In December the Supreme Court named 13 people (lawyers and nonlawyers) to the Limited License Legal Technician Board (LLLT Rule). The LLLT Board is comprised of the following lawyers and nonlawyers: Guadalupe Artiga, Caitlin Davis Carlson, Brenda Cothary, William Covington, Greg Dallaire, Jeanne Dawes, Ellen Dial, Lynn Fleischbein, Janet Olejar, Ellen Reed, Elisabeth Tutsch and Vicki Williams. I was appointed as the Board Chair and feel it’s important to keep you informed of the plans and progress of the LLLT Board.
From my perspective the LLLT Board is a dynamic, diverse and a very talented group of people. It is an honor to be associated with this group. They were vetted by a nominating committee of the Board of Governors and ultimately appointed by the Supreme Court from a pool of nearly 70 very qualified applicants.
One of the first orders of business for the LLLT Board was to pick a practice area that it would recommend to the Court. The Board made that decision at its first meeting on Jan. 30, selecting family law as the recommended first area to which to apply the rule. That recommendation will be forwarded to the Supreme Court for approval.
The LLLT Board decided to create an aspirational timeline and have the first practice area ready for testing within a year. To help accomplish this goal the LLLT Board has divided the work into several subcommittees. Those subcommittees are: Admission and Licensing, Scope and Forms, Examination, RPC and Discipline, and Education and Outreach.
The LLLT Board and its subcommittees will meet at least monthly for a full day each time and perhaps more frequently as needed.
At this point it is not known what additional rules will need to be considered by or adopted by the Supreme Court to implement the work of the LLLT Board. The LLLT Board has and will continue to make periodic reports to the WSBA Board of Governors and the Supreme Court.
I have every confidence in the LLLT Board to develop a quality program within a reasonable timeline. If there are groups that would like a board representative to attend your meeting, please contact me and we can arrange something so you’re kept informed on the progress of the LLLT Board.
It is growingly evident that lawyers, bar associations and others around the country and around the world are watching the development of this program.
We will keep you, the WSBA and the Supreme Court advised as we work our way through this process. You can also find updated information and documents regarding LLLT on the WSBA website.
Stephen Crossland. Steve has been practicing law in Cashmere for 39 years. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in political science, and received his JD from Lewis and Clark College, Northwestern School of Law. Steve is Past President of the WSBA and also served on the WSBA Board of Governors from 1995-1998. Evolving over the years, his practice now focuses on real estate, estate planning, business, and mediations. Steve enjoys spending time with his four grown children and five young grandchildren. Running, biking, hiking, and gardening are pastimes that take some of the free time he has.
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Janine Fleming
I do not understand how a board of lawyers is going to be able to decide fairly what scope LLLT can practice under. I mean think about the slice of pie a LLLT might take away from divorce attorneys. “What we don’t get to take all your assets and still you owe me $100,000?” McKinly Irvin and Anderson Fields must be pissing their pants over this. I can’t tell you how many people I have talked to that have had all their assets stripped and then had to pay their life savings to get a divorce and the fallout of motions afterwards. If you’ve ever taken the time to look at hundreds of dockets like I have you will see the majority of dissolutions involving children are 3 or more years in length. Most of the dockets are 6 or more years. This represents motion after motion and all that goes with it. It does not tell the backstory of the money being spent by parents before the issue goes to court. I do not think these lawyers, are going to make a rule that might take away from their pie or their friends pie. It’s like letting bankers decide laws for bankers. This panel is going to decide rules for LLLT that are very narrow so it does not take away from their pie.
uche
And why family law? Why not introduce them to motion practice, which really eats up most resources for people who have no money and wants to fight like crazy to make their point. Just have my doubts about this. Believe me, I hope it works out because there are people who really need help. And also be aware that the same people want your hide when things don’t go their way. maybe Juvenile dependency would have been a good place to start with this LLLT thing. Just thinking out loud. Again, please make this appointment state wide, not just kudos to your friends on the west side.
uche
why is that every time there is a board the people selected are most times from the west side of the state? Just curious.