LET US HEAR FROM YOU!
We welcome letters to the editor on issues presented in the magazine. Email letters to wabarnews@wsba.org. All opinions, statements, and conclusions expressed in letters to the editor represent the views of the respective authors and do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the WSBA or its Board of Governors. Publication of letters to the editor is not to be deemed an endorsement of the opinions, statements, and conclusions expressed by the author(s).
A Cut Below the Rest
Dear fellow attorneys, it is that time of the year when we prepare to pay our annual Bar dues. It always irks me a bit that the WSBA charges us a fee for the privilege of paying our dues. And look what we get for it … a really crappy looking membership card. It is so cheap it doesn’t even look official. I get a better membership card from my insurance carrier. In fact, the Bar is even outclassed by my Regal Crown Club card. Is this really the best the WSBA can do? Oops, I just read the back of my “card.” It belongs to the Bar, not me. I don’t have standing to complain.
Inez Petersen, Enumclaw
Response from the WSBA: Great news! Did you know that any member can contact questions@wsba.org to request a free, upgraded bar card? If you would like an upgraded bar card with a photo, you can purchase one for $12 at the WSBA store (mywsba.org).
Letters to the editor published in Bar News must respond to content presented in the magazine and also comply with Washington General Rule 12.2 and Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990).* Bar News may limit the number of letters published based on available space in a particular issue and, if many letters are received in response to a specific piece in the magazine, may select letters that provide differing viewpoints to publish. Bar News does not publish anonymous letters or more than one letter from the same contributor per issue. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity, civility, and grammatical accuracy.
*GR 12.2(c) states that the WSBA is not authorized to “(1) Take positions on issues concerning the politics or social positions of foreign nations; (2) Take positions on political or social issues which do not relate to or affect the practice of law or the administration of justice; or (3) Support or oppose, in an election, candidates for public office.” In Keller v. State Bar of California, the Court ruled that a bar association may not use mandatory member fees to support political or ideological activities that are not reasonably related to the regulation of the legal profession or improving the quality of legal services.