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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Have you seen the latest NWLawyer? Here’s what’s in the December/January issue. Get a quick read on these features, or check out the full issue now.
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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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Every so often the ethics line takes a call from a member who is worried because they can’t contact their client and a deadline is near. Should they act to protect their client, even if they can’t reach them? What if the statute of limitations is approaching? If they don’t file suit, the client could […]
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In a case of first impression in Washington, the state Supreme Court recently held that communications between corporate or governmental counsel and former employees do not fall within the attorney-client privilege even if the communications concern matters that occurred during a former employee’s work for the corporation or government agency involved. The Supreme Court’s 5–4 […]
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We’re excited to present the November 2016 issue of NWLawyer — our first-ever criminal law issue! Check out a few of our feature stories below or read the full issue online.
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Veterans Day is Nov. 11, and we’d like to take a moment to thank our veterans for their service. If you’d like to show your appreciation for those who served, there are many ways to provide legal assistance to Washington veterans.
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Congratulations to our 71 members who celebrate 50 years of WSBA membership in 2016!
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In September, the WSBA hosted a panel entitled “Women, Race and Age: Mitigating Misogyny and Bias in the Legal Profession.” We (Robin Haynes and Linda Fang) were panelists, along with Elaine Edralin Pascua and Onik’a Gilliam. In an effort to continue the conversation, we wanted to share our takeaways from the panel and encourage readers […]
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Social Security retirement benefits may not be the first thing on your clients’ minds when they are getting divorced, especially if they are younger. The right to Social Security benefits is a federal entitlement not affected by state law, and rarely discussed much during divorce. But one critical timing mistake could cost your client a […]
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Division I of the Court of Appeals recently discussed arbitration of legal malpractice claims in Butler v. Thomsen, 2016 WL 4524244 (Wn. App. Aug. 29, 2016) (unpublished). The facts in Butler were unusual. A lawyer had negotiated the settlement of a minority shareholder “squeeze out” case involving a closely held high-tech company. The settlement agreement […]
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Halloween is just around the corner, so it seems appropriate to share some “reanimated” Halloween blog posts and NWLawyer articles from years past. From chilling Washington case law to office costume guidance and Halloween-themed laws, there’s plenty of fun-size reading to get you in the mood for Halloween.
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Division II of the Court of Appeals recently outlined the standards for implied waiver of the attorney-client privilege in the context of settlement “reasonableness” hearings under RCW 4.22.060. In Steel v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. WL 4001431 (July 26, 2016), the parents of children who had been abused at a day care center sued the center […]
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Meet your new president, president-elect, and governors in the October 2016 issue of NWLawyer! Take a look at the featured articles below or read the full issue online.
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This year, we gave our annual awards event a makeover – formerly known as the Annual Awards, it’s now called the APEX Awards (Acknowledging Professional EXcellence). Get a behind-the-scenes look at how we developed the APEX Awards. On Sept. 29, more than 350 WSBA members and guests gathered to celebrate our award recipients’ service, dedication, […]
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Billing clients for services is not practicing law and it does not take a ton of thought to create a procedure. However, it is important to design a system that works — and to continue to revise and improve it based on experience. If you have little or no procedures in place, here is a […]
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