News & Information of Interest to WSBA Members
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License Renewal
Deadline was Feb. 1, 2022. If you have not completed all mandatory portions of your license renewal, including MCLE requirements and certification, trust account declaration and disclosing professional liability insurance or financial responsibility, if applicable, you are delinquent and your license is at risk of administrative suspension. You may complete licensing requirements, including MCLE certification, either online or by using the License Renewal form. To learn more, visit www.wsba.org/licensing.
WSBA NEWS
APEX Award Nominations Open
Do you know someone who achieved something amazing for their client, their community, or the legal profession over the past year? The WSBA is accepting nominations through March 15 for the 2022 APEX (Acknowledging Professional Excellence) Awards. Please fill out a nomination form, available at bit.ly/2022ApexNominations, and submit it to barleaders@wsba.org. Direct questions to Michael Kroner at michaelk@wsba.org or 206-727-8289 for more information.
Leaders Wanted
The annual WSBA volunteer application and selection cycle opens March 14. The WSBA, the profession, and the legal community greatly benefit from members like you! Join our dedicated, skilled, and knowledgeable volunteer community! More information at: www.wsba.org/connect-serve/volunteer-opportunities.
WSBA Board Feedback
Send your feedback to boardfeedback@wsba.org. Please note that all WSBA emails are subject to public records requests.
Receive Notice of Upcoming Board Meetings
Join the Board meeting notice subscription list to receive WSBA Board of Governors meeting notices straight to your inbox! To join, email barleaders@wsba.org or complete the form at www.wsba.org/about-wsba/who-we-are/board-of-governors.
Opportunities to Comment on Proposed Court Rule Amendments
The WSBA encourages members to actively monitor and provide feedback when the Washington Supreme Court is considering amendments to its rules. Keep track of opportunities to comment at www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/rules-feedback, or visit the court’s website at www.courts.wa.gov/court_rules/?fa=court_rules.proposed.
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer with the Lawyer Discipline System
Learn more about volunteering as an adjunct disciplinary counsel (ADC). ADCs assist as needed in carrying out the functions of the lawyer discipline system pursuant to Rule 2.9 of the Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct. An ADC must have been an active lawyer or judicial member of the WSBA for at least seven years at the time of appointment. Appointment is for a five-year term. Visit www.wsba.org/adc-panel or contact rachela@wsba.org to learn more.
Custodians Needed
The WSBA is seeking interested lawyers as potential volunteer custodians of files and records to protect clients’ interests. Visit www.wsba.org/connect-serve/volunteer-opportunities/act-as-custodian, or contact Darlene Neumann: darlenen@wsba.org, 206-733-5923, 800-945-9722, ext. 5923.
Volunteers Needed as Attorney Advocates
Unique opportunity to assist families or individuals in crisis by serving as a volunteer attorney advocate on the first-ever national advocacy hotline. Work from home or office at times you choose with hotline calls routed there. Resolution is typically achieved in under an hour. The nonprofit Help Now! Advocacy has assisted at no fee over 8,700 clients, mostly in Oregon, over the past 17 years. The organization is expanding its unique services to a national scope through the hotline. Contact LMKahn@HelpNowAdvocacy.org for more information.
RESOURCES
Bar Exam Proctors Needed
The WSBA is hiring up to 35 proctors to help administer the winter bar exam, Feb. 22-23 in Lynnwood. Proctors are paid a minimum of $325 for an orientation and two full exam days. If you know anyone who might be interested, please have them contact admissions@wsba.org. (Please note: we typically avoid hiring lawyers or anyone with a close relationship to an applicant as proctors.)
Check Out DEI Resource Library
The DEI Resource Library is where WSBA members can learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts. There are compiled resource lists, books, and articles on the criminal legal system, identity and intersectionality, microaggressions/bias, and race. Visit www.wsba.org/about-wsba/equity-and-inclusion/dei-resource-library.
Practice Guides Available
Access two practice guides—”The Law Firm Guide to Document Retention” and “The Law Firm Guide to Disaster Planning and Recovery”—as well as other law firm guides and templates at www.wsba.org/guides.
Career Consultation
Get help with your résumé, networking tips, and more—www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/member-support/wellness/consultation—or email wellness@wsba.org.
Free Consultations and Practice-Management Assistance
The WSBA offers free resources and education on practice management issues. For more information, visit www.wsba.org/pma. You can also schedule a free phone consultation with a WSBA practice-management advisor. Visit www.wsba.org/consult to get started.
Lending Library
The WSBA Lending Library is open to members for both in-person and online checkouts. We have made a few changes to be aware of. For more information, visit www.wsba.org/library or email lendinglibrary@wsba.org.
Work at the WSBA
The Washington State Bar Association currently has the following openings: disciplinary counsel – intake; and member wellness program clinical and outreach lead. To find out more and apply, please visit www.wsba.org/career-center/work-at-the-wsba.
Special Discount on WSBA Career Center Through March 2022
Nonprofit, government, and small-firm employers can post job openings on the WSBA Career Center, https://jobs.wsba.org, at 50 percent of standard rates. This special discount, offered to prevent pricing from becoming a barrier as the legal community continues to navigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, has been extended through March 31, 2022. Contact Mike Credit at 727-494-6565 Ext 3332 or michael.credit@communitybrands.com for more information.
ETHICS
Ethics Line
Members facing ethical dilemmas can talk with WSBA professional responsibility counsel for informal guidance. Learn more at www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/ethics/ethics-line or call the Ethics Line at 206-727-8284.
WSBA Advisory Opinions
WSBA advisory opinions are available online at www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/ethics/about-advisory-opinions. For assistance, call the Ethics Line at 206-727-8284.
WSBA MEMBER WELLNESS
Telehealth is Here!
The Member Wellness Program is now offering hi-def, HIPAA-protected video consultations using the telehealth portal Doxy.me. Visit www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/member-support/wellness and click “Book Your Initial Consultation” to schedule time with our licensed providers.
Judges Need Help Too
The Judicial Assistance and Services Program (JASP) provides confidential support for judges, or those who are concerned about a judge. Contact Susanna Kanther, Psy.D., at 415-572-3803. Visit www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/member-support/wellness/judicial-assistance-service-program.
The ‘Unbar’ Alcoholics Anonymous Group
The Washington Unbar Alcoholics Anonymous group for legal professionals has been meeting weekly for almost 30 years. The group meets Wednesdays, 12:15–1:30 p.m., and Sundays, 7–8 p.m. Currently, the group meets online via Zoom, and attorneys from all over Washington participate. For more information and Zoom credentials contact unbarwa@gmail.com.
WSBA COMMUNITY NETWORKING
Sign Up for Low Bono
The Moderate Means Program connects moderate income clients with family, housing, consumer law, and unemployment cases to legal professionals who offer reduced fees. Family law lawyers and LLLTs are especially needed due to a backlog of cases stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more at www.wsba.org/connect-serve/volunteer-opportunities/mmp or email publicservice@wsba.org.
New Lawyers List Serve
This list serve is a discussion platform for new lawyers of the WSBA. To join, email newmembers@wsba.org.
ALPS Attorney Match
Attorney Match is a free online networking tool made available through the WSBA-endorsed professional liability partner, ALPS. Learn more at www.wsba.org/connect-serve/mentorship/find-your-mentor, or email mentorlink@wsba.org.
QUICK REFERENCE
Feb. 2022 Usury
The usury rate for March is 12.00%. The auction yield of the Feb. 7 auction of the six-month Treasury Bill was 0.59%. The interest rate required by RCW 4.56.110(3)(a) and 4.56.115 for March is 2.59%. The interest rate required by RCW 4.56.110(3)(b) and 4.56.111 for March is 5.25%.
HAVE SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO SHARE? Email wabarnews@wsba.org if you have an item you would like to place in Need to Know.
COVID-19 News to Know
Court Emergency Operations & Closures
The Washington Supreme Court has published a COVID-19 response page, which is a compilation of its emergency orders and court modifications: www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.COVID19.
Law Office Reopening Guide
The WSBA Coronavirus Response Task Force compiled recommendations for how to safely reopen a law office. Find the guide “Reopening Safely: A Guide for Washington State Law Offices,” at www.wsba.org/docs/reopen.