My key takeaways from Beyond the Dialogue: Disability and Ableism within the Legal Profession. In October, as part of Disability Awareness Month, the WSBA Diversity Program partnered with the Washington Attorneys with Disabilities Association to present a program entitled Beyond the Dialogue: Disability and Ableism within the Legal Profession.
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Around a large conference table at Perkins Coie in Seattle, twelve young attorneys of the Washington Leadership Institute listened attentively as a local Muslim-American lawyer spoke about media portrayal of Islam. The lawyer, Aneelah Afzali, issued a call to action, urging her audience to know Muslim people and challenge the media’s portrayal of Islam.
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If you are a lawyer practicing with small-to-large businesses and corporations, you should know something about employment-related medical leave laws. Federal, state, and municipal laws apply to your business clients and employees. Some laws apply to almost every employer and some to just larger employers.
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Inside the latest issue of NWLawyer, you’ll find: cross-examination tips from one of the state’s leading trial lawyers; an in-depth look at the use of police body-worn cameras in Washington; and an exploration of mandatory malpractice insurance. You can also take our 11-question quiz to test your knowledge on gender barriers. See how much you […]
Read More… Language matters—I mean really, really matters. The words we choose can make a huge difference to the overall meaning of something we are communicating. Even little connotations and implications can have a big impact on the meaning. For example, if I were to write the sentences, “His actions were youthful,” and, “His actions were childish,” […]
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The internet and social media are a part of most attorneys’ practices, whether they’ve chosen an aggressive online presence or not. Along with marketing their practice and maintaining their digital presence, attorneys may find themselves facing a negative internet review. Sometimes they call the WSBA Ethics Line (800-945-9722 ext. 8284) asking for guidance on whether […]
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Marijuana’s illegal status under federal law means no bankruptcy protection for these businesses. In the July/August NWLawyer, read how Washington’s first marijuana receivership was able to reach a successful conclusion thanks to an alternative procedure provided by Washington law.
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By the time this gets published, LGBT Pride month will be coming to a close or have already ended, but I thought I would share a few thoughts about it anyway. Prior to my job here at WSBA, I worked on several college campuses, leading LGBT centers. Often I was asked why it was necessary […]
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Being a Luddite can be expensive, embarrassing, and potentially disastrous for lawyers and clients. Tech incompetence can result in wasted time (and therefore increased cost to the client), loss of money and identity, ethical sanctions, and embarrassment or worse in the courtroom. Those are high prices to pay for being too proud (or lazy) to […]
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Gov. At-Large Mario Cava: We need diverse leaders who understand the disparate impacts of our policies and break barriers to justice. While running for governor at-large on the WSBA Board of Governors offers “visibility” for those traditionally underrepresented in the profession, it also means speaking out as a champion for justice. After all, it is […]
Read More… Legal counsel can help avoid the risks for businesses marketing via websites, social media, email, and smart-phone apps. Digital content is being published at a historically high rate. Organizations are employing business-minded strategies focused on delivering communications and marketing messages via websites, social media, email, and mobile applications. As they look to leverage even more […]
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How can law firms use social media to expand their client base, and what RPCs might impact different social media marketing strategies? At the March 28 WSBA Legal Lunchbox CLE, “Social Media Marketing Strategies for Attorneys,” CLE faculty Jeanne Marie Clavere, WSBA’s professional responsibility counsel, Greg McLawsen of Sound Immigration, and Sumeer Singla of Impact […]
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Whether you are a small or large firm with hundreds of attorneys, your website is likely the foundation of business development and new client lead generation. There is certainly a lot of advice out there on how to make a website effective, perhaps so much information that it might be difficult to determine where to […]
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Some lawyers avoid collecting unpaid legal fees because the process makes them acutely uncomfortable or they’re concerned about a bar complaint that could result. While some clients may indeed take offense at your efforts to collect money owed you, using appropriate, empathetic, and consistent follow-up can lead to better client communication and interaction, improved cash […]
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The Washington State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics recently released an advisory opinion surveying regulatory and risk management issues for lawyers practicing in so-called “virtual offices.” This emerging practice arrangement can range from a solo attorney working from home to an entire firm that lacks a traditional brick-and-mortar location. Virtual offices typically rely instead […]
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The Alaska Bar Association recently released a new ethics opinion on so-called “web bugs” — electronic trackers placed in email to allow the sender to see (among other things) where the recipient forwarded the email and how long the email was reviewed. In the scenario that gave rise to the opinion, an Alaska Bar member […]
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