Thank you for your interest in serving King County District Court.

The Washington State Supreme Court Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF) is pleased to announce a four-part webinar series on the criminalization of disability, facilitated by KMG Consulting Firm. This series will examine how disability is criminalized in our legal systems and explore intersections with race, gender, poverty, and more. Each session will explore barriers and opportunities for systemic improvement.

The webinars will be held Fridays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. PDT, beginning May 30 through June 20, 2025. All sessions will be recorded.

Please see the attached flyer for full session descriptions, dates, and registration links. Feel free to share with your networks.

CLE Credit: Credit has been requested and is currently pending approval. Additional details will be provided once confirmed.

To request accommodations, please contact: Joslyn.Nelson@courts.wa.gov

We hope you’ll join us for this important discussion.

 Law & Corporate Affairs Department 

2024-2025 Diversity Mentorship Program

The Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs Department is pleased to invite mentee participants for our Starbucks Diversity Mentorship Program.  This program will connect Starbucks in-house lawyers with junior attorneys from diverse backgrounds in one-to-one mentorship relationships.  The Starbucks legal department boasts one of the most experienced and diverse groups of attorneys in the region, and our lawyers are excited to share their insights into learning the practice of law, their advice in navigating legal work environments, and for those who are interested, strategies for future career development.   

Following a virtual kick-off reception for incoming mentees and their mentors, this program will foster direct, informal interactions over a one-year period to help diverse junior attorneys connect and network in the local community of legal professionals and business leaders.  The program is open to all lawyers in private practice in their first four years as an attorney, and who are members of one or more minority bar associations or diversity affinity groups.   

If you are interested in applying, please submit a cover letter and resume to Doug Stevens at doug.stevens@starbucks.com, with a copy to lcainclusiondiversity@starbucks.com, by Friday, September 6, 2024.  In your cover letter, please identify your current area of practice (and your desired area, if different), your office location, your general interest in receiving mentoring, and the minority bar association(s) or affinity group(s) to which you belong.  If you have any questions, please direct them to Doug Stevens, and one of our committee members will follow up with you. 

Sincerely, 

The Starbucks L&CA Diversity Mentorship Committee 

Lawyers and Judges: Have you ever reached a point in your career and thought, "If only I had known...."  

Law Students: Have you ever wished you had advice from someone who has actually been there?  

Mentors meet mentees!  

The mission of the JMMP is to promote the retention, growth, and success of minority* law students and new lawyers as they enter the legal profession, through formalized one-on-one mentorship matches and practical follow-up events throughout the year.

*We consider people of color; religious, ethnic, and racial minorities; people with disabilities; and LGTBQ+ people to be minorities in our society for purposes of our group's mission. We have chosen to focus our limited resources on addressing impacts on societal minorities. However, we recognize many other groups--such as women, individuals with socio-economic disadvantages, first generation law graduates, and formerly incarcerated individuals--have also been historically under-represented and marginalized in our profession. We do include programming that addresses these issues because they also impact many of our mentees. In addition, many of our follow-up events are open to all and free of charge. With respect and solidarity, if you are not a member of a societal minority but are looking for mentorship, please reach out directly to one or our many partner organizations for their assistance: King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, Washington Women Lawyers, and Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle.  

Participants will be formally matched, and pairs will create their own agreement regarding discussion topics, meetings, and follow-up.  The formal program will last through the end of 2024.  But we hope the relationships will continue beyond.  Register HERE to attend the Kick-Off Event on Wednesday, March 27th from 6:00-8:30 pm at Foster Garvey’s Seattle law office: 1111 3rd Ave Ste 3000, Seattle, WA 98101. .

*JMMP is generously sponsored by The Opportunity and Progress Council, Foster Garvey’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.

JMMP partner organizations include:

·  South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) - Founding Partner

·  Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington (MELAW) – Founding Partner

·  Washington Attorneys with Disabilities Association (WADA)

·  Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA)

·  Washington State Bar Association - Indian Law Section (WSBA-ILS)

·  Vietnamese American Bar Association (VABAW)

·  Korean American Bar Association of Washington (KABA)

·  Latina/o Bar Association of Washington (LBAW)

·  Washington Women Lawyers Association (WWL)

·  Washington State Bar Association – Board of Governors (WSBA-BOG, unanimously adopted by Board of Governors)

·  Washington State Bar Association – Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council (WSBA – DEI Council)

·  King County Bar Association - New Lawyers Division (KCBA-NLD)

·  King County Bar Association (KCBA)

·  QLaw – a voice of LBGT Lawyers and other legal professionals in Washington

·  Federal Bar Association - Washington Chapter (FBA - WA)

·  Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle (MAMAS)

·  Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW)

·  and welcoming our newest partner, the Loren Miller Bar Association (LMBA)!!!

Join us March 22nd-24th at the Pierce County Superior Courthouse in Tacoma, WA…

Washington State YMCA Youth & Government is hosting the Washington State Mock Trial Tournament on March 22nd-24th at the Pierce County Superior Court (930 Tacoma Ave S Ste 110, Tacoma, WA 98402). Please join us in volunteering or sharing out the sign-up links, as it will take over 150 volunteers to make this event happen. We have had over 10% growth in Mock Trial this year, so we need your support now more than ever!

We need attorneys to volunteer for the following times:

Round 1: Friday (3/22) @ 6:30pm

Round 2: Saturday (3/23) @ 8:30am

Round 3: Saturday (3/23) @ 12:30pm

Round 4: Saturday (3/23) @ 4pm

Please sign up for a round (or two!) and get some volunteer hours, meet other folks working with youth interested in the law, and become a part of the Mock Trial community! We have over 70 teams (including Middle Schools!) registered for this season! Feel free to forward this email or sign-up link to friends and colleagues that may be available and interested.

Lawyers and Judges: Have you ever reached a point in your career and thought, "If only I had known...."  

Law Students: Have you ever wished you had advice from someone who has actually been there?  

Mentors meet mentees!  

The mission of the JMMP is to promote the retention, growth, and success of minority* law students and new lawyers as they enter the legal profession, through formalized one-on-one mentorship matches and practical follow-up events throughout the year.

*We consider people of color; religious, ethnic, and racial minorities; people with disabilities; and LGTBQ+ people to be minorities in our society for purposes of our group's mission. We have chosen to focus our limited resources on addressing impacts on societal minorities. However, we recognize many other groups--such as women, individuals with socio-economic disadvantages, first generation law graduates, and formerly incarcerated individuals--have also been historically under-represented and marginalized in our profession. We do include programming that addresses these issues because they also impact many of our mentees. In addition, many of our follow-up events are open to all and free of charge. With respect and solidarity, if you are not a member of a societal minority but are looking for mentorship, please reach out directly to one or our many partner organizations for their assistance: King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, Washington Women Lawyers, and Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle.  

Participants will be formally matched, and pairs will create their own agreement regarding discussion topics, meetings, and follow-up.  The formal program will last through the end of 2024.  But we hope the relationships will continue beyond.  Register HERE to attend the Kick-Off Event on Wednesday, March 27th from 6:00-8:30 pm at Foster Garvey’s Seattle law office: 1111 3rd Ave Ste 3000, Seattle, WA 98101. .

*JMMP is generously sponsored by The Opportunity and Progress Council, Foster Garvey’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.

JMMP partner organizations include:

· South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW) - Founding Partner

· Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington (MELAW) – Founding Partner

· Washington Attorneys with Disabilities Association (WADA)

· Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA)

· Washington State Bar Association - Indian Law Section (WSBA-ILS)

· Vietnamese American Bar Association (VABAW)

· Korean American Bar Association of Washington (KABA)

· Latina/o Bar Association of Washington (LBAW)

· Washington Women Lawyers Association (WWL)

· Washington State Bar Association – Board of Governors (WSBA-BOG, unanimously adopted by Board of Governors)

· Washington State Bar Association – Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council (WSBA – DEI Council)

· King County Bar Association - New Lawyers Division (KCBA-NLD)

· King County Bar Association (KCBA)

· QLaw – a voice of LBGT Lawyers and other legal professionals in Washington

· Federal Bar Association - Washington Chapter (FBA - WA)

· Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle (MAMAS)

· Asian Bar Association of Washington (ABAW)

· and welcoming our newest partner, the Loren Miller Bar Association (LMBA)!!!

Virtual Events This Week

Point/Counterpoint: Analyzing Liability Management Transactions from the Lender and Borrower Perspectives - Oct. 25 - 1:00 pm ET

Practicing Law Outside a Traditional Firm: Government and In-House Attorneys - Oct. 26 - 3:00 pm ET (geared toward law students!)

The Member Wellness Program at WSBA. Member wellness is focused on providing WSBA members and law students support in order to maintain their wellbeing.  

Member wellness provides individual clinical consultations, wellness presentations, as well as resources on wellness and much more.

Additional information here:

Adely Ruiz, MSW, LSWAIC  

Clinical & Outreach Lead, Member Wellness Program | Washington State Bar Association  

 206.727.8268 | adelyr@wsba.org  | Pronouns: she/her 

1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 | Seattle, WA 98101 | wsba.doxy.me/wellness