We are preparing for our High School Mock Trial season and need volunteer attorneys to donate their time and expertise in judging/scoring at our Washington State Mock Trial Tournament in March. We need 144 attorney volunteers to successfully run this tournament. As a volunteer attorney rater you will watch the trial via Zoom, fill out a scoresheet in our digital software, and offer brief and positive feedback to the participants at the end of the trial.  You do not need any experience to participate. 

The 2021 Washington State Mock Trial Tournament is being hosted virtually on March 18-21.

We need your help by volunteering and spreading the word to your network.

The tournament will be held virtually this year.  Each round lasts about 2-3 hours. 

Here are the trial times for the competition: We ask attorney raters to log in 30 mins. before the trial starts.

Thursday, March 18

Round 1: 5:30pm

Friday, March 19

Round 2: 530pm

Saturday, March 20

Round 3: 10am

Round 4: 2pm

If you are able to help us out, please fill out a short form, including your Bar Number, and register here or contact our program director, Emily Lake, directly at elake@seattleymca.org.

Also, we would love your help in spreading the word about this great opportunity by sharing with your colleagues and attorney friends.

Mock Trial is a competition where teens work with legal professionals in their community to develop an understanding of real life case law and the role of the court system in a democratic society. Our goal is to teach students how to be involved in their communities and be active, knowledgeable participants. Our program reaches all across the state, ultimately bringing teams to Thurston County for the State Championships. We ask members of the legal community to watch, judge, and score teams based on their courtroom performance. Our students have been studying the case, written by Judge Robert Lewis, for months, preparing their cases.

Thank you again for taking the time to support hands-on civic education.

The Center for Women in Law is excited to partner with Take The Lead to provide an impactful live virtual workshop for women lawyers.  It is aimed at women five to ten years out of law school.  Please join us for Powerful in 2021: Competence, Confidence and Intention for Women in Law or refer this information to someone you know who would be interested.

In 2020, women in the legal profession adapted to remarkable professional and personal changes.  In many cases, women – especially women of color – bore the brunt of the pandemic’s impact.  As lawyers, you’re used to empowering others.  Now is the time to invest in your own power and come out stronger in the new post-COVID world.

Powerful in 2021: Competence, Confidence and Intention for Women in Law will prepare you to advance your success and become more powerful in the inevitable transitions you’ll encounter this year and beyond.

You will:
●    Set actionable steps to advance your career
●    Identify what differentiates you (your points of power)
●    Restructure power in a way that better suits everyone (not just women)
●    Meet peers across the country who are working on developing these skills

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

For all the details and instructions to register, please visit here.

 A new report from the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession called “Men in the Mix: How to Engage Men on Issues Related to Gender in the Legal Profession,” looks at how male colleagues can become allies in the ongoing journey to reach gender equity.

The report is based on research gathered from focus groups held in New York, Dallas, and San Francisco that revealed useful insights about why some men are more actively engaged in issues facing women lawyers than others.

“This report fills a critical gap in previous work on gender equity issues – exploring the reasons why some men don’t get involved to the degree they could,” said Maureen Mulligan, chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. “The findings of Men in the Mix provide inspiring takeaways for overcoming the obstacles to men’s engagement.”

Among the findings:

·         83% of male respondents said fear of not fitting in or saying the wrong thing keeps them from actively supporting gender equity efforts

·         63% of male lawyers and 90% of women lawyers said creating safe spaces at firms and legal organizations is the best way to encourage men to discuss issues of gender equity

·         62% of male lawyers cited “not being invited” as the reason they have not joined the effort to advance women lawyers’ equity in the profession  

“Men can and do play a critical role in promoting equity for women in the legal profession. More than ever, we need men to be allies for women lawyers, and this report provides helpful, concrete strategies for them to do so,” ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said.

The Men in the Mix webpage includes the report and a toolkit with dialogue scripts and a sample PowerPoint deck to assist organizers when hosting a Men in the Mix event.

Clark County Mock Trial committee is still seeking attorney raters for the Clark County Mock Trial tournament, which is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23rd, Wednesday, February 24th and Thursday, February 25th.  

Tuesday, February 23

Round 1:  2:00pm

Round 2:  5:30pm 

Wednesday, February 24

Round 1:  2:00pm

Round 2:  5:30pm 

Thursday, February 25:

Round 1:  2:00pm

Round 2:  5:30pm 

The trial will be held virtually this year—so you can rate from your home or office. It’s very easy and fun and you don’t need any specific experience.  All you have to do is watch the trial and give some short, positive feedback to the students at the end.

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

If you are able to volunteer or if you have any questions, please email Jill Sasser at Jill.Sasser@clark.wa.gov.

On behalf of the Moot Court Honor Board at the University of Washington School of Law, I am pleased to invite you to participate as a judge in our Appellate Advocacy competition, which will be conducted online this winter. This competition will run via Zoom from February 16^th to February 19^th, with two separate brackets (one for 1Ls, one for 2L and 3L students). More information about the competition, including a complete schedule for the days volunteer judges are needed may be found at the bottom of this email. Be aware that dates will be removed as judges’ spaces are filled. 

This year’s problem has a COVID/global pandemic focus. The issues presented on appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States are:

1.     Whether a consumer must suffer actual concrete damages for that consumer to have standing to sue under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act?

2.     Whether an unsolicited text message disclosing blood test results would be highly offense to a reasonable person as defined by section 652B of the Second Restatement of Torts?

We welcome attorneys from all practice areas to participate. Volunteer judges are invaluable to the continued success of MCHB and the in-house competition program. Particularly in this online academic environment, any practical experience we can offer our students is crucial and we cannot do it without our volunteer judges! As a judge, you will provide valuable feedback and evaluate the participants’ performance. For your service as a judge you will receive:

3 free CLE credits and 2.5 credits for each additional night judged*

You may register to serve as a judge for the competition using this sign up form.

Thank you in advance for your support. We hope to see you at the competition. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at judges@uw.edu. 

Buchanan's Diversity & Inclusion Committee Presents

Exploring Intersections
Black History Month | Celebrating HERstory
A Conversation With Paulette Brown
1^st African American Woman President of the American Bar Association

Wednesday, February 10, 2021
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

In observance of Black History Month, please join Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney for a virtual conversation with Paulette Brown. We will explore Paulette's HERstory - her historic rise to the top of the ABA; her career journey from in-house counsel to Municipal Court Judge to private practice at a major law firm; and the many glass ceilings she shattered along the way. We will also discuss diversity in leadership at law firms and bar associations, the importance of mentoring women of color in the legal industry and the impact of diversity on the future practice of law.

This program has been approved for 1.0 Ethics CLE credit for PA, and 1.0 credits for the Diversity and/or Elimination of Bias Requirement for CA, NY, NJ and WV. Credit for all other states is available on request pending approval. Please indicate if you need CLE credit on the registration form.

Register here