Cherry blossoms near people at the University of Washington

Meet the Law School Representatives of 2023

Consider that a student who expects to graduate law school this year will have spent most of their education amid a global pandemic. Their legal academia would have taken place during historic global protests, a historic attack on the U.S. Capitol building, and the reversal of massively controversial legal precedent. In all, law students today are looking at a world full of inflation and, arguably, some of the greatest challenges for our legal system in modern history. Each year, the Washington State Bar Association partners with our state’s three law schools and selects a law student representative from each. These student representatives both serve as liaisons who communicate issues facing students to the WSBA, and who share WSBA resources with their fellow students.

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Christmas office party

Gift Ideas for the Lawyer or Law Student in Your Life

Unfortunately, you probably can’t get lawyers and law students the gift they really want: eliminating their student loans. However, there’s still time to find a gift that will delight the legal wonk in your life. We can’t endorse specific products, but the WSBA ranks are chockfull of lawyers full of ideas. Here are a few WSBA-approved gift ideas for the lawyer or law student in your life.

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Cherry blossoms near people at the University of Washington

Meet the 2021-2022 Law Student Representatives

Each year, the WSBA partners with Washington’s three law schools and selects a law student representative from each. These student representatives both serve as liaisons who communicate issues facing students to the WSBA, and who share WSBA resources with their fellow students. Read on to meet the 2021-2022 law school representatives.

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Law student masked

What it’s Like Being a WSBA Law School Representative During Strange Times

Faced with a global pandemic, a massive civil rights movement, uncertain economic futures, and most recently a blanketing of smoke as much of the Western United States burns, it’s no small feat to manage three years of intensive legal study on top of that. Even so, this year, as in years past, student representatives from Washington’s three law schools have partnered with the WSBA to serve as a vital link between their classmates and (hopefully) future professional regulator. Read on to learn what’s on the minds of the 2020-2021 law school representatives.

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A diverse group of law grads

Regarding the Bar Exam and Competency

When the Washington Supreme Court modified the Admission to Practice Rules to grant admission under diploma privilege criteria, it spurred a great deal of discussion about the bar exam. Some of this discussion appears to assume the Supreme Court order is permanent. This does not appear to be the intent of the order. Many attorneys have complained about granting admission to practice law to individuals who have not taken the bar exam, essentially arguing the exam is a “rite of passage.” While I understand the sentiment, I reject its validity.

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Students taking an active part in a lesson while sitting in a lecture hall

Why Law School is an Investment in More than the Law

Recently, there has been debate about the prudence of a legal education vis-à-vis other alternative career choices. Such deliberations stem from the suggestion that there are too many law graduates chasing too few jobs. Yet the true nature of law school as a good investment remains undiminished. I have several reasons why my legal education […]

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Students taking an active part in a lesson while sitting in a lecture hall

WSBA Law School Representatives: The New Class

Every year, hundreds of law school grads emerge bleary eyed and discombobulated, but with J.D.s in hand and the immeasurable feeling of accomplishment having passed the bar. Yet they might have spent those three years not knowing what programs and services the Washington State Bar Association offers for law students or getting familiar with the […]

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