Managing Client Trust Accounts: Preventing the Most Common Compliance Failures
For many Washington lawyers, managing a client trust account (IOLTA) is one of the most […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Q&A with Ann Guinn
Guinn is a law firm practice management consultant and has been a WSBA volunteer for […]
Update From Olympia: A Recap of the 2026 Washington Legislative Session
Legislators passed an $80.2 billion supplemental operating budget with approximately $1.6 billion in new spending […]
Constitutional Confusion: Washington’s Weapons-Surrender Statute
The last few years have witnessed much confusion in the trial courts about whether Washington's […]
Second Chances
The types of cases in which Judges for Justice involves itself often involve grisly murders […]
Affinity Bar Spotlight > Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle
MAMA Seattle was founded in 2006 to empower attorney mothers and encourage professional success. […]
Let’s Get Technical: An Interview with Justice Colleen Melody
From the time since it was created in 2015 and up until her appointment to the court, Melody led the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) Wing […]
Q&A With Rural Practice Grant Recipients
The WSBA is now accepting applications for its 2026 Rural Practice Summer Internship Grants. Application deadline is April 13, 2026. […]
Learning Outside the Box (Legally) in Washington State
This shift to homeschooling has created significant legal and policy implications, particularly for families and educators navigating the boundaries between home-based instruction, learning pods, child […]
Drafting Wills and Trusts: Be Careful Naming Life Insurance Beneficiaries
It is not unusual for attorneys to use estate planning software or form documents in drafting wills and trusts as part of estate plans they […]
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN FOCUS
When Comfort Enters the Courtroom
How Washington pioneered the use of courthouse facility dogs to help victims, witnesses, and vulnerable people throughout the justice process. […]
Whole Genome Sequencing at the Legal Threshold
In July 2023, Rex Heuermann was arrested and charged with seven murders between 1993 and 2010 in the Gilgo Beach serial killing case in New […]
Creative Recreation: Recreational Injury Cases Present Unique Challenges
I have found that these cases require creativity, agility, preparation, and grit—the same qualities that a mountaineer may need to scale Mount Rainier or a […]
Approaching Retirement Age? Go Back to Law School—in a Different Country
I quickly realized that golf, tennis, sun, and beaches were not for me. I thought about my bucket list—the things that I had thought would […]
Washington Lawyers Turn Up the Volume at Law Rocks Seattle
Law Rocks began in London in 2009 as a way for members of the legal […]
Deceived and Deductible: The IRS Clarifies Theft-Loss Relief
In March 2025, the Internal Revenue Service eased restrictions by issuing an IRS Chief Counsel […]
What They Gave Each Other
It might seem improbable that two women, each the mother of a child catastrophically injured […]
Affinity Bar Spotlight > South Asian Bar Association of Washington
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) was founded in 2001 by a group […]
WSBA NEWS > GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING SERIES
Apprenticeship, Not Academia
The traditional path to becoming a lawyer in Washington state can be daunting. That’s how […]
WSBA Technology Task Force Report: Key Highlights
Using the Washington Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Technology Principles as a guide, the Task […]
2025 WNMC Public Service & Leadership Award Recipients
Displaying leadership through service, five local leaders stand out: Chelsey Butchard, Alejandra Cabrales, Austin Hellman, […]
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 […]
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 […]
WSBA NEWS > SPECIAL LEGAL PATHWAYS COVERAGE
Alternative Pathways to Lawyer Licensure
The Washington Bar Licensure Task Force recommends bar exam alternatives and more equity and clarity in the character and fitness process. […]
New Pathways to Lawyer Licensure: Part II
This article takes a closer look at—and answers some of the (many) questions asked about—the […]
New Pathways to Lawyer Licensure
Washington State Supreme Court orders launch change […]
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 […]
Meet Your 2025-2026 Board of Governors
Photos and bios for the WSBA president, president-elect, immediate-past president, and members of the Board […]
Get With the Plan
As of July 27, there is a new mandatory parenting plan form that reflects changes […]
Access for All
Q&A with Rob Mead, the Washington State Law Librarian, about the WSBA Deskbook collaboration, hat […]
Building a Contract Community
Unlike many legal template libraries that charge a monthly fee or rely heavily on AI-generated […]
Justice Unveiled
The Attorney General’s new Cold Case Unit for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People embarks on […]
The 2025 APEX Awards
The Acknowledging Professional Excellence (APEX) Awards honor exemplary members of the legal community, including legal […]
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 […]
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 […]
WSBA Deskbooks: Check Them Out (Literally) Free!
Thanks to a new partnership between the Washington State Bar Association and the Washington State […]
Somewhere to Turn
The community of people with Intellectual and developmental disabilities is a diverse group with unique […]
RURAL PRACTICE IN FOCUS
Far-Flung Places: A WSBA Travel Series on Rural Legal Practice
In coordination with members of the STAR Committee, we reached out to rural practitioners throughout […]
A Short Primer for Potential Small-Town Lawyers
Thinking about swapping town for country? Take a look at the following 10 statutes practitioners […]
How to Volunteer with the WSBA
Learn about the work carried out by some of the people and groups that make up the WSBA’s volunteer community. […]
The Beauty of Brevity
When less is more: Advocate more effectively for your client with a short and simple […]
Using ‘Reasonable Cause’ to Avoid IRS Penalties
Taxpayers ask to have IRS penalties forgiven for many reasons. One of the most common, […]
The WSBA’s Commitment to Wellness
Hearing about another attorney’s personal struggles can reinforce that it’s OK to talk about mental […]
And the Temple Rocked
The Washington Supreme Court’s foundation-shaking decision in Martinez-Cuevas v. DeRuyter Bros. Dairy holds dairy workers […]
Three Big Developments in Soft IP Law
This article highlights the key elements of each of these new legal frameworks and suggests […]
The ABCs of NFTs
What started as a blockchain-based game allowing users to trade and sell virtual kittens has […]
Working Toward a ‘Just Court’
A wide-ranging interview with Chief Justice Steven C. González by Hon. Lisa H. Mansfield […]
Election Rejection
How the history of voting rights informs modern elections […]
Buy the Book
A few must-add titles for your bookshelf […]
When Is an Appeal Appealing?
Counseling clients on whether to file an appeal in Washington […]
Update from Olympia (2021)
An overview of the Legislature’s 2021 session […]
Lawyers Against Systemic Racism
How Pierce County lawyers reimagined their role as community allies in the movement for systemic […]
Legal Regulatory Sandbox Could Incubate Innovation in Washington
The sandbox aims to provide new alternative legal services to those who otherwise could not […]
Employers & Employees Take Note
Washington’s first-in-the-nation long-term care program goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022 […]
The Lawfulness and Awfulness of Employee Non-Solicitation Agreements
If non-solicitation of employees in the franchise industry is pernicious, why is the practice not […]
Put It In Writing
Washington Supreme Court enhances malpractice insurance disclosure to clients […]
Rebooting In-Person Arts
Support for the arts by attorneys, who play a prominent role in public life, can […]
Q&A With 2021-2022 WSBA President Judge Brian Tollefson (Ret.)
Finding common ground for the benefit of all our members and the public will be […]
Meet Your Board of Governors
The Board of Governors is the governing body of the WSBA that determines the general […]
FAMILY LAW IN FOCUS
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 […]
Pasco, 1976: Confronting Racism, Redlining, and Housing Discrimination
When I was young, there were no Black residents in Kennewick, my hometown, just a […]
Military Pension Division and Application of Res Judicata
Two 2020 Washington Court of Appeals opinions dealing with military pension division demonstrate the continued […]
The Unsettled Policy Landscape of Drug Possession Laws in Washington
This article aims to answer some unanswered questions regarding the impact of the Blake decision […]
Double Header: 50-Year Member Celebration
The WSBA honors two classes of 50-year members at T-Mobile Park […]
2021 Public Service & Leadership Award Recipients
The Washington Young Lawyers Committee honors four local leaders: Jack Chang, Meha Goyal, Diego Rondón […]
This Year’s Winners Are …
The Acknowledging Professional Excellence (APEX) Awards honor exemplary members of the legal community, including legal […]
Does Your Telecommuting Policy Increase Your Risk of Workers’ Compensation Liability?
Experience shows telecommuting policies are all too frequently silent on a key concern: The risk of […]
Want a Successful Mentoring Relationship? Focus on Building Trust
At its core, trust is the belief that someone or something is safe, honest, and […]
Advocating for Clients in Jail
Criminal defense attorneys have a critical role to play in helping their clients receive better […]
Reach Your New Year’s Resolution Goals With Help From ProBonoWa.org
With more than 100 statewide organizations registered on the site, you can filter your search […]
Interview with Justice G. Helen Whitener: Mentor, Educator, Trailblazer
Judge Lisa H. Mansfield interviews Washington Supreme Court Justice G. Helen Whitener to talk about […]
Gender, Justice, and the Power of Data
The Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission's latest report is an update to a […]
What You Need to Know About the New Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act
In 2021, the Washington Legislature adopted an all-new Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act, which took effect […]
MBA Spotlight: Loren Miller Bar Association
The Loren Miller Bar Association (LMBA) was started in 1968 by Black attorneys who joined […]
Funding Legal Aid Makes Our Communities Stronger
As members of the legal community in Washington state, we are asking you to join […]
Tips for Buying a Law Practice
Whether you have started a law practice and are looking to expand rapidly or are […]
How to Close Your Law Practice
So it’s time to close your law practice. Whether it’s because of a change in […]
Returning to the Office?
ASK A LEGAL ADMINISTRATOR > While a return to the workplace may be up in the air […]
