News – NWSidebar

Are You Prepared for a Pandemic?

COVID-19, especially in Washington state, poses a threat on the legal profession and the world. We dive into the current circumstances and look at ways to prepare for pandemic.

by NWSidebar

Taming the Skies: What’s on the Itinerary for Service Animals and Airlines

Jonathan Ko dives into the USDOT’s recently proposed changes to regulations for service animals on commercial flights. Spoiler: pigs actually wouldn’t fly.

by NWSidebar

Legislative Disclosure: Impacts and Implications of AP v. Washington Legislature

For years, agencies calling for sensible Public Records Act reform have remarked that change would not come until the state’s lawmakers were also subject to the PRA. That day finally arrived on Dec. 19, 2019, when the Washington Supreme Court issued its opinion in Associated Press et al. v. Washington State Legislature, et al.

by NWSidebar

Legislative Update re: HB 1788

WSBA members may have seen that HB 1788 was pulled from the Rules Committee and placed on third reading, which means that it will receive a floor vote in the House in the next several days.

by NWSidebar

The Top 10 Most Popular NWSidebar Articles in 2019

As the hub for voices of Washington’s legal community, the content on this blog is as varied as WSBA members themselves.

by NWSidebar

Leading Criminal Justice Reform with LEAD in the November NWLawyer

In the November issue of NWLawyer we meet Lisa Daugaard, a 2019 MacArthur fellow who is reforming the criminal justice system. And we take a trip around the world in nine ways with WSBA members sharing their experiences practicing law from the Czech Republic to Nigeria and beyond.

by NWSidebar

To GRE or not to GRE? Seattle University Test Pilots GRE for Law School Admissions

Seattle University School of Law’s Gregory Silverman sheds light on the school’s plan to get on board with an emerging trend in admissions.

by NWSidebar

Court of Appeals: New Standard in Disqualification for Former Client Conflicts

Washington’s Court of Appeals recently issued a significant decision applying a new standard for former client conflicts in the disqualification context.

by NWSidebar

NWLawyer Treks into Tech and the Law

Technology is exciting and inspiring, but for legal professionals it’s also daunting. How does a modern lawyer navigate ethically sticky and existentially bizarre questions that new tech imposes on existing law?

by NWSidebar

The Hottest Legal News in the Summer Issue of NWLawyer

From corner to corner, Washington state is a geographic and geologic smorgasbord encompassing densely packed forest and glacial-carved craggy mountain peaks, copper-colored grasslands and scrubby deserts, crushed urban jungles and placid fertile hills. And Washington’s legal community is equally varied in what they love about where they work, from folks looking to escape the perpetually […]

by NWSidebar

A New Standard for Overtime in Washington? State Looks to Expand Overtime Eligibility

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently filed a proposed rule that would dramatically increase the minimum salary required for employees to qualify for the white collar overtime exemptions.

by NWSidebar

A Chat With Foodborne Illness Injury Lawyer Bill Marler

In the June issue of NWLawyer, we spoke with attorney Bill Marler, widely recognized as an expert in plaintiffs’ litigation for foodborne illness injuries and, perhaps most famously, the attorney who represented children injured during the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak.

by NWSidebar

The Business of Ag and More in NWLawyer

There were 6.8 million farms in the U.S. in 1935, according to the USDA, which was enough for one out of every 20 Americans to have their own farm. But as the years wore on and the country went through revolutionary changes in industry and infrastructure, the number of farms slipped lower and lower to the most recent count of just over 2 million farms, even as the total population has more than doubled.

by NWSidebar

Prescription Restriction: How Washington is Addressing Opioid Addiction

There is no shortage of alarming statistics when it comes to opioids. More people died from opioid overdoses in 2017, two per day, in Washington than in traffic fatalities.

by NWSidebar

The Case That Struck Down the Death Penalty

Allen Gregory was going to be put to death for aggravated murder—yet more than 20 years after the crime, Gregory’s appeal to the Washington Supreme Court resulted in an unprecedented court-ordered analysis of death penalty cases and, ultimately, the end of capital punishment in the state. The new issue of NWLawyer takes a long look […]

by NWSidebar

When Lawyers Decide to Make the Electorate Their Next Boss

The transition from practicing law to crafting legislation is almost as entwined with the legal profession as the yellow legal pad. Many lawyers eventually find themselves drawn to public office, but why? What drove them to take the leap? How does legal training color their approach to public policy? Most importantly, what are they going […]