Rather than learning about constitutional modalities through the traditional channels of law school, many law students are instead acclimating to the legal profession through video-based digital media platforms like TikTok.
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What They Gave Each Other
It might seem improbable that two women, each the mother of a child catastrophically injured during birth, would not only know each other but become close enough to lean on one another during the most emotionally charged stages of their cases.
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Deceived and Deductible: The IRS Clarifies Theft-Loss Relief
In March 2025, the Internal Revenue Service eased restrictions by issuing an IRS Chief Counsel Memorandum that identified situations in which taxpayers can, once again, deduct losses sustained from theft.
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In Conversation With Tacomaprobono Community Lawyers
Tacomaprobono Community Lawyers has existed since the early 1980s, when it began receiving IOLTA funding; prior iterations go back to the 1960s, connected to the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association.
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Affinity Bar Spotlight > South Asian Bar Association of Washington
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) was founded in 2001 by a group of South Asian attorneys who sought to create an organized voice and empower South Asian attorneys in Washington.
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Beyond the Bar Number > Tanesha La’Trelle Canzater
Get to know WSBA member Tanesha La’Trelle Canzater. Request your own questionnaire at wabarnews@wsba.org.
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Reforming Evidence
It’s time we examine the rules of evidence and ask if they are serving their intended purpose or if there is a better way.
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Whatever Happened to Zeal?
Lawyers often speak of “zeal,” but the word disappeared from the Washington professional rules 40 years ago.
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Q&A with 2025-2026 WSBA President Francis A. Adewale
Get to know new WSBA President Francis A. Adewale–what inspired him to run for the position and what his message is to WSBA members and the public.
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Apprenticeship, Not Academia
The traditional path to becoming a lawyer in Washington state can be daunting. That’s how Nettie Dionne of Zillah, a town of about 3,200 people outside Yakima, felt. But now the former social worker and member of the Yakama Nation is studying for the bar exam.
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Advise, Advocate, and Empower: The U.S. Military’s Victims’ Counsel Program
VCs are military attorneys detailed to provide free legal representation to eligible victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex-related crimes under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
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Foreclosure Mediation in Transition: Key Changes for Attorneys and Community Mediators
Senate Bill (SB) 5686, passed in the 69th Legislature (2025) and signed by the governor, makes significant revisions to Washington’s Foreclosure Mediation Program and has staggered effective dates.
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2025 WNMC Public Service & Leadership Award Recipients
Displaying leadership through service, five local leaders stand out: Chelsey Butchard, Alejandra Cabrales, Austin Hellman, Eilish Villa Malone, and Lauren Romero.
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WSBA Technology Task Force Report: Key Highlights
Using the Washington Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Technology Principles as a guide, the Task Force developed a set of 10 key recommendations.
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Get With the Plan
As of July 27, there is a new mandatory parenting plan form that reflects changes made to RCW 26.09.191, governing parenting plan limitations.
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Access for All
Q&A with Rob Mead, the Washington State Law Librarian, about the WSBA Deskbook collaboration, hat expanded access means for the legal community, and more.
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The 2025 APEX Awards
The Acknowledging Professional Excellence (APEX) Awards honor exemplary members of the legal community, including legal professionals, judges, and members of the public. Learn more about lives and legal work of the 2025 Award recipients.
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Edit Like a Professional: Why Lawyers Should Borrow from the Nonlegal Editing Toolbox
Lawyers spend much of their professional lives writing, yet too often their editing practices remain narrowly legalistic.
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Somewhere to Turn
The community of people with Intellectual and developmental disabilities is a diverse group with unique strengths, dreams, and ways of experiencing life. But too often they confront systems and barriers that make basic rights feel out of reach, including access to the legal system.
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The Call for Innovative Legal Service Models to Expand Access to Justice
The Entity Regulation Pilot is now taking shape: The WSBA and Practice of Law Board are finalizing application procedures, oversight mechanisms, and data protocols to support a closely supervised 10-year test.
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The Impacts of Standardizing the Law Applicable to Community Associations
Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, important provisions of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act become applicable.
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2024 Snapshot > WSBA Discipline System Annual Report
Annually, the Washington State Bar Association publishes a report on Washington’s discipline system. This report summarizes the activities of the system’s constituents.
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The Class of ’75
There were 206 new WSBA members admitted in 1975. Seventy-six of those members were in attendance at the Museum of Flight event.
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In the Spotlight: What Happens When Your Case Goes Viral
If you’re a government attorney representing a city in a lawsuit, the last thing you probably want is the type of publicity the city of Everett received for its attempt to regulate drive-thru coffee stands.
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Restoring Faith in the Law
Attorneys take public oath on Law Day 2025 amid rising distrust
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A Recap of the 2025 Washington Legislative Session
Lawmakers’ primary focus was passing a biennial state budget while contending with a budget deficit of up to $15 billion over the next four years.
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Navigating Emerging Legal Frontiers
As with any cutting-edge invention, artificial proteins require strong legal protections to secure their commercial viability and safeguard the intellectual efforts behind their creation.
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Committed to Community
An interview with Justice Salvador A. Mungia, who was elected to the Washington Supreme Court last November and sworn in on Jan. 13.
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Fifty Years Since the Fall of Saigon
A conversation between former presidents of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington.
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Wellness After Grief and Loss
The demands of a legal career lead many practitioners on a never-ending quest for a healthy balance of life’s priorities.
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You’re Not Alone
Inspired by successful programs for lawyers in other states, Washington Lawyers Assisting Lawyers (WALAL) was created last year as a free and confidential assistance program.
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No Rest for the Prosecution
Across the country, prosecutor’s offices are struggling. With many prosecutors saying they are underpaid and overworked, offices from Houston to Los Angeles to Yakima are experiencing the consequences of a mounting problem: People just don’t seem to want the job anymore.
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Interviews with 2024 Rural Practice Internship Grant Recipients
In 2024, the WSBA’s Small Town and Rural (STAR) Council launched a pilot program to provide grants to law students participating in summer internships in rural parts of WA.
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Toppling the Barriers to Success for Asian American Female Litigators
In the courtroom, where justice is the ultimate goal, deeply ingrained acceptance of many different kinds of people and advocates will lead to a more equitable justice system.
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Writing Tips From the Bench: Knowing When Less Is More
UW School of Law Professor Jeff Feldman sat down with Judge Morgan Christen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for a candid conversation about what makes for helpful and persuasive appellate briefs.
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No Longer ‘Bad Luck’ On Board
We introduce you to eight women who have risen to the top in maritime law who share their experiences in an industry long dominated by men.
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Developing an Organizational Conflict Philosophy for Law Firms
Conflict is challenging, especially in the legal profession, where precision, accountability, and clear boundaries define the workplace.
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2024 WSBA Membership Demographic Study
Who are we as a legal community in Washington state? Not just in terms of statistics that are easily counted but also the less quantifiable individual experiences that form the culture of our profession?
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When Space is the Place
The U.S.’s traditional mechanism for encouraging commercially relevant innovation is the U.S. patent system. But does that framework translate to extraterrestrial inventions?
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Far From Home
In this article, Bar News spoke with two recent graduates, Marwa Almasri and Najmia Khatibi, both from the Middle East, who share their experiences of leaving their home countries for the U.S. and beginning their legal education.
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Major Upgrade to Free Legal Research Benefit for Members is Coming
The merged company vLex Fastcase is preparing to launch a new interface that includes an editorial citator called Cert
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New Pathways to Lawyer Licensure: Part II
This article takes a closer look at—and answers some of the (many) questions asked about—the additional pathways to licensure approved in concept by the Washington Supreme Court.
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The WSBA Small Town and Rural (STAR) Committee: Transforming Legal Deserts Into Legal Oases
As part of its ongoing commitment to expand pathways to rural practice and access to justice in small towns and rural communities, the STAR Committee pushed forward several initiatives this year.
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Washington’s New Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act: Explanation, Application, and Aspiration
Washington’s UFLAA provides a framework for the use of arbitration in resolving family law disputes.
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Moving Forward With Pride
The summit at Gonzaga—the first of its kind hosted by a legal education institution—will not be the last.
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Protecting Public Expression
Washington’s anti-SLAPP statute analyzed in recent Court of Appeals decisions.
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Justice Unveiled
The Attorney General’s new Cold Case Unit for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People embarks on a grim trail for answers.
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Chasing Down a Century and Still Practicing Law
The WSBA’s two active soon-to-be centenarians reflect on their prodigious legacies and bright futures
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Rules of the Remote
Washington state courts led the country as early adopters of remote technology but we have not yet adopted statewide rules or statutes allowing its permanent use. Now is the time.
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A Short Primer for Potential Small-Town Lawyers
Thinking about swapping town for country? Take a look at the following 10 statutes practitioners find most relevant to rural practice.
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What Is Pro Bono Service and How Should the WSBA Monitor It?
Many lawyers lack familiarity with RPC 6.1 and may not realize that their work qualifies as pro bono under this rule.
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The Sexsomnia Defense: Law, Medicine, and Strategy
A look at the medical science of sleep disorders — known as parasomnias — and case law related to them.
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Me, Myself, and (A)I
The U.S. Copyright Office is considering the issue of copyright registration for works co-created by humans and AI.
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My So-Called Disorder
Last year, at age 65, I learned a new fact about myself. I’m autistic. It is a fact that explains nearly everything about my life and career.
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A Backward Glance: Reflecting on Family Law Practice Over the Years
The Washington Family Law Deskbook editors share some thoughts on their long careers, how the practice of family law has changed, and more.
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