’ Networking Session
• May 20 - Fireside Chat with Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner #1
• May 21 – Fireside Chat with Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner #2 and  Virtual Closing Reception

Please see our website for more information: leadingwomenofcolor.org

This year LIWOCA will be hosting its 16^th annual conference virtually in a series of webinars that kicks off on April 22, 2021. We are slated to have three webinars that include roundtable and panel discussions, concluding with a virtual networking event with various general counsels. The attached flyer provides more specific details about this event. 

 Tickets for the entire series are only $99. The other programs in the series are:

• April 22 - Implicit Bias
• April 29 - Interactive Career Counseling and Young Professionals Small Group Coaching
• May 6 - The Imposter Syndrome
• May 1 - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Young Professionals’ Networking Session
• May 20 - Fireside Chat with Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner #1
• May 21 – Fireside Chat with Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award Winner #2 and  Virtual Closing Reception

Should you have any questions, please feel free to email us at: info@leadingwomenofcolor.org.

Please see our website for more information: leadingwomenofcolor.org