Cover of April/May 2021 Bar News depicting a cow

Home on the Range and a Home of Our Own in Latest Bar News

For many, dairy farms will bring to mind pleasant imagery of placid cows nibbling grass and farmworkers ambling in the pre-dawn hours with stool and milking bucket in hand. In reality, the job of a dairy farmworker involves handling sometimes dangerous fully grown cows, machinery that can lead to injury or death, and long hours in a risky environment. These are some of the reasons why dairy farmworkers fought and won the right to overtime pay after the landmark Washington Supreme Court decision Martinez-Cuevas v. DeRuyter Bros. In the newest issue of Washington State Bar News, Marc Lampson breaks down the court’s decision and provides a detailed history of dairy farming to explain how this battle for overtime pay and worker safety on dairy farms came about.

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Well-Being Week Banner

What’s in Store for Well-Being Week at the WSBA

Over the past five years, there has been a steady and growing change in how we as a profession address the mental health of attorneys. And over the next five days, the WSBA is joining other organizations around the nation in a rallying cry to further end stigma, support one another, and promote changes leading toward a healthier profession and, in doing so, better representation for clients. From May 3 to 7, the WSBA is joining other bars, firms, and organizations in recognizing Well-Being Week in Law.

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Teleworking man with dog

How to Make Working at Home Work for You

Our days have a completely new schedule. I have spoken to attorneys who are lounging too much and not getting their work done, and then I have spoken to those who are trying too hard to prove they are connected and committed. It’s harder to compartmentalize work and personal life when they are one room apart.

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An attorney meditating at this desk

The Well-Being Pledge: A National Effort to Help Attorneys

Earlier this year the American Bar Association, in collaboration with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, conducted the first ever national study on lawyer impairment. This landmark study discovered that more than 20% of attorneys have consistent problematic drinking, nearly one-third report some level of depression, and 11% of attorneys have contemplated suicide at some point […]

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Congratulations to WSBA’s Pete Roberts

WSBA member and LOMAP client Candace Wilkerson wishes Pete a happy retirement. I first met Pete Roberts about a year after my move to Seattle, while attending a WSBA Job Seekers Group run by Dan Crystal. I was attempting to decide between solo practice and finding a position with a law firm, and Dan suggested […]

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procrastination busters for lawyers

4 Procrastination Busters for Lawyers

The goal is to feel rejuvenated by the time we spend away from our work, as opposed to feeling avoidant of our responsibilities. A computer has 2 competing purposes: a mind organizer and a mind eraser. The tool we use to refine our thoughts in precision crafted legalese is married to the ultimate implement of […]

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Procrastinator's meeting has been postponed

When Procrastination Rears Its Ugly Head

Procrastination and lawyering seem to go hand in hand. Legal work is intricate and precise, and legal concepts are hard to communicate to most people. This can leave you feeling alone with your burden. There are so many elements of lawyering, such as being organized, using time efficiently, being a productive writer, and being financially […]

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