Subject: Deadline 6/30 - Tweet your vision of equity in the law!

What is your vision of equity in the legal profession? We want to know ... we need your voice and your vision!

And your opinion could be worth more than you think -- $1,000, to be precise.

Based on different backgrounds and experiences, everyone has a different view of equity and what it means to the profession.

To capture a range of those views, the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity is hosting a contest on Twitter to encourage the discussion and exchange of ideas on equity in the law. Participants will tweet and complete this sentence: "My vision of equity in the legal profession is . . . ."

To participate go to: http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium

The virtual symposium closes June 30, 2013.

Join the discussion to eliminate bias and enhance equity in the legal profession. Together, we can find a voice to advance change.

For more information on the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity, visit www.americanbar.org/GenderEquity.

Thank you - The ABA Task Force on Gender Equity

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Contest ends 6/30/13. For Official Rules and prize description, visit http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium/. Sponsor: American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.

2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon

When: Saturday, February 8, 2014

Where: Hyatt Regency, Chicago

The deadline for the 2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards is July 15, 2013! The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession established the Spirit of Excellence Awards to celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who excel in their professional settings; personify excellence on the national, state, or local level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession.  We invite you and your organization to consider nominating a trailblazer in diversity! 

Download a nomination form. Nominations forms must be completed and submitted electronically to spiritawards@americanbar.org However, if the materials are more 15 Megabytes (MB) we ask that the materials be zipped/compressed file. The deadline is July 15, 2013. No extensions will be made.
 

The 2014 Spirit of Excellence Awards Luncheon will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2014 during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Chicago, IL. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Daniel Serrano at 312-988-5638 or at Daniel.Serrano@AmericanBar.org.

WSBA-CLE Presents: Same-Sex Marriage: A Practitioners Perspective on Thursday, June, 20, 2013 (Seattle) and Thursday June 27, 2013 (Tacoma).  This is co-sponsored by the WSBA Committee for Diversity and the Attorney General’s Office. Same-sex marriage is an issue that has come to the forefront in our state and nationally. This CLE is aimed at educating practitioners about the implications of Washington’s same-sex marriage law and Federal DOMA, particularly in the area of family law.

Seattle -  Thursday, June 20, 2013 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the  Attorney General’s Office – Seattle
800 5th Ave. Suite 2000,Seattle, WA 98104-3188

 

Approved for 1.5 General CLE Credits for Washington Attorneys
TUITION:  $0

Community Representatives Sought for Law-Related Boards and Council

The Washington State Bar Association seeks members of the public to serve on four boards and one council for terms beginning October 1, 2013. Serving on a WSBA board or council is an excellent opportunity to get an insider’s view on how the practice of law is regulated in Washington State.

• · The Council on Public Defense addresses concerns about the quality of indigent defense services in Washington State. Appointment is for a one-year term. The Character and Fitness Board deals with matters of character and fitness bearing on qualifications of applicants for admission to practice law in Washington. The Board conducts hearings on the admission of any applicant referred to it for hearing, considers petitions for reinstatement after disbarment, and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors and Supreme Court regarding admission and reinstatement. Appointment is for a three-year term. Hearings generally are held every month. Three of the 14-16 members of the Board are not lawyers.

 

• · The Disciplinary Board reviews lawyer discipline decisions. It is made up of four review committees; each committee has two lawyer members and one non-lawyer member. One committee meets each month to review requests for public hearing, admonitions, interim suspensions and other matters. The board meets six times a year as a full board.

 

• · The Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection Board compensates clients who have suffered a direct financial loss caused by the dishonest conduct of a lawyer in connection with the practice of law. The Fund is funded by an annual assessment of members of the WSBA by order of the Washington State Supreme Court.

 

• · The Limited Practice Board oversees administration of, and compliance with, the Limited Practice Rule (APR 12) authorizing certain lay persons to select, prepare, and complete legal documents pertaining to the closing of real-estate and personal property transactions. The Board is responsible for the certification and regulation of limited practice officers (LPOs).

Applications are also being accepted for other boards which may have openings during the coming year.

Applications must be received at the WSBA offices by Friday, June 14, 2013. To apply, complete the application posted at http://bit.ly/rnvXKY and return it with your resume as directed on the form. Previous applicants should re-apply as applications expire after one year. Appointment letters for current openings will be sent in late summer. If you have questions, please email barleaders@wsba.org.

That is the provocative question that Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, has encouraged women to answer.  While there are very real structural barriers that have inhibited women from reaching leadership positions in equal numbers as men, Sandberg’s book focuses on what women themselves can do to “lean in” towards creating the challenging and engaging careers that they want. 

King County Washington Women Lawyers and Genevieve Vose, Partner at Susman Godfrey, are sponsoring a “Lean In Circle” – a group of women that get together to discuss the topics raised in Sandberg’s book and the challenges and successes they confront in their own careers.  Would you be interested in joining such a circle?  Learn more at http://leanin.org/ or contact Genevieve Vose at gvose@susmangodfrey.com or 206-516-3836.

Each year the ABA Law Practice Management Section (LPM) offers two (2) positions within its Fellows Program for diverse attorneys. The LPM Fellows Program  is designed to attract, retain, and develop talented diverse attorneys while providing leadership development opportunities for lawyers in under-represented groups.  The intent of the Program is to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion, further demonstrate the Section’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunity in the profession, and to create a pipeline of future LPM leaders.

Selected Fellows will receive the opportunity to actively participate in LPM by working alongside Section leaders to develop content, programming, and education for the Section. Through financial assistance and mentoring, Fellows are exposed to growth opportunities they might not otherwise have access to. The LPM Fellows Program is a great way to experience all that LPM has to offer.

Embodied by the ABA’s Goal III,consideration is extended to all applicants, including racial/ethnically diverse lawyers, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons.

Applications for the 2013-2014 Fellows Program are still being accepted. The deadline has been extended to July 1, 2013. For any additional information, please contact Patrick Cary.

Apply today! 

Starbucks Corporation
Law & Corporate Affairs Department
2013-14 Diversity Mentorship Program

Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs Department is pleased to announce the third year of the Starbucks Diversity Mentorship Program. This program will connect Starbucks in-house lawyers with private practice junior attorneys from diverse backgrounds in one-to-one mentorship relationships. Starbucks in-house lawyers are one of the most experienced and diverse groups of attorneys in the region, and are eager to share their insights into learning the practice of law, succeeding in law firm and other private practice environments, and for those who are interested, pursuing in-house career opportunities.

This program will foster direct, informal interactions over a one-year period to help diverse junior attorneys learn their craft 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 three 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 Kent Nordby at knordby@starbucks.com by Friday, June 21. In your cover letter, please identify your current area of practice (and your desired area, if different), 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, you may contact Katina Thornock, co-chair of the Starbucks L&CA Diversity Committee, at kthornoc@starbucks.com.

Work-Life Balance Alternatives: Flexible Work Schedules

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When:

Tuesday, June 4, 2013, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where:

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, 1201 Third Ave., Floor 22, Seattle, WA 98101

RSVP: through Big Tent (preferred if you are a MAMAS member) or by email to HeatherColdwell@dwt.com. Please identify if you will attend in person in Seattle or if you will participate by phone.

Flexible work schedules offer moms one tool to balance the demands of our high-stakes profession with the needs of our families. Please join us for a lively conversation on what a flexible schedule is, how to set up a flexible schedule, how to manage one successfully, and how to return to a “standard” schedule.

Ronnie Spiegel is a Partner at Hagens Berman LLP where she has worked full-time since 2005. Her practice is focused on antitrust law, as well as overall complex litigation management. In 1994, upon graduating from law school, Ronnie worked as an associate at a Philadelphia law firm until the birth of her first child in 2000. Between 2000 and 2005, Ronnie took a hiatus from legal practice, had two more children, and focused entirely on being a stay-at-home mom. She came back to practice at Hagens Berman LLP in 2005 with a flexible work plan, and has evolved that plan over the years. Ronnie is also a former member of the MAMAS Board.

Jennifer Steele received her B.A. from Syracuse University and received her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law. Following law school, Jennifer clerked for Justice James Johnson at the Washington State Supreme Court before joining the Attorney General’s Office in 2006. At the AGO, Jennifer has developed an expertise in the Public Records Act and has advised the public records units of the Department of Licensing and the Employment Security Department and defended several PRA lawsuits. She currently works in the Consumer Protection Division’s Manufactured Housing Unit where she advises and represents the Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program and brings actions against individuals and businesses for violations of the Consumer Protection Act. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys playing with her two young children, running, and cooking.

Dana Tumenova is an Assistant Attorney General in the Labor and Industries Division in Seattle. Dana previously represented the Department of Social and Health Services Division for three years. Dana graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003. During her time at UW Law, she was an Associate Articles Editor of the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal Editorial Board, where she published twice. Dana is originally from Kazakhstan, where she worked for US Agency for International Development. Dana is a mother of a 6.5 year old kindergartener.

Taryn Darling Hill practices in the areas of reorganization, insolvency, receivership, bankruptcy issues and related litigation, and consumer protection litigation. Taryn is a partner at boutique law firm Impact Law Group, where she continues to build her practice. Upon graduation from Seattle University School of Law, she began her litigation training at Williams Kastner and subsequently developed her bankruptcy practice at the bankruptcy boutique Crocker Law Group and its consumer firm Resolve Legal. Taryn is a member of several professional organizations. She is both a participating member and a board member of the William H. Dwyer Inns of Court, a professional organization comprised of judges, attorneys, and law professors; she is also an elected member of the King County Bar Association’s Creditor Debtor Section; the Vice-chair of the membership committee on the ABA’s Bankruptcy Subcommittee; and a volunteer for the King County Bar Association’s Debt Clinic. Taryn’s legal experience is further influenced by her professional experience before law school as a social worker and in various positions at local Amazon.com. But it is her role of working to obtain solutions to assist individuals, business owners, and businesses in moving toward greater financial sustainability that she has found most rewarding. In the free time that remains, Taryn is passionate about spending time with her family and friends and keeping one step ahead of her seven year old daughter. An avid skier, and lover of the outdoors, she is grateful for all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

We encourage you to attend our brown bag meeting in person to facilitate both networking and a lively discussion.

Please bring your lunch and join us for this presentation, and meet fellow MAMAS members! Cookies will be provided.

For those who cannot attend in person, we offer the option to participate by phone.

Call in #: 888-757-0729; Passcode: 1396142354#

When attending via telephone, please use your mute button to prevent background noise, but do not place the call on hold. Some firms have hold music, which is disruptive to the presentation. If you need to leave the call briefly, please hang up and call back in when you are able.

MAMAS would also like to thank our

Platinum sponsors:

Garvey Schubert Barer

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

and Gold sponsors:

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

K&L Gates LLP

Microsoft Corporation

Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt

Susman Godfrey L.L.P.

What is your vision of equity in the legal profession? We want to know ... we need your voice and your vision!

And your opinion could be worth more than you think -- $1,000, to be precise.

Based on different backgrounds and experiences, everyone has a different view of equity and what it means to the profession.

To capture a range of those views, the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity is hosting a contest on Twitter to encourage the discussion and exchange of ideas on equity in the law. Participants will tweet and complete this sentence: "My vision of equity in the legal profession is . . . ."

To participate go to: http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium

** The virtual symposium closes June 30, 2013. **

Join the discussion to eliminate bias and enhance equity in the legal profession. Together, we can find a voice to advance change.

For more information on the ABA Task Force on Gender Equity, visit http://www.americanbar.org/GenderEquity.

Thank you - The ABA Task Force on Gender Equity

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Contest ends 6/30/13. For Official Rules and prize description, visit http://aba.promo.eprize.com/virtualsymposium/. Sponsor: American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.

 Washington Leadership Institute /WLI  presents a networking opportunity to provide information to the fellows about the MBA's and encourage membership.  Presidents/Vice Presidents or elected representatives of MBAs are invited to attend on May 24, 2013  at Perkins Coie starting at 4:30 pm. 

Please send an email to Tracy Flood, WSBA Governor at Large with your name and title for RSVP by Friday April 12th.