On Jan. 7, Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis. On Jan. 24, Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis. On Jan. 28, WSBA President Francis Adewale and Executive Director Terra Nevitt issued a joint statement calling for unification.
“An escalating cycle of fear, grief, and rage is rippling through communities throughout our state and nation,” they wrote in a statement titled Minneapolis Is a Call to All Legal Professionals to Uphold the Legal System. “And—because the killing and harm of civilians by government authorities is not a new phenomenon—we are outraged anew about those prior tragedies. Legal professionals admitted to practice law have an obligation to ensure accountability under the rule of law.”
Whomever you are, you likely have an opinion—a strong opinion—about these killings and the political climate surrounding them. Their statement is not about swaying your opinion, according to Adewale and Nevitt, but instead it serves as a call for reunification around the thing that binds all legal professionals to each other and ties communities back to the legal system: confidence in the rule of law.
What follows is a brief interview in which Adewale and Nevitt explain why they wrote the statement, what they hope to accomplish alongside other Washington legal professionals, and what all legal professionals can do.
Why was it important to speak now as Bar leaders?
Nevitt: When to speak as a bar association—that is always the big question because there are tragedies and injustices happening all the time, everywhere, and, as humans, we feel compelled to speak about them all. But as leaders of the Washington State Bar Association, the things we issue statements about must be tied to our mission—to the integrity of the legal profession and the quality of justice in Washington. I would love to have a clear framework like “if X then Y, then you issue a statement on behalf of the WSBA,” … but it’s very nuanced in each situation. In this case, we felt that what was happening in Minnesota was closely aligned with some of the biggest issues we are grappling with in Washington as legal professions. Especially in the aftermath of the shootings, what struck me was an overwhelming sense from the public that they do not trust that a transparent and just legal process will follow to provide accountability, whatever that may look like. This chasm of civic cynicism and distrust of institutions is at a crisis point, and Minneapolis feels like an inflection point where we need to step up. And that is exactly what our Rule of Law Ambassador Program is trying to overcome, a growing lack of confidence in our court system. So this is a moment where we felt a statement was necessary and absolutely aligned with our core mission at the WSBA and core responsibilities as legal professionals.
Adewale: Whether to speak or not is circumscribed by our guidance from the courts. GR 12.2 states our purpose. As lawyers, we go by the court rules. When I was thinking about what to do here, I look at the court rules, I look at the guidance provided by the Board of Governors when it’s decided that we should promote the rule of law. We started the Rule of Law Ambassador Program precisely to be a voice for the legal profession—for the defense of the law. There is nothing political or partisan in the statement we just issued. The Bar Association has always taken its role very, very seriously. … We have always been very meticulous about how and when we speak. … I came from a country where confidence in the law is shattered; I came to a country where I believe that there is hope that the law will be respected. We are not issuing a statement because we are partisan hacks … we’re saying that for the sake of the law, for the integrity of the legal system, we have to protect that integrity of the legal system.
What reaction would you like bar members to have when they read this statement?
Adewale: I want our readers to see why defending the rule of law, the integrity of the legal profession, and promoting an effective legal system accessible to all is important. That is why we made this statement.
Nevitt: I also think, fundamentally, the purpose of the statement is to speak to the legal community about what is going on right now, what is our role as lawyers and legal professionals, and for us to let them know how we’re going to support them, which is our role.
Adewale: Like every speech, people are going to agree or disagree. What I think what we want to do is to provide education to our members so they can go into their communities and provide education. If they write a letter to the editor to Bar News, I want to publish it. But I also want to publish those who agree with it. … I want balance, I want people to understand that I don’t want everyone to agree to every sentence that’s in that statement. But this is something that we agree to— that we swear an oath to rule of law and the constitution
Nevitt: I am so painfully sincere when I say that I really want the statement to be unifying. There are a lot of different ways we could have drafted this, and a lot of intention and care … that doesn’t mean that everyone will get behind it. I know that some people will not agree. I wholeheartedly align with Francis here—I want to hear from all members; I want to hear all perspectives. Being divided as a legal community is not going to serve anybody. What I hope is that people will feel proud about the role that they have and will feel empowered that there is something they can do right now with what they’re feeling, and what they can do is really important.
What is our call to action here?
Nevitt: We should understand the legal issues of the day, so we’re working to develop a series of CLEs to help equip our members to be ambassadors. I think we should be visible in our communities to help answer people’s questions, and help them have confidence in the legal system, and I also think that we should be working to make a legal system that deserves people’s confidence.
Adewale: A call to education, a call for lawyers to go into their communities and educate them about the importance of the rule of law and why it matters. First of all, you have to educate yourself. You have to learn. You have to read up on what is going on. What you can do and what opportunity you have as a lawyer. [This] profession is among the best in the world, in the whole universe—we are privileged. And that privilege should be used for good purpose. There is a respect, and regard, for lawyers in the community. When we speak, we have an advantaged position to be able to educate people about peace and order … we have a responsibility to serve as a mouthpiece for that. The constitution cannot speak for itself. Lawyers speak for the constitution. The primary goal is not to divide the community; it is to reunite them.
Nevitt: We understand in the climate we’re in, everyone’s bringing their own context to the statement, and we spend a lot of time thinking about it … that’s why we spend so much time poring over it. At the end of the day, it’s not possible to craft a statement that is going to appeal to everyone. I really want to emphasize that the attempt here is: Any political belief can be welcomed by the statement. We’re not trying to cast judgment or make claims about what has happened. We’re trying to say that we have a legal system for resolving disputes, for holding people accountable, protecting people. However, you view the issues, hopefully as lawyers we can all agree that we want the legal system to function.
