Podcasts about Washington State Bar Association

 Amanda DuBois is the founder and managing partner of DuBois Levias Law Group, a woman-owned boutique family law firm in Seattle. Before practicing law, she was a high-risk labor and delivery nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center, a background that informs her legal work and fuels her passion for social justice. Over the past thirty years, DuBois has represented thousands of clients in divorce and medical malpractice cases, argued hundreds of motions, and taken multiple cases to trial. She is also the creator of the Camille Delaney mystery series, drawing on her dual expertise in medicine and law to spotlight inequities and injustices within both systems.Her first two titles, The Complication and Deliver Them From Evil, received numerous awards, including the 2023 International Book Award for Mystery/Suspense. In addition, DuBois is the founder of the Civil Survival Project, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate. She also established the Full Circle Scholarship at Seattle University School of Law and currently serves on the boards of Purpose Dignity Action and Freedom Education Project Puget Sound. She received the Sally P. Savage Leadership in Philanthropy Award from Washington State Bar Association. Her latest work, Unshackled, releases in February 2025. You can get your copy here - Amanda DuBois – Attorney, Activist, Author

On Dec. 5, in a move to enhance access to justice, the Supreme Court of the state of Washington issued a historic order authorizing a regulatory reform pilot program by which entities not owned by lawyers will be able to deliver legal services. The move makes Washington only the third state, after Utah and Arizona, to approve a comprehensive change to the longstanding rule that only entities owned by lawyers can practice law.  The pilot, which will last for 10 years, is designed to test whether entity regulation will increase access to justice by enhancing access to affordable and reliable legal and law-related services. Entities approved to operate under the pilot will be allowed to practice law, but only under strict conditions that limit the duration of their operations and that require active monitoring and oversight.  To discuss the development and details of this pilot, we are joined today by two guests representing the two organizations that proposed this pilot to the court and that will now be tasked with partnering to get it up and running. They are: Terra Nevitt, executive director of the Washington State Bar Association, and Craig Shank, a Washington lawyer and member of the Washington Supreme Court's Practice of Law Board.  Their share their perspectives on how this pilot could enhance access to justice and what the development means for regulatory reform more broadly.    Thank You To Our Sponsors This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out. Paradigm, home to the practice management platforms PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase and LollyLaw; the e-payments platform Headnote; and the legal accounting software TrustBooks. Littler, local everywhere.  Steno, reliable court reporting with a revolutionary approach Briefpoint, eliminating routine discovery response and request drafting tasks so you can focus on drafting what matters (or just make it home for dinner).   If you enjoy listening to LawNext, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Join Ben and Rahul for a conversation with Spencer Lucas, Partner at Panish Shea Ravipudi, in which Spencer talks about his recent $135 million verdict on behalf of two victims of sexual assault by a teacher at a public school, and his work on the leadership trial teams representing sexual assault victims in claims against the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese and Boy Scouts of America.  Spencer talks about how he found a passion for championing the rights of victims of sexual assault and how he has navigated the complexities of proving that the school district and Catholic Diocese had prior notice that the teacher and priest were harming children and failed to act upon that information to protect his clients.   About Spencer Lucas https://www.panish.law/Spencer Lucas is a trial lawyer and partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP specializing in litigating complex catastrophic personal injury, products liability, wrongful death, and sexual abuse cases. A member of the firm since 2007, he has extensive experience in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and has successfully recovered over $600 million for his clients. Mr. Lucas prides himself on not only helping survivors of trauma and their families recover from tragic situations but by implementing institutional safeguards for the community.Ranked among the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers in 2022, Mr. Lucas is recognized as a leading trial lawyer in California trying cases in venues across the state resulting in eight-figure verdicts. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work in the courtroom including nominations as Consumer Attorney of the Year by Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA).  Mr. Lucas is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) with an elevated rank of Associate due to the number of lengthy trials to verdict he has completed and is annually recognized as a Best Lawyer in America® .Mr. Lucas has obtained numerous eight-figure verdicts and settlements in cases throughout California, including the following:$135 million verdict for two men who were sexually abused as students by a teacher in the Moreno Valley Unified School District.$48,500,000 settlement at the beginning of trial involving a 26-year-old man who was struck by a corporate vehicle and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.$30,000,000 settlementat the beginning of trial involving a 33-year-old man who was struck by a tractor-trailer and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.$19,466,000 verdict In Zastawnik v. Asplundh Construction, for his client who suffered severe ankle fractures and resulting pain disorder after being struck by a construction truck while riding a motorcycle.$17,120,672 verdict In Huayanca v. Southland Transit District, for his 83 year old client who sustained a below the knee amputation after being struck by a bus in a crosswalk.$13,000,000 verdict in Doe v. EōS Fitness,  in Riverside County Superior Court for a young girl who was sexually molested while in the care of EōS Fitness' Kid's Club in Palm Springs, California. This verdict is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in America.$15,313,703 verdict in Francisco v. AC Transit, for a client who suffered a back injury while riding on a city bus.$15,000,000 verdict in Tilton v. Southern California Gas Company, for a teenager who sustained a closed head injury after his vehicle was struck by a Southern California Gas Company utility truck.$14,500,000 verdict in Barber v. Mossy Ford , in a complex tire failure case arising from a accident in which the parents of three young boys were killed.  Along with settlements reached with other defendants, the total award was in excess of $22 million.$14,000,000 verdict in Curiel v. SSA Marine, for a man who suffered serious spinal cord injuries after a crane operator dropped a 25,000 lb. container onto the cab of his truck.$21,000,000 verdict in Nelsen v. Hillyard Inc., for an Iraq war veteran who suffered a brain injury after being rear-ended by a commercial vehicle at high speed.$20,000,000 verdict in Rivas v. J.B. Hunt , for a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer.$10,500,000 in Nichols v. Alameda-Contra Costa County Transit, on behalf of a woman who suffered serious orthopedic injuries when she was struck by an AC Transit bus while crossing the street.  The case settled for $10.5 million.$8,652,580 award in the matter of of Haskell v. Farmers Insurance, on behalf of his client who suffered pelvic injuries. The settlement offer in this case prior to the award was $300,000.Outside the courtroom, Mr. Lucas is a frequent speaker on various issues, including traumatic brain, spinal cord injuries, and sexual abuse, and actively publishes articles in trade publications on a wide range of legal topics. He also spends much of his time dedicated to assisting his clients recovering from trauma obtain the best medical treatment available.In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, Mr. Lucas is a member of the Pepperdine School of Law Dean's Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers' Charities (LATLC) which funds many local charity groups focusing on education, survivors of abuse, children, and the homeless.Originally from Seattle, Washington Mr. Lucas graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Business Administration.  During his undergraduate work, he completed an International Business program with honors from the University of Sevilla in 1999. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2004, where he was the co-founder of the Pepperdine International Human Rights Program.Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Lucas works with many of the firm's Spanish-speaking clients and is frequently asked to give legal commentary on national Spanish television and radio programs.  He has lived in Havana, Cuba, and throughout Mexico, where he spent his summers in college building homes for the homeless in Ciudad Juarez.Mr. Lucas is a member of the State Bar of California, the District of Columbia Bar and the Washington State Bar Association. He is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, and Los Angeles County Bar Association, and regularly volunteers his time providing pro-bono legal services to foster children and children facing immigration deportation proceedings.

Washington voters will decide next week is who will fill the lone open seat on the Washington Supreme Court. Supreme Court Position 2 is an open race - the incumbent, Justice Susan Owens, is retiring at the end of this year due to the state constitution's requirement that all justices retire after the year they turn 75. The position is non-partisan. Soundside is talking to both candidates vying for the seat on the state's highest court. Up first: attorney Sal Mungia. Mungia is a partner at Gordon Thomas Honeywell, a law firm based in Seattle and Tacoma. He has specialized in medical malpractice, serious injury, personal injury and real estate litigation. He has also served as the President of the Washington State Bar Association.  Guest: Sal Mungia, candidate for Washington Supreme Court Position 2. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s Trending: A Lake City business owner is calling out the city after dealing with repeated break-ins and homelessness near his store. A West Seattle 7-11 employee thought he was inches from death when he was held at gunpoint. Climate Pledge Arena once again hosted an NBA preseason game over the weekend, renewing calls for Seattle to get an NBA team. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sparred with NBC’s Kristin Welker over Donald Trump’s medical records. Kamala Harris continues to bleed support with black voters. // LongForm: GUEST: Jerrod Sessler gives an update on his campaign against fellow Republican Dan Newhouse in Washington’s 4th congressional district. // The Quick Hit: A former criminal that turned her life around was recently sworn in by the Washington State Bar Association.

Since the 1963 Gideon decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the right to a lawyer has been guaranteed to defendants facing criminal charges – even if they can't afford to pay.  Advocates say that guarantee is in  jeopardy in our state because of a lack of personnel. Washington State public defenders are in short supply and that's having cascading effects on the criminal legal system.  The Washington State Bar Association is recommending a counterintuitive solution to the shortage: they want to cap the number of cases that public defenders can take on in a year, but the plan has its detractors.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.  Guests: Jason Schwarz, Director of Snohomish County Office of Public Defense and Chair of the Washington State Bar Association, Council on Public Defense Russell Brown, executive director of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys Relevant Links: Washington State Standard: Can smaller caseloads help Washington fill its public defender ranks? Seattle Times: WA's public defender system is breaking down, communities reeling See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textlovethylawyer.comA transcript of this podcast is available at lovethylawyer.com.Joshua Brumleyhttps://brumleylawfirm.com/about-us/ Joshua is a Washington State native, raised in the Tacoma area. After graduating from the University of Washington, he earned his MBA at Jacksonville University and completed his law degree at Florida Coastal School of Law. Joshua has practiced as an attorney with the Washington State Bar Association since 2015. He has served as a pro-tem Judge and is the owner of Brumley Law Firm whose mission is to empower our community by providing client-focused service, one car crash at a time.Community involvement in the South Sound region is important to Joshua. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, he is a member of the Puyallup Tribal Bar, Tulalip Tribal Bar, South King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and has served two terms as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He has served as a barrister member of American Inns of Court and he is dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law.As the managing attorney at Brumley Law Firm, Joshua works daily to ensure that our team delivers the most professional and supportive legal services in Western Washington. This dedication is among the many reasons his peers recognized him in the select group of Rising Stars of the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Super Lawyers survey.  Please subscribe and listen. Then tell us who you want to hear and what areas of interest you'd like us to cover.   Louis Goodman www.louisgoodman.comhttps://www.lovethylawyer.com/510.582.9090Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, MauiTech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, OaklandAudiograms: Paul Roberts louis@lovethylawyer.com

Joshua Brumley is the CEO of Brumley Law Firm.Joshua has practiced as an attorney with the Washington State Bar Association since 2015. He has served as a pro-tem Judge and is the owner of Brumley Law Firm whose mission is to empower their community by providing client-focused service, one car crash at a time.Founded on the principles of integrity, compassion, and expertise, the Brumley Law Firm practices in personal injury law, with a dedicated team for car accidents in Kent, Washington. Their commitment is to empower and support their clients through some of the most challenging times of their lives.Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrumley/Visit Brumley Law Firm: https://brumleylawfirm.com/On This Episode, We Discuss…Finding a Niche in the Law IndustryHow Law Firms Can Support Their Communities Victims Facing Language and Economic BarriersStrategies for Improving Access to Justice

The Washington State Bar Association is protecting Bob Ferguson. Port Townsend woman files suit over ban from YMCA. Dow Constantine gives an unhinged State of the County address. Federal judge tosses Florida law restricting transgender treatment for minors. NYC Mayor Eric Adam takes a stand against antisemitism. 

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Grifan Cayce. Grifan began her career in the teaching profession. She was driven by a deep love for education. As Grifan immersed herself in the demanding world of high school teaching, she encountered a stark reality: the disconnect between her efforts and her financial compensation. Teaching multiple AP classes in a competitive school district, Grifin felt the weight of her labor far outweighing the rewards. The rigid teachers' salary structure did not recognize the results she was producing or her efforts, leaving her feeling undervalued and frustrated. In one poignant moment, as she looked out her classroom window at a colleague leisurely enjoying the sun as a PE teacher, Grifan realized the stark disparity in their different levels of work, yet their compensation was basically the same. As a result, Grifin made the decision to pivot her career. Grifan is a mother to two little girls, wife and avid skier. As a young professional, Grifan obtained her Master's in Education focusing on modernizing delivery of US History in a manner to encourage student engagement and metacognition. Stepping away from the classroom in 2008, Grifan attended law school and practiced estate planning and probate law for nearly fifteen years. A longtime advocate for public schools and civic education, Grifan was recognized by the Washington State Bar Association for her work in civics education with local students. Grifan remains dedicated to this work and Co-Chairs a political action committee that runs local political campaigns for school funding. Today, Grifan is both a recovering attorney and recovering people pleasing perfectionist – for the time being she is focused on raising her daughters to shamelessly value the present moment by exploring the outdoors, taking risks, and making each day an adventure. Grifan isn't sure what is next and is trusting she's right where she needs to be.

Here are the answers to commonly asked FBAR questions from returning guest Robert Clegg "CanadAmerican Tax". Originally from Washington State but now based in Victoria, Robert graduated with a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from Gonzaga University and a Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) degree from the University of Washington. Robert was admitted to law practice in the State of Washington in 1997 and remains an active member in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association. Based in Canada for over 15 years, including time in the tax departments of two Big 4 accounting firms, his extensive knowledge of U.S. federal and state personal taxation enables him to provide timely and effective compliance and planning services to you.

Joshua is a Washington State native, raised in the Tacoma area. After graduating from the University of Washington, he earned his MBA at Jacksonville University and completed his law degree at Florida Coastal School of Law. Joshua has practiced as an attorney with the Washington State Bar Association since 2015. He has served as a pro-tem Judge and is the owner of Brumley Law Firm whose mission is to empower our community by providing client-focused service, one car crash at a time. Community involvement in the South Sound region is important to Joshua. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, he is a member of the Puyallup Tribal Bar, Tulalip Tribal Bar, South King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and has served two terms as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He has served as a barrister member of American Inns of Court and he is dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law. As the managing attorney at Brumley Law Firm, Joshua works daily to ensure that our team delivers the most professional and supportive legal services in Western Washington. This dedication is among the many reasons his peers recognized him in the select group of Rising Stars of the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Super Lawyers survey. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrumley/ Brumley Law Firm: https://brumleylawfirm.com/ Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Joshua is a Washington State native, raised in the Tacoma area. After graduating from the University of Washington, he earned his MBA at Jacksonville University and completed his law degree at Florida Coastal School of Law. Joshua has practiced as an attorney with the Washington State Bar Association since 2015. He has served as a pro-tem Judge and is the owner of Brumley Law Firm whose mission is to empower our community by providing client-focused service, one car crash at a time. Community involvement in the South Sound region is important to Joshua. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, he is a member of the Puyallup Tribal Bar, Tulalip Tribal Bar, South King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and has served two terms as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He has served as a barrister member of American Inns of Court and he is dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law. As the managing attorney at Brumley Law Firm, Joshua works daily to ensure that our team delivers the most professional and supportive legal services in Western Washington. This dedication is among the many reasons his peers recognized him in the select group of Rising Stars of the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Super Lawyers survey. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrumley/ Brumley Law Firm: https://brumleylawfirm.com/ Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Go to    www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com    for the full episode and other episodes of The Jason Cavness Experience on your favorite platforms. Sponsor CavnessHR delivers HR companies with 49 or fewer people with our HR platform and by providing you access to your own HRBP. www.CavnessHR.com Joshua's Bio   Joshua is a Washington State native, raised in the Tacoma area. After graduating from the University of Washington, he earned his MBA at Jacksonville University and completed his law degree at Florida Coastal School of Law. Joshua has practiced as an attorney with the Washington State Bar Association since 2015. He has served as pro-tem. Judge and is the owner of Brumley Law Firm whose mission is to empower our community by providing client focused service, one car crash at a time. As the managing attorney at Brumley Law Firm, Joshua works daily to ensure that the team delivers the most professional and supportive legal services in Western Washington. This dedication is among the many reasons his peers recognized him in the select group of Rising Stars of the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Super Lawyers survey. Community involvement in the South Sound region is important to Joshua. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution, he is a member of the Puyallup Tribal Bar, Tulalip Tribal Bar, South King County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and has served two terms as President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He has served as a barrister member of American Inns of Court, and he is dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law. In his free time, Joshua enjoys skateboarding, playing bass guitar and spending time at the dog park with his Goldendoodle, Gilbert. We talked about the following and other items Business, leadership, and personal interests with Josh Bromley. Music scene in Seattle and personal experiences with playing music. Punk music, live shows, and running a nonprofit music venue. Veganism and its impact on health and lifestyle. Animal treatment and ethics in agriculture.  Food industry, nutrition, and ethics.  Healthy eating habits and lifestyle.  Mike Tyson's upcoming fight and past controversies.  Personal injury cases and insurance tactics.  Personal injury law and insurance claims.  Insurance company GEICO's negotiation tactics and litigiousness.  Personal injury law and social media privacy.  Insurance claims and negotiation strategies.  Personal injury claims and representation.  Insurance claims and representation. Charity work and humanitarian efforts in Haiti. The importance of lawyers and community engagement. Becoming a lawyer and its challenges. Law school, work ethic, and public speaking.  Legal strategies and judicial dynamics.  Career choices and job satisfaction.  HR policies and laws for small businesses.  HR policies and laws for businesses.  Employee performance and retention strategies.  Workload management and case handling in a personal injury law firm.  Employee rights and pay in the US.  Employment law and workplace harassment.  Attracting and retaining top talent in a small business. Employee motivation and loyalty.  Effective management and leadership techniques.  Workplace communication and morale.  Employee promotions and management.  Managing and motivating employees in a small business.  Hiring and retention strategies for small businesses.  Managing employees and work-life balance. Employee performance reviews and salary negotiations.  Remote work, pay, and expectations in the workplace. Remote work policies and win loss rate in legal industry.  Legal ethics and professional conduct in law. Becoming a lawyer and licensing requirements.  Starting a law firm, tattoos, and growth vision.  Joshua's Social Media   Joshua's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabrumley/   Website: https://brumleylawfirm.com/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brumleylawfirm/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrumleyLawFirm   Joshua's Advice   I think being a business owner is incredibly difficult. Remember that these people depend on you to set a good example for what this business is and to not be an absent business owner.    You can't be involved as, as a leader, as a manager, as an owner of business. If you're not physically present. If you don't understand what your staff is doing, you have to know that job as well as they know it, to be able to manage them. If you don't know it, you need to hire someone to manage them, who does

Jennifer Sandoval (she/her) is a Vancouver-based Sustainable Production Specialist and the director of Business Development at Earth Angel. A full-service sustainability consultancy dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of entertainment productions. Previously, she worked as the Project Coordinator for Creative BC's Reel Green program. Her work focuses on helping productions and other film industry stakeholders to measure their impacts, strategize ways to reduce these impacts and work with crew members and the supply chain to integrate systems thinking and creative solutions into their work process. Jennifer holds a certificate from the Sustainable Business Leadership program from BCIT, is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC, and the Global Association of Climate Risk Professionals. In this episode, Jennifer and Nadine break down the core aspects of a sustainable consultancy in film and television production. They discuss Earth Angel's work- including corporate strategy, on-set crew/cast collaboration, material recovery, vendor procurement, and the quantitative data collection. Jennifer talks about her journey to her position now. They discuss carbon accounting and how/why the film industry struggles with tracking their emissions. This episode refers to the following works and companies: Earth Angel.Jennifer Sandoval (she/her) is sustainability production specialist based in Vancouver, Canada. Nadine Reumer (she/her) is an actress and producer based in Amsterdam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radio Free Mormon shares with his audience the latest saga regarding Jenn Kamp. That in fact Jenn Kamp has attempted to get Radio Free Mormon disbarred. RFM explains the dirty little details in this episode and shares with his audience both what Jenn shared in her claims and what the Washington State Bar Association responded….… Read More »Jenn Kamp Tries to Get RFM Disbarred: RFM: 293

Radio Free Mormon shares with his audience the latest saga regarding Jenn Kamp. That in fact Jenn Kamp has attempted to get Radio Free Mormon disbarred. RFM explains the dirty little details in this episode and shares with his audience both what Jenn shared in her claims and what the Washington State Bar Association responded….… Read More »Jenn Kamp Tries to Get RFM Disbarred: RFM: 293 The post Jenn Kamp Tries to Get RFM Disbarred: RFM: 293 appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Jordan Couch is a partner at Palace Law. That didn't come overnight. He earned it. True to the Palace Law culture, Jordan is committed to helping real people get justice, no matter how long it takes. This approach to today's “David versus Goliath” workers compensation system is critical because the Department of Labor and Industries is designed to wear down the injured until they simply give up. Jordan's life experience has given him the grit and perseverance necessary to fight this battle every day. Jordan grew up in the prairie land of eastern Montana. His father was a fishing guide and his mother was a teacher but Jordan's love for solving complex problems and his high school debate experience drew him to the legal profession. After high school, Jordan traveled to Maryland where he graduated from St. John's College and then to Indiana where he got his law degree from Indiana University's Maurer School of Law. While in law school, Jordan worked for NASA and clerked for judges in the Maryland Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington. He also managed and litigated cases for a pro bono organization that helped survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Through each of those roles, Jordan honed his skills as a courtroom advocate and deepened his commitment to helping those in need. In June of 2015 Jordan moved to Washington to put his skills and experience to use helping injured workers. Jordan knows his way around the complex workers compensation system and feels he is at his best when cross examining the doctors who deny injured workers the benefits they deserve. In 2020 Jordan was given an APEX (Acknowledging Professional Excellence) award from the Washington State Bar Association. Outside of the office, Jordan is heavily involved in various legal associations including the Washington Supreme Court's Access to Justice Board and the Washington State Association for Justice. True to his Montana roots, Jordan is an outdoorsman at heart and loves fishing, hunting, skiing, hiking and any other excuse to be outside. He's also an avid reader and loves to check out the local dive bars for a bite to eat. He and his wife, Maria, have a cat named Ellie and a dog named Penelope. Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jordanlcouch Palace Law: Palacelaw.com Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://emotiontrac.com/calendly/

Jordan Couch is a partner at Palace Law. That didn't come overnight. He earned it. True to the Palace Law culture, Jordan is committed to helping real people get justice, no matter how long it takes. This approach to today's “David versus Goliath” workers compensation system is critical because the Department of Labor and Industries is designed to wear down the injured until they simply give up. Jordan's life experience has given him the grit and perseverance necessary to fight this battle every day. Jordan grew up in the prairie land of eastern Montana. His father was a fishing guide and his mother was a teacher but Jordan's love for solving complex problems and his high school debate experience drew him to the legal profession. After high school, Jordan traveled to Maryland where he graduated from St. John's College and then to Indiana where he got his law degree from Indiana University's Maurer School of Law. While in law school, Jordan worked for NASA and clerked for judges in the Maryland Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington. He also managed and litigated cases for a pro bono organization that helped survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Through each of those roles, Jordan honed his skills as a courtroom advocate and deepened his commitment to helping those in need. In June of 2015 Jordan moved to Washington to put his skills and experience to use helping injured workers. Jordan knows his way around the complex workers compensation system and feels he is at his best when cross examining the doctors who deny injured workers the benefits they deserve. In 2020 Jordan was given an APEX (Acknowledging Professional Excellence) award from the Washington State Bar Association. Outside of the office, Jordan is heavily involved in various legal associations including the Washington Supreme Court's Access to Justice Board and the Washington State Association for Justice. True to his Montana roots, Jordan is an outdoorsman at heart and loves fishing, hunting, skiing, hiking and any other excuse to be outside. He's also an avid reader and loves to check out the local dive bars for a bite to eat. He and his wife, Maria, have a cat named Ellie and a dog named Penelope. Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jordanlcouch Palace Law: Palacelaw.com Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://emotiontrac.com/calendly/

Dan Peterson joined the University of Washington in 2016 and recently retired from his position as vice president for development for university advancement and president of the UW Foundation. Dan has served in a number senior leadership roles for four leading public research universities, including as Vice Chancellor/CAO at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Dan's career focused on fostering a best-in-class fully integrated advancement organization, in close partnership with college and unit leaders, with a mission of enhancing the impact of edication throughout the world. His 40-year career in the field includes 21 years at Washington State University, where he served as Campaign Director, the Director of Gift Planning, Associate Athletic Director, Regional Giving Director, and the Director of Athletic Development. Dan's tenure also includes UW Medicine Advancement and Oregon State University Foundation.Dan was raised in Federal Way, WA, is a 1982 graduate of WSU and earned his law degree from Seattle University in 1985. He is a member of the Washington State Bar Association.

MICHAEL W. HALL, J.D., “The Paranormal Lawyer,” is an attorney, Doctor of Jurisprudence and former Superior Court Judge Pro Tem. Certified Mediator, and the founding partner of The Hall Law Firm, P.S. Michael received his Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in 1976 from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University (in Broadcast-Journalism) and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (in just two years) from Southwestern Law School (in Los Angeles in 1987). He has taught legal seminars and conflict management courses for the Washington State Bar Association and The Boeing Management Association, and currently maintains a general legal and estate-planning practice in Seattle, Washington, where he also finds time to serve as pro bono legal counsel for various local and national non-profit organizations.As an experienced UFO Field Investigator for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO, 1974), Hall is a long-time consultant to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, 1995) and the attorney of record for the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC, 1995) and National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP, 1999). An ‘Experiencer' himself, Michael has also represented such noted Ufologists and Researchers as Grant Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Day (Ret.), Peter Davenport, Dr. Richard Haines and Dr. James Harder.

Perhaps no jurisdiction has conducted more Zoom jury trials since the start of the pandemic than King County (Seattle), Washington.  In this episode, Ben and Rahul speak with King County Superior Court Judge, Matthew Williams, about lessons he has learned managing Zoom trials, including his experience conducting jury selection. trial, witness examination, cross examination, use of exhibits, and his observations concerning the key differences between Zoom and in-person trials. About Judge WilliamsMatthew W. Williams is a Superior Court Judge for the State of Washington. Almost all of his time off the bench is devoted to Rule of Law and AntiCorruption Initiatives in pre/post conflict nations and emerging democracies around the world. He has such led initiatives in Central Asia, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and within the former Soviet Republics. He also has been invited to provide training and consultations for justice systems within those regions in culturally specific advocacy, case-management, transparency/ “open courts”, and judicial process and demeanor. Since 1985 he has served as an operational consultant and trainer in complex information gathering and analysis environments. Judge Williams teaches at the Washington State Judicial College and serves as member of Washington State Superior Court Judges Association (SCJA) Ethics and Education Committees. He serves as a trainer and presenter for the SCJA and the Washington State District and Municipal Judges Association (DMCJA) as well as the National Judicial College (NJC), and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Judge Williams serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute for the Global Understanding of the Rule of Law (IGUL), and as an Advisor to the Civil Jury Project at NYU School of Law. He is a member of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Post-Pandemic Planning Workgroup, and has provided consultation and training to judges throughout the United States on every aspect of remote/virtual operations. He was selected as 2021 Trial Judge of The Year by the Washington Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Judge Williams has taught Trial Advocacy at Seattle University School of Law (University of Puget Sound) since 1991. In 2020 he developed and conducted the first fully virtual Trial Advocacy program at Seattle University, which included both traditional in-person advocacy skills as well as the emerging skill sets associated with remote advocacy. Judge Williams has served many terms as faculty team leader for the renowned Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program at Emory School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, from 2000-2016 he served as a Director of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) Trial, Deposition, and Public Service Programs. In 2016 NITA awarded Judge Williams the Prentice Marshall Award for the Development of Innovative Teaching Methods. Judge Williams began his legal career(s) with the Attorneys General of Nebraska, Iowa, and Washington State. He handled death penalty and criminal appeals matters as well as complex commercial and tax litigation. He left State service and supervised Federal drug, weapons, and aviation enforcement. He then served as the Supervising Attorney for the City of Seattle's Major Civil Litigation unit. He left public service in 1994 and became the Managing Attorney of a mid-sized law office until 2003. From 2003 to 2010, Judge Williams served as a general manager for a national insurance carrier where he managed multiple business units across the nation while implementing best practices and data driven decision making. Along the way, he served as a Special Disciplinary (Ethics) Counsel for the Washington State Bar Association, as a member of the Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct (ELT) Task Force, and as a Trustee of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers (WDTL). In 2010 he was elected to the King County District Court. He was elected to the King County Superior Court in 2016. Judge Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Nebraska (1980), and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska School of Law (1983). He has logged thousands of hours as pilot-in-command. He holds the rank of Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and has served as a martial arts and personal defense instructor.   

Thank you for tuning in to The Startup Visa Podcast. In this episode, I am honored to speak with Shashi Vijay, Principal Attorney at VJ Law Firm, and friends Ravi Bulusu and Venkatram Reddy Ravi. Shashi founded VJ Law Firm in Fall 2010 with a simple vision: Provide fast, affordable legal services to individuals, families and small-businesses in the Seattle Eastside. She is also the founding member of Washington State Bar Association's Low Bono section and offer probono services to local non-profits through Wayfind, and serve the needs of low-income clients by volunteering at various Eastside neighborhood clinics. She also assisted homeowners in protecting their homes by volunteering at the Northwest Justice Project's and Washington State Bar Association's Home Foreclosure Legal Aid program. Shashi, Ravi, and Venkatram speak about their immigration experiences in the episode and their advocacy for immigrants in similar situations to their own. They discuss the reality of immigration backlogs and need for recapturing unused visas. Related Articles:Tahmina Watson, "Proposed New Immigration Measure Will Benefit the Economy", Above the Law, November 23, 2021. 2014 article by Tahmina Watson, "An easy fix for Obama to ease immigration backlog" advocating for visa recaptureTahmina  moderating this Niskanen Center Webinar – Stop the Incinerator: The high cost of green card slots going unused and the benefits of recapturing them discussing recapture of unused green cardsThe Startup Visa Podcast is a podcast on US immigration for startups, investors, and entrepreneurs. This podcast coincides with the launch of the 2nd Edition of my book, The Startup Visa  which is now available for order here!Check out our immigration legal services for those in the startup ecosystem by visiting us at watsonimmigrationlaw.com. It is our pleasure to serve international entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and top global talent. The Startup Visa series is produced and edited by Cambria Judd Babbitt. Be sure to follow me on my Amazon Author page, my author website www.tahminawatson.com as well as my usual blog at www.watsonimmigrationlaw.com.Find us on social media:LinkedIn - Watson Immigration Law and Tahmina WatsonTwitter - @TahminaTalksInstagram - @TahminaTalksFacebook - Watson Immigration LawFind us at watsonimmigrationlaw.com

Thank you for tuning in to Tahmina Talks Immigration. In this episode, I am honored to speak with Shashi Vijay, Principal Attorney at VJ Law Firm, and friends Ravi Bulusu and Venkatram Reddy Ravi. Shashi founded VJ Law Firm in Fall 2010 with a simple vision: Provide fast, affordable legal services to individuals, families and small-businesses in the Seattle Eastside. She is also the founding member of Washington State Bar Assoication's Low Bono section and offer probono services to local non-profits through Wayfind, and serve the needs of low-income clients by vounteering at various Eastside neighborhood clinics. She also assisted homeowners in protecting their homes by volunteering at the Northwest Justice Project's and Washington State Bar Association's Home Foreclosure Legal Aid program. Shashi, Ravi, and Venkatram speak about their immigration experiences in the episode and their advocacy for immigrants in similar situations to their own. They discuss the reality of immigration backlogs and need for recapturing unused visas. Related Articles:Tahmina Watson, "Proposed New Immigration Measure Will Benefit the Economy", Above the Law, November 23, 2021. 2014 article by Tahmina Watson, "An easy fix for Obama to ease immigration backlog" advocating for visa recaptureTahmina  moderating this Niskanen Center Webinar – Stop the Incinerator: The high cost of green card slots going unused and the benefits of recapturing them discussing recapture of unused green cardsI am excited to announce that my 2nd Edition Startup Visa book is out now and available here. The Startup Visa Series is also out with interviews from experts on the topic such as Brad Feld, Jason Wiens, Troy Vossellor, John Dearie, and many more.Find us on social media:LinkedIn - Watson Immigration Law and Tahmina WatsonTwitter - @TahminaTalksInstagram - @TahminaTalksFacebook - Watson Immigration Law

About Justin D. Farmer, Esq., CBI and Private Practice Transitions: Justin D. Farmer is the founder and President of Private Practice Transitions, leading our team in business consulting and brokerage services. Justin works directly with our clients who need strategic planning for acquisitions and succession planning. Justin is an industry leader. South Sound Business magazine named him in the 40 Under 40 Class of 2018 – an honor given to business leaders under 40 years old who impact business, philanthropy, and their communities. He is a frequent featured speaker for industry events, including the King County Bar Association, American Physical Therapy Association, Washington State Bar Association, Private Practice Special Interest Group, Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Before establishing Private Practice Transitions, Justin gained experience as a lawyer serving as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, working as a private practitioner, and as a legal recruiter. Justin has a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law. As a licensed real estate broker, Justin also carries the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation from the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). In his spare time, Justin enjoys traveling with his family, cycling, reading, listening to vinyl records, and collecting Jordan tennis shoes. Founded in 2014, Private Practice Transitions has built its reputation on the commitment of putting the needs of you, our client, first. We aim to provide exceptional, white glove customer service each and every day. While you work with us, we want you to feel like you are our only client. We understand that you may only sell a business once in your lifetime and that you have spent a lifetime building your business. Knowing that, we understand how monumental the decision to sell your business is and enjoy nothing more than helping you through this process. To us, a successful transition is of utmost importance and that success comes from your happiness. Justin and Tanya Farmer started Private Practice Transitions after Justin went through the arduous task of vetting a private practice he was interested in purchasing. Instead of transitioning into owning his own law firm, he and Tanya joined forces and talents to create Private Practice Transitions. As a lawyer, licensed real estate broker, and entrepreneur, Justin's skill-set aligns perfectly with Tanya's years of experience as a senior project manager and customer service manager, which serves as the foundation for the structure and values of our company. Since inception, Private Practice Transitions has grown and added additional team members with experience in finance, escrow, marketing, and administration in order to deliver superb results for our clients, time and time again.

Bree Black Horse (Indian name: Prized Woman) is an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. A self-described “legal warrior,” she focuses her practice on Native American affairs & litigation, and is admitted to numerous tribal courts. Bree's legal career spans a variety of roles and experiences, including working on a wide range of cases, both criminal and civil. In addition, she worked as a youth advocate and case manager for United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, where she worked with formerly homeless young adults in transitional housing. She also served as a judicial extern to Chief Judge Theresa M. Pouley in the Tulalip Tribal Court, a legal clerk in the Office of Tribal Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice, and a law clerk to the Hon. Brian M. Morris in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.Bree's work has garnered many recognitions and awards. In 2021 and the three years immediately preceding, she was recognized as a Washington “Rising Star” for Native American Law by Super Lawyers magazine. Bree was also recognized in 2022 as one of the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" for Native American Law by The Best Lawyers in America®. In addition, Bree received the Public Service & Leadership Award from the Washington Young Lawyers Committee of the Washington State Bar Association in 2019 & the “40 Under 40” Award from the National Center for American Indian Economic Development.Bree grew up steeped in Tribal traditions, culture, and art. Regularly attending powwows – and performing in them – she listened to tribal elders as they discussed the issues and concerns facing Native American communities. Realizing that many of these matters have legal aspects, she decided that she could best serve her community by becoming a lawyer. In this episode, Bree tells us how her career journey is inextricably linked to the unimaginable suffering that Native Americans have endured since the United States was formed and how her people's history forged her determination to conquer adversity, stand tall, and be counted.    From Powwow to law schoolA mother's wish comes truePower Royalty and public speakingThe Nordstrom gig that helped support a family, build leadership skills, and pave the way to law schoolThe gift of adversityServing the law-school community and leaving a markBeing the only Native American person in the room; representing a people who experienced government-led ethnocide and genocideBecoming a legal warrior for Native American rightsThe power that comes from knowing who you areImpact litigation through the ACLUThe epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous womenThe disproportionate service of Indian veteransThe opportunity inherent in being the first or the onlyThanks for listening to Sidebars! Connect with us: Read our Medicine and Molecules (MEMO) Blog Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Questions or feedback? Reach out at socialmedia@kilpatricktownsend.com Learn more about Kilpatrick Townsend **The opinions expressed are those of the attorneys and do not necessarily reflect the views of the firm or its clients. This podcast is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

The COVID pandemic has fundamentally and permanently transformed industries around the world—and the legal industry is no exception. In this episode of Matters, we'll speak to organizational leaders, educators, and practicing attorneys to hear how the practice of law has changed—and what attorneys need to do to keep pace.Specific topics highlighted in this episode include: How the COVID pandemic highlighted the mental health crisis in the legal industry How client behaviors have permanently changed as a result of the COVID pandemic How professional organizations can support law firms through the transition Listen now to learn how your law firm needs to adapt to these permanent changes.Our GuestsCharlene TheodoreMs. Theodore, the President of the Ontario Bar Association, draws on her experience as a lawyer who has practiced international human rights, labour and employment law. She started her career as a human rights lawyer, appearing before administrative tribunals and various levels of court, including Canada's Federal Court of Appeal.  She also represented the interests of Canadians of African descent before federal and provincial legislative committees, as well as United Nations human rights treaty bodies. She then focused her practice on labour and employment law, specializing in complex workplace and union challenges.  Her advocacy extends beyond the courtroom to society at large through her dedication to community service. You can follow Inti on Twitter at @CharleneYYZElise BuieElise Buie is Founder of Elise Buie Family Law Group, a family lawyer, and a Guardian ad Litem based in the Seattle area. Elise is an active member of the Washington Bar and many other bars and legal organizations. She provides her time and services through the Moderate Means program of the Washington State Bar Association, and she completed the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Boulder, Colorado. Elise and her firm focus on advocating for children's best interest in high-conflict divorce and dependency matters. You can follow her on Twitter at @elisebuieMitch JacksonJon Mitchell “Mitch” Jackson is a senior partner and founding attorney of Jackson & Wilson. He has represented clients in the Orange County, CA, area for over 30 years, and he is committed to providing the trustworthy and skilled legal representation people need during the most difficult times of their lives—after a serious accident or the loss of a loved one. He has met with considerable success in this endeavor, recovering millions on behalf of the injured, including numerous multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts. Also known as “The Streaming Lawyer,” Mitch is a legal social media expert who speaks regularly across the US and teaches other lawyers how to market themselves better. You can follow Mitch on Twitter at @mitchjacksonBill HendersonBill Henderson joined the Indiana University Maurer School of Law faculty in 2003 following a visiting appointment at Chicago-Kent College of Law and a judicial clerkship for Judge Richard Cudahy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Drawing upon more than a decade of research, Bill is a sought-after commentator on the changing legal marketplace and has accumulated numerous awards. In the last five years, he has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal, the Most Influential Person in Legal Education by National Jurist Magazine, and one of the inaugural group of “Legal Rebels” profiled by the ABA Journal. You can follow Bill on Twitter at @wihender

In the past couple of episodes, we've looked at practical ways to put yourself in your client's shoes, and to adopt a client-centered mindset. This episode, we're looking at how to put client-centered ideas into practice at your firm, and to help us, four legal experts shared their knowledge around implementing techniques that improve the experience for clients and members of the firm. Specific topics highlighted in this episode include: Why it's important to put client-centered practices in place at your firm How to build your practice around the client experience How to try new techniques, evaluate them, and make adjustments over time The value of getting feedback from clients, and using it to improve your practice This episode features Mitch Kowalski, Shreya Ley, Elise Buie, and Fernando del Canto. Listen now to hear their valuable perspectives.Our Guests:Mitch KowalskiMitch Kowalski is a lawyer, writer, keynote speaker, legal operations consultant, and author of the critically-acclaimed books The Great Legal Reformation and Avoiding Extinction: Reimagining Legal Services for the 21st Century. A College of Law Practice Management Fellow and a Fastcase 50 Innovator Award honoree, Mitch has general counsel, international law firm partner, and Board of Directors experience. As a legal consultant, he helps teams and law firms to deliver value and perform at higher levels. Mitch speaks on legal service innovation at conferences around the world and writes for a variety of publications about the challenges of legal operations. You can follow him on Twitter at @MEKowalskiShreya LeyShreya Ley is a Lawyer-Human with LayRoots. While on a surfing trip in Westport, WA, she and her partner in life and business chose to open a practice focusing on estate planning and asset protection. They have a special interest in how small business owners can protect their personal assets, continue to provide for their families in case of an emergency, and protect their intellectual property. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Shreya received her J.D. at Tulane University Law School in 2010. You can follow Shreya on Twitter at @layyourrootsElise BuieElise Buie is Founder of Elise Buie Family Law Group, a family lawyer, and a Guardian ad Litem based in the Seattle area. Elise is an active member of the Washington Bar and many other bars and legal organizations. She provides her time and services through the Moderate Means program of the Washington State Bar Association, and she completed the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Boulder, Colorado. Elise and her firm focus on advocating for children's best interest in high-conflict divorce and dependency matters. You can follow her on Twitter at @elisebuieLeón Fernando del CantoLeón Fernando Del Canto leads Del Canto Chambers' International Tax & Legal team. In 2006 he became the first Spanish citizen to hold a double qualification as a barrister in England and Spanish Abogado and he joined The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London. He is a member of the Worshipful Association of Tax Advisers in the City of London, and a liveryman of the City of London. Fernando has represented clients in Madrid, New York, London, Doha, and Hong Kong. He advocates for private clients and their families as well as for companies with international operations. You can follow Fernando on Twitter at @LeonFDelCanto

There may be no more critical issue facing the legal profession than reregulation of legal services. Amid an escalating crisis in access to justice, proponents of regulatory reform argue that the only way to meaningfully address the crisis is to loosen restrictions on non-lawyers investing in and providing legal services.  So critical is the issue that GPSolo, the magazine of the American Bar Association's Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, has devoted its most recent issue to the topic, assembling a roster of contributors who are among the nation's leading experts on regulatory reform.  In this special LawNext episode in conjunction with GPSolo, five of those contributors come together to share and discuss their views on reregulation: Zachariah DeMeola, director of legal education and the legal profession at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Joseph Gartner, director and counsel, ABA Center for Innovation. Judy Perry Martinez, past president of the ABA and former chair of the ABA's Presidential Commission on the Future of Legal Services, whose 2016 Report on the Future of Legal Services influenced many of the reform initiatives now underway.  Patrick Palace, the past president of the Washington State Bar Association and current member of the executive council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the board of the ABA Center for Innovation, who served as editor of the GPSolo issue.  Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer of the Arizona Supreme Court, who chaired the Arizona Supreme Court's Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services, which recommended rules ultimately adopted by the court that created a new tier of legal services provider and eliminated the ban on non-lawyer ownership.   Note: For previous LawNext episodes featuring some of these panelists, see: Supreme Court Justice Ann Timmer on Arizona's Sweeping Regulatory Reforms (2021). Incoming ABA President Judy Perry Martinez (July 29, 2019).  LawNext Episode 34: Alternative Legal Models – A Panel Discussion (with Patrick Palace and others)(April 9, 2019). Thank You To Our Sponsors This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out.

Megan McNally is a business lawyer, angel investor, and strategic advisor to purpose driven people and organizations. She has spent more than two decades as an organizational leader, consultant, educator, and public speaker, including executive roles with the NPower Network, Washington State Bar Association & Foundation, and Pacific Science Center. In 2017, Megan founded DianaSportsTV, a streaming service dedicated to women's sports that failed resoundingly, and The FBomb Breakfast Club - a thriving peer support community of nearly 4,000 female founders and women business owners that was a finalist for Geekwire's 2018 Newcomer Award. She was named one of the Most Influential People of 2018 by Seattle Magazine and was awarded the Female Founders Alliance inaugural Champion Advocate Award. Today Megan leads Doyenne Strategy, a consulting firm with offices in Seattle and New York and clients around the globe; and serves as a Legal Officer with Foundry Law Group. She is an active board member, advisor, and investor; has been featured in Geekwire, the Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Lawyer; is a two-time winner of The Moth Storytelling competition; and frequently speaks on community, leadership, and failure. Find Megan here: twitter.com/memcnally twitter.com/FBombBClub ----- About Erin Female-identifying and want to be a guest? Book here! https://WearHappyConsult.as.me/conversationsaboutclosets Erin Keam is a stylist like no other, thanks to her unique The Happy Wardrobe Method. This Method, which provides instant insights and lasting results explores beloved possessions in your home to find personal themes and create a one-of-a-kind Style Statement, transforming your wardrobe and positively impacting your closet, business, career and life. Oh, and she teaches you to look great, get dressed easily and with confidence. Discover your style brand and get to your ideal closet (& life) faster! https://www.erinkeam.com/ Click to book a FREE Wear Happy Consult (she's on PST time) https://WearHappyConsult.as.me/FREE Or to talk about how you look on camera https://WearHappyConsult.as.me/ZoomReady Or to sign up for her FREE Zoom-Ready workshops https://www.thehappywardrobe.com/zoom-ready --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/erin-keam/support

MICHAEL W. HALL, J.D., “The Paranormal Lawyer,” is an attorney, Doctor of Jurisprudence and former Superior Court Judge Pro Tem. Certified Mediator, and the founding partner of The Hall Law Firm, P.S. Michael received his Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in 1976 from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University (in Broadcast-Journalism) and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (in just two years) from Southwestern Law School (in Los Angeles in 1987). He has taught legal seminars and conflict management courses for the Washington State Bar Association and The Boeing Management Association, and currently maintains a general legal and estate-planning practice in Seattle, Washington, where he also finds time to serve as pro bono legal counsel for various local and national non-profit organizations. As an experienced UFO Field Investigator for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO, 1974), Hall is a long-time consultant to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, 1995) and the attorney of record for the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC, 1995) and National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP, 1999). An ‘Experiencer' himself, Michael has also represented such noted Ufologists and Researchers as Grant Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Day (Ret.), Peter Davenport, Dr. Richard Haines and Dr. James Harder. For Your Listening Pleasure all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network with our compliments, visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv. Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other! That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com

MICHAEL W. HALL, J.D., “The Paranormal Lawyer,” is an attorney, Doctor of Jurisprudence and former Superior Court Judge Pro Tem. Certified Mediator, and the founding partner of The Hall Law Firm, P.S. Michael received his Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in 1976 from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University (in Broadcast-Journalism) and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (in just two years) from Southwestern Law School (in Los Angeles in 1987). He has taught legal seminars and conflict management courses for the Washington State Bar Association and The Boeing Management Association, and currently maintains a general legal and estate-planning practice in Seattle, Washington, where he also finds time to serve as pro bono legal counsel for various local and national non-profit organizations.As an experienced UFO Field Investigator for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO, 1974), Hall is a long-time consultant to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, 1995) and the attorney of record for the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC, 1995) and National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP, 1999). An ‘Experiencer' himself, Michael has also represented such noted Ufologists and Researchers as Grant Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Day (Ret.), Peter Davenport, Dr. Richard Haines and Dr. James Harder.For Your Listening Pleasure all the radio shows available on The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network with our compliments, visit - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv.Our radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; America's Soul Doctor with Ken Unger; Back in Control Radio Show with Dr. David Hanscom, MD; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Imagine More Success Radio Show with Syndee Hendricks and Thomas Hydes; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; Two Good To Be True with Justina Marsh and Peter Marsh; and many other!That's The ‘X' Zone Broadcast Network Shows and Archives - https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com

What you’ll learn in this episode: How to overcome and find opportunities during difficult times to grow your firm and keep your team calm. Why getting your head around doom and gloom is important when developing a game plan to get your firm through hard times. Why focusing on one’s “zone of genius” can help strengthen your team. Why it is so important to invest in yourself. How to uncover one’s emotional intelligence. About Elise Buie: Elise Buie is the founder and head of Elise Buie Family Law. Her practice involves all aspects of family law: preparation of postnuptial and separation agreements, parenting plans, child support, simple and complex financial cases, relocation, and blended families. Elise has a deep understanding of complex parenting issues which clients may face when divorcing. Elise is an active member of the Washington State Bar Association. She is also a member of the King County Bar Association (Family Law Section, Collaborative Law Section), Snohomish County Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, (Family Law Section, CLE Committee), Washington Women Lawyers, National Association of Women Lawyers, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (2019 President, Washington Chapter) and the American Bar Association (Family Law Section and GP Solo Division, Family Law Committee, Juvenile Law Committee, Commission on Women in the Profession). She provides her time and services through the Moderate Means program of the Washington State Bar Association. Elise completed the ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in Boulder, Colorado. While practicing in Minnesota, Elise was Treasurer of the Children and the Law Committee of the Family Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Additional resources: Elise’s LinkedIn Firm's LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Episode Transcript

Supporters of broad reforms to how the legal profession is regulated must do a better job drawing the public into ongoing conversations in several states about such issues, says Paula Littlewood, the former longtime executive director of the Washington State Bar Association. "We need to break outside what I call the echo chamber of the profession and really start bringing the consumer and the public to the table to understand what changes could really enhance their ability to access legal services," Littlewood tells the ABA Journal's Lyle Moran in this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast. "If you talk to a family member, you talk to a taxi driver and you explain the concept of a limited license legal technician, I can guarantee you that nine times out of 10 the answer is, 'Well, that totally makes sense.'" Special thanks to our sponsor Alert Communications.

Supporters of broad reforms to how the legal profession is regulated must do a better job drawing the public into ongoing conversations in several states about such issues, says Paula Littlewood, the former longtime executive director of the Washington State Bar Association. "We need to break outside what I call the echo chamber of the profession and really start bringing the consumer and the public to the table to understand what changes could really enhance their ability to access legal services," Littlewood tells the ABA Journal's Lyle Moran in this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast. "If you talk to a family member, you talk to a taxi driver and you explain the concept of a limited license legal technician, I can guarantee you that nine times out of 10 the answer is, 'Well, that totally makes sense.'" Special thanks to our sponsor Alert Communications.

Supporters of broad reforms to how the legal profession is regulated must do a better job drawing the public into ongoing conversations in several states about such issues, says Paula Littlewood, the former longtime executive director of the Washington State Bar Association. "We need to break outside what I call the echo chamber of the profession and really start bringing the consumer and the public to the table to understand what changes could really enhance their ability to access legal services," Littlewood tells the ABA Journal's Lyle Moran in this episode of the Legal Rebels Podcast. "If you talk to a family member, you talk to a taxi driver and you explain the concept of a limited license legal technician, I can guarantee you that nine times out of 10 the answer is, 'Well, that totally makes sense.'" Special thanks to our sponsor Alert Communications.

Ten years ago, Breean Beggs was an outsider waging a battle to make the Spokane Police Department more transparent and accountable when he got a letter from a city attorney. At the time, Beggs, a lawyer, represented the family of Otto Zehm, who was killed by police in 2006 , and city council members were sounding him out about the creation of an independent police watchdog position housed in City Hall. The letter came five days before the council would vote on an ordinance creating just such a police ombudsman, and was written by Rocky Treppiedi, who said he’d heard that Beggs had spoken to elected officials “without my knowledge or my permission.” Treppiedi warned Beggs to “cease immediately any and all contact with the City’s representatives, including elected officials … [or] I will have little choice but to forward this matter to the Washington State Bar Association as a formal complaint.” Beggs took the matter seriously. After all, Treppiedi had defended the Spokane Police

It was such a pleasure to chat with Rajeev Majumdar, current president of the Washington State Bar Association and the first state bar president of South Asian descent in all of the United States. We went deep in this conversation on his initial pitfalls starting out as a lawyer and his journey through anxiety and depression and how he was to pick himself back up. This one is a gem for the ages.

MICHAEL W. HALL, J.D., “The Paranormal Lawyer,” is an attorney, Doctor of Jurisprudence and former Superior Court Judge Pro Tem. Certified Mediator, and the founding partner of The Hall Law Firm, P.S. Michael received his Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in 1976 from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University (in Broadcast-Journalism) and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (in just two years) from Southwestern Law School (in Los Angeles in 1987). He has taught legal seminars and conflict management courses for the Washington State Bar Association and The Boeing Management Association, and currently maintains a general legal and estate-planning practice in Seattle, Washington, where he also finds time to serve as pro bono legal counsel for various local and national non-profit organizations.As an experienced UFO Field Investigator for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO, 1974), Hall is a long-time consultant to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, 1995) and the attorney of record for the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC, 1995) and National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP, 1999). An ‘Experiencer’ himself, Michael has also represented such noted Ufologists and Researchers as Grant Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Day (Ret.), Peter Davenport, Dr. Richard Haines and Dr. James Harder.

MICHAEL W. HALL, J.D., “The Paranormal Lawyer,” is an attorney, Doctor of Jurisprudence and former Superior Court Judge Pro Tem. Certified Mediator, and the founding partner of The Hall Law Firm, P.S. Michael received his Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in 1976 from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University (in Broadcast-Journalism) and his Doctor of Jurisprudence (in just two years) from Southwestern Law School (in Los Angeles in 1987). He has taught legal seminars and conflict management courses for the Washington State Bar Association and The Boeing Management Association, and currently maintains a general legal and estate-planning practice in Seattle, Washington, where he also finds time to serve as pro bono legal counsel for various local and national non-profit organizations.As an experienced UFO Field Investigator for the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO, 1974), Hall is a long-time consultant to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON, 1995) and the attorney of record for the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC, 1995) and National Aviation Reporting Center on Anomalous Phenomena (NARCAP, 1999). An ‘Experiencer’ himself, Michael has also represented such noted Ufologists and Researchers as Grant Cameron, Chief Petty Officer Kevin Day (Ret.), Peter Davenport, Dr. Richard Haines and Dr. James Harder.

Alec Stephens Jr. is a Seattle based Civil Rights Attorney, currently on the Board Of Governors for the Washington State Bar Association. https://www.wsba.org/about-wsba/who-we-are/board-of-governors/governor-bios He's also my Dad.

Do international institutions free us from our colonialist history, or do they perpetuate it? This episode takes a critical look at international legal institutions through the lens of Third World Approaches to International Law, a legal movement explained by Thamil Ananthavinayagan, professor of international law at Griffith College in Dublin. Then, University of Hawaii futurist and political scientist Jairus Grove discusses the history of global violence and his new book Savage Ecology: War and Geopolitics at the End of the World. This series is produced in cooperation with the Common Good Foundation, and sponsored by the World Peace Through Law section of the Washington State Bar Association.

On today's episode, John talks Holland McBurns of Evergreen Elder Law about how they help seniors, veteran's and their surviving spouses for long-term care without going broke. Holland and her collegues emphasize protecting assets of their clients while qualifying for Medicaid or Veteran's benefits. She also shared their goal to help seniors put a flexible, thoughtful plan in place that protects as much of their estate as possible. They always knew that seniors worked hard to build up their estate and understand how hard it is to just let it go to pay for long-term care. Evergreen Elder Law's team is dedicated to these particular issues affecting seniors and senior veteran's. Attorney Holland McBurns began her career in law to give back to her community and help those in need. She grew up in Spokane, earned a BA, Cum Laude, in Women's Issues from the University of Washington, and a Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude, from Gonzaga School of Law. With her husband, she is now raising three girls in Spokane, along with their two dogs, and three chickens. Holland opened her firm in 2000 with the goal of providing clients exceptional services using a holistic and team centered approach. She and the staff at Evergreen Elder Law provide pre-planning and crisis planning for Medicaid and long-term care, special needs planning, estate planning, estate administration, and guardianships. To give back to her community and help people better understand their options, she has authored a book on elder law and estate planning in Washington State. She plans to disseminate them free to the elderly community in the hopes that they will help people as they consider their long-term care and estate planning goals. Holland has earned many awards for her exceptional work in the Spokane area including the 2017 Top Lawyers featured in Spokane Coeur d' Alene Living, the 2016-2017 10 Best Attorneys by American Institute of Legal Counsel, the 2016 Client Satisfaction Award from The American Institute of Legal Counsel, and the 2004, VLP award for legal representation of indigent clients. She is certified with the Veterans Administration to practice in issues affecting senior veterans, and is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Spokane County Bar Association, the National Association for Elder Law Attorneys, the Washington Association for Elder Law Attorneys, the Elder Counsel, and the National Business Institute. Learn more about Ever Green Elder Law here, https://evergreenelderlaw.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's Next Washington's Host, Sue Mason, interviews Angeline Thomas. Angeline began her legal career as non-partisan Session Counsel for Washington State’s Senate Committee Services where she served on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee. Eager to put public policy into action, Angeline joined the Access to Justice Institute at her alma mater, Seattle University School of Law, where she developed and managed the Foreclosure Mediation and Outreach Project—a pro bono program for law students focused on foreclosure prevention education, outreach, and legal assistance. She became a regional expert on Washington State’s newly implemented Foreclosure Mediation Program, where she trained more than 100 law students, started an advice and referral legal clinic in Tacoma, founded the Pierce County Foreclosure Prevention Roundtable, consulted with city government and state agencies on outreach efforts, oversaw the production of a widely praised YouTube video about the law, and implemented two robust door-to-door canvassing campaigns to reach homeowners. Angeline graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2011. She is currently a member of the Pro Bono and Public Service Committee of the Washington State Bar Association and has served as a volunteer with the Housing Justice Project. Angeline Thomas joined Washington Appleseed as the Executive Director in May of 2016. Washington Appleseed Website Produced and edited by ZipBangWow! Productions - Jonnie Wilder http://zipbangwow.com/ Song credit Marker Beacon. Song “Free".   Marker Beacon Website    

Since the late 1990s, Joyce Raby has spent a career bringing technology to legal aid. While a booster and believer in technology’s potential to improve America’s legal system, her experience is tempering. “We’ve been saying for a very long time that technology was going to be the saving grace for the justice ecosystem,” she says. “I don’t think it is.” Having worked with the Legal Services Corp. and the Washington State Bar Association, she continues her legal technology trajectory as executive director of the Florida Justice Technology Center.

Since the late 1990s, Joyce Raby has spent a career bringing technology to legal aid. While a booster and believer in technology’s potential to improve America’s legal system, her experience is tempering. “We’ve been saying for a very long time that technology was going to be the saving grace for the justice ecosystem,” she says. “I don’t think it is.” Having worked with the Legal Services Corp. and the Washington State Bar Association, she continues her legal technology trajectory as executive director of the Florida Justice Technology Center.

Today on Hempresent our host Vivian McPeak is joined by Danica Noble, the Coordinator for the NORML Women of Washington. She is Chair of the Antitrust, Consumer Protection, and Unfair Business Practices Section of the Washington State Bar Association. Ms. Noble graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and clerked in the US Virgin Islands. NORML Women of Washington is a women’s group dedicated to education and outreach on marijuana in the State of Washington. We also promote the NORMLization of marijuana by challenging the myths and stereotypes associated with its use, users, and supporters. We will fight to ensure that justice stays at the forefront as this movement becomes an industry. We are a collaborative group with many diverse backgrounds and interests.

  ALPS Executive Vice President, Chris Newbold, recently sat down with Doug Ende, the Chief Disciplinary Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association in the Bar's Seattle offices. Doug was able to shed some light on mandatory malpractice insurance from a disciplinary perspective and how coverage not only protects attorneys but ultimately is a protection for the public as they engage legal services. ALPS In Brief, The ALPS Risk Management Podcast, is usually hosted by ALPS Risk Manager, Mark Bassingthwaighte. This episode is hosted by Chris Newbold, ALPS Executive Vice President. Transcript: CHRIS: Hello, and welcome to ALPS in Brief. This is Chris Newbold, executive vice president of ALPS, and today I sit in downtown Seattle in the offices of the Washington State Bar Association with Doug Ende, who's the chief disciplinary counsel of the Washington State Bar Association. And we're going to talk about an issue that is kind of growing I popularity, dare I say a trend, perhaps, in the legal world, which is bar associations and regulators thinking about their role with respect to protecting the public and whether they should require mandatory malpractice as a condition of licensure to be an attorney. So Doug has been working on this issue, and so Doug, maybe you could start off by just introducing yourself and your role, how long you've been with the Washington State Bar and what you generally do both with respect to this issue and other responsibilities. DOUG: Sure. Thanks, Chris. I am, as Chris mentioned, the chief disciplinary counsel at the Washington State Bar Association, so my typical portfolio of work is as director of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and that is the component of the bar that receives grievances or complaints against lawyers alleging ethical misconduct, investigates those complaints and prosecutes allegations of violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. So that's my typical day-to-day work. I should say that in my capacity as staff support or staff counsel to the Mandatory Malpractice Insurance Task Force, that's not because there's a disciplinary dimension to mandatory malpractice insurance, and it's not the intent and it won't be the outcome that it's a disciplinary initiative. It's a general regulatory initiative. CHRIS: Sure. And what do you think was the catalyst to get the discussion going in Washington? I mean, obviously there's lots of different kind of things going on in terms of some other states looking at this particular subject, but as it relates to Washington, why do you think now the discussion's happening here? DOUG: I would say that there are a number of reasons or catalysts that generated a discussion starting in 2016. One of those catalysts was the existence in Washington State of two other license types: limited practice officers and limited license legal technicians, or LLTs, both of which by rule are required as a matter of licensure to carry malpractice insurance, or otherwise in some cases, to establish proof of financial responsibility. And the gap or the dissonance between one license type being require to have insurance, professional liability insurance, and another license type, the lawyer license type, not having that requirement, began to be questioned. Simultaneously, there were some members of the Washington State Bar Association that began to inquire of the Board of Governors, "Is this an issue that needs to be revisited in the state of Washington?" And as that exploration happened, the Board of Governors did authorize a work route to start to look into the issue. In 2016, Idaho, seemingly out of nowhere, came on board as requiring mandatory malpractice insurance, becoming, as you know, the second state in the United States to do so. So I would say those three factors coalesced and became the impetus for further investigation. CHRIS: Yeah. And Washington's obviously what I would consider a large state from a lawyer population size. Talk to us about just kind of the numbers of lawyers that you have in Washington. To the extent that you know, how many are in private practice, to the extent that you know, to what extent there might be a problem in terms of lawyers being uninsured in the Washington legal market in terms of those providing service to clients? What do the numbers tell you? DOUG: So the membership of the bar in Washington is relatively large for a west coast state. Setting aside California, which is in another league, Washington I think has the largest population of lawyers in the western states. We have approximately 40,000 members, approximately 32,000 actively licensed lawyers. Unfortunately, I don't have at my fingertips the breakdown between private practitioners and other practitioners, but there are a great many private practitioners, lawyers, in Washington State. And we do have the advantage in Washington State of having some information about private practitioners who are insured or not insured, because we do have an insurance disclosure rule. The insurance disclosure rule, which is in our Admission and Practice Rules, is based on the model ABA as a model insurance disclosure rule. And essentially what it requires is as part of annual licensing, lawyers inform the Bar Association whether they're in private practice, and if so, whether they are carrying professional liability insurance, malpractice insurance. We've had that rule and we've been collecting that data for about 10 years now, so we have a reliable and fairly deep data source for that information. And at least in recent years, past three-plus years, what that data shows is that of lawyers in private practice, about 85% are reporting that they carry insurance and 15% are reporting that they do not. CHRIS: Okay. And what does your gut tell you about that fact? I mean, you obviously work for an organization that has a mission, a component of your mission that's protecting the public, right? And with 15% of your lawyers in private practice going uninsured, what do you think about that? DOUG: Yeah, absolutely. Part of the Bar Association's mission is both to serve its members and to serve the public, and certainly a key component of the regulatory mission is to protect the public and make sure legal services are being delivered in the public interest. From a disciplinary perspective, we do from time to time see the tragic stories where lawyers have made a mistake, there's been an act of negligence, if you will, the client has been harmed, maybe lost their ability to protect a legal right or lost a remedy of some sort, and in the absence of malpractice insurance or other means of, say, satisfying a judgment or making the client whole, most of those individuals have no legal remedy. And from a regulatory and public protection standpoint, that seems like a failure of the mission. CHRIS: Yeah. One of the things I think is very interesting about the issue is there are very clear and stark excellent arguments on both sides of the ledger on this particular issue. If you look at Idaho, for instance, when they put this to a vote of their membership, 51/49, right? It was kind of right on the cusp. And obviously, it went in the favor of yes and went to the Supreme Court and got passed. I wonder if you could just kind of briefly lay out for us kind of what you see as what's the argument for, what's the argument against? Because I do think that the arguments are kind of rock solid on both sides, and most people come at it with kind of a definitive sense of, "This is what I think." DOUG: Right. There are interesting and important arguments on both sides of the issue. And I should say preliminarily that when the Board of Governors, the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, authorized this and convened this task force, the issues on both sides were paramount in the minds of the board members. And they made it very clear in the charter of the task force, that job one, literally purpose number one, is to solicit and collect input from Washington State Bar Association members about the issue of mandatory malpractice insurance, so that is an element of what the task force is doing. The arguments, on the one side, it is fundamentally a public protection argument, that in the absence of insurance, lawyers who are practicing and delivering legal services are putting clients, putting consumers, putting the public, at risk should a circumstance arise where someone is harmed and there isn't a realistic remedy to address that harm. There's also perhaps, I'm sure you're familiar with, a risk management component, that it's in the best interest of the members to have that protection. And we see that in other context. Not everyone necessarily likes or wants automobile insurance, and yet as a policy, our government has decided that that needs to happen for the protection of others and for the protection of ourselves. And I think some of the arguments here are similar. CHRIS: Yeah, particularly as a self-regulating profession, right? I mean, if we're not regulating ourselves, then we, I think, open ourselves up to other branches of government thinking that they need to regulate us. And so there is kind of some notion of if we're not leading ourselves in this protection movement, then we're probably leaving ourselves vulnerable to others kind of infringing in that space. DOUG: Absolutely, to the extent we are self-regulating. And of course, we're ultimately judicially regulated, as the Supreme Court has plenary authority to regulate the practice of law and delegate some of it to the Bar Association. I think it's obligatory on a somewhat self-regulated profession to not act only in its own interest, but also to act in the public interest. On the other side of the equation, there are important arguments, multiple arguments, and we've seen some of them already come through to the task force, that there's a cost issue. It's going to add yet another cost of doing business to this regulated industry, and I think it's fair to say that no one likes the idea intrinsically of adding more cost to the cost of doing business. Related to that argument, there are those who argue because of the nature of their practice, the cost is prohibitive, because as you well know, not every practice area presents the same risk, and therefore, insures at the same cost. Some arguments relate to where particular lawyers are in the continuum of practice. So for example, lawyers at the tail end of practice thinking about winding things down or in the midst of winding things down I think are concerned that given the level or magnitude of the practice, which is perhaps diminished, the cost of obtaining malpractice insurance would outweigh the value of continuing to maintain an active license. So they suggest that for retired or nearing retirement practitioners, this may drive them out of practice for new lawyers just coming in to the profession, perhaps carrying a substantial debt load from law school and perhaps even larger than just law school. Again, there's a cost concern. And then finally, and I'm not necessarily naming every conceivable objection to mandatory malpractice insurance, but some point to an issue of uninsurability. I don't know of the extent to that's true. You probably know more about insurability versus uninsurability than I, but I think some members are concerned that if there are truly uninsurable risks that those individuals are going to be forced out of practice because they just can't obtain obligatory insurance. CHRIS: Sure, sure. So where are you at now in your process? Obviously the task force is being convened. As you think about the next 12 to 18 months, where do you see that process going, and then ultimately, what steps does the task force envision kind of taking in terms of recommendations and so forth? DOUG: We are still in the fairly early stages of our process. The board launched the task force by adopting its charter in September of 2017. The task force was convened and had its first meeting last month. We are in February of 2018. The task force is about to begin its second meeting. So we are really still at the headwaters, the information-gathering stage. So the Board of Governors through its charter asked for a report and recommendation from the task force in January of 2019. So they gave the task force about a year to do the work, determine what its recommendation would be, and prepare its report back to the Board of Governors. So what we expect is at some point the task force will make a recommendation. I wouldn't be surprised if it evaluated more than one possible solution to the issue, malpractice versus other initiatives that might service the same or a similar public protection purpose. And we'll solicit and gather input from the WSBA membership when those recommendations start to solidify, and then based on all of that information, we'll report back to the board, we fully expect, in January 2019. CHRIS: Okay. Well, good. Doug, any other kind of closing comments or remarks or kind of perspectives that you'd like to share with our audience? DOUG: Should any WSBA members find themselves interested in the issue, or even others find themselves interested in the issue, and care to share their perspective with the task force, with the Board of Governors, now would be a good time. There is a web page on the WSBA website devoted to the activities of the task force, so it's easily accessible and it's easy to provide feedback through electronic means, and we are be eager to hear from the membership, to hear from the public, to hear from others, about these ideas. CHRIS: Great. Well, thank you, Doug. I mean, this is an interesting subject, obviously one that we're kind of keeping a close eye on as the endorsed malpractice carrier for the Washington State Bar Association. And I think the carriers are obviously thinking about the affordability issue and whether even some insurance at a good or a basic level is better than no insurance, and particularly your solo practitioner community is a community that we're particularly sensitive to as we think ahead to the future of the market. DOUG: Sure. CHRIS: Well, good. I appreciate the time, Doug. And if you have any other thoughts or questions about this subject, feel free to contact me, Chris Newbold at ALPS, cnewbold@alpsnet.com, and we thank you for listening. DOUG: Thanks, Chris.

Recorded from the Washington State Bar Association offices in Seattle, ALPS Executive Vice President, Chris Newbold, sits down with WSBA Executive Director, Paula Littlewood to discuss Washington's pioneering efforts in improving access to justice through the Limited Legal License Technician (LLLT) licensure. Today there are 80-90% of people with civil legal problems, particularly people in a lower income bracket, who don't or are unable to receive help from a lawyer. Hear about where the program is today, its foundational principles and why it is being closely watched nationally as a forward-thinking solution by access to justice advocates as the first independent paraprofessional license in the legal profession in the United States. ALPS In Brief, The ALPS Risk Management Podcast, is usually hosted by ALPS Risk Manager, Mark Bassingthwaighte. This episode is hosted by Chris Newbold, ALPS Executive Vice President.   Transcript: CHRIS: Okay. Welcome. Thanks for joining us for another episode of ALPS in Brief. My name is Chris Newbold. I am Executive Vice President of ALPS. Today I'm sitting in downtown Seattle in the offices of the Washington State Bar Association with a colleague and a friend, Paula Littlewood, who's the Executive Director of the Washington State Bar Association. I want to talk about a subject that is trending nationally, which is thinking about how we battle access to justice issues and one of the innovative programs that the Washington State Bar is involved with, which is the triple L.T. program, the Limited Legal License Technician. Before we start, Paula, if you could introduce yourself, your role, and what the Washington State Bar does. PAULA: I am Paula Littlewood, Executive Director of the Washington State Bar Association. I've been here about 15 years. The Washington State Bar is what's known as an integrative bar, so we are the regulatory agency operating under delegated authority from the Washington Supreme Court to regulate all licensed legal professionals in the State of Washington.  We are also the professional association supporting our members as they do their work and serve the public. CHRIS: Okay. One of the issues that we're really focusing on today is the issue of access to justice. We know that 80 to 90% of folks with civil legal problems in the United States, particularly those of low income, never receive help from a lawyer. I know that one of the things that you've been trying to do, as part of your job here in Washington, is to think about that challenge and to come up with solutions. One of the ways that you've done that is a program that, if you go out to the National Bar Association regional bar gatherings, it's hard not to hear about this particular subject that you all are at the forefront of. Talk about what the triple L.T. program is and why it's unique and why it's different when you think about the context of alternative legal services. PAULA: Probably the first thing I'd say is it's not a program. It's a license. What we are doing in Washington State is licensing the first independent paraprofessional in the legal profession in the United States. In many states you might be familiar with a nurse practitioner in the medical field. Nurse practitioners in many states, in our state, are licensed to work independently of the doctor to give medical advice up to a certain point. When they reach the edge of their license, and the scope of their responsibility that they're licensed to do, they refer the patient on to the doctor.  Triple L.T. is the exact same concept in the legal field. A triple L.T. is licensed. They have a limited license, hence the name limited license legal technician, to work independently. If they choose, open their own practice separate from a lawyer, to provide legal advice in certain practice areas. The Supreme Court rule that creates this license is designed to be applied in various practice areas. The first practice area that the triple L.T.s are licensed in in Washington State is family law. One of the things that the Supreme Court's triple L.T. board is exploring now is what the next practice area will be. It's envisioned that some triple L.T.s may want to get licensed in multiple areas or there may be people that aren't interested in family law but, if a different practice area comes on line, they may choose to become a triple L.T. in that practice area. I think it's important to distinguish the triple L.T. from other alternative service providers that we all are familiar with nationwide. We have document preparers. We have courthouse facilitators. We have the New York navigators who are all critical in helping service the public. The different with the triple L.T. is they are licensed to give legal advice just like Chris and I are as lawyers. We actually don't consider triple L.T.s non-lawyers because they have a license to practice law from the State Supreme Court just like I do. It's just that they have a limited license and can only provide services up to a certain amount, and then by court rule are required to refer the client on to a lawyer. CHRIS: Okay. What was the catalyst for the program? Who provided the thought leadership in coming up with the concept? PAULA: It's a two-track approach that it came in on. There was a Supreme Court board. The Washington Supreme Court had a board known as the Practice Law Board.  They were looking at unauthorized practice law and how can we deal with the unauthorized practice law? That was one track that brought us the triple L.T. They were trying to figure out how do you provide to the consumer qualified and regulated legal service providers? At the same time, our Washington Supreme Court had commissioned a civil legal needs study, which quantified the unmet need. Chris referenced this at the beginning of our talk, the unmet need in our country. The civil legal needs study, we knew we had a lot of unmet needs, but it gave us an actual quantification that 80 to 85% of low and moderate-income folks were going without the representation that they needed in critical civil matters. Between those two things, the need to get more qualified and regulated providers into the marketplace, and the staggering unmet need, the Practice Law Board worked for about eight years and recommended to the Washington Supreme Court the creation of this limited license legal technician license. The court adopted the rule in 2012, and we were off to the races. CHRIS: Okay. When was the first class of those applying for licensure? PAULA: It was about two years later. When the court created the license, they also created the Limited License Legal Technician Board.  The Supreme Court needed a board that would figure out how the license would run. As the court's regulatory agency, we staff and fund that board. We work together because we're the regulator and they're the Supreme Court's board setting all the policy. It took two years. If you think about what the triple L.T. board was doing, they were creating a new profession out of whole cloth. When you hear the chair of the triple L.T. board talk about it, he'll say, "It wasn't like we could go to California or New York and pull their rule off the shelf and say okay let's modify it to fit in Washington." They had to define the scope of family law and what these folks would be allowed to do. We had to design a curriculum to train them. We had to design a bar exam. We were creating a whole profession. It took about two years until we actually had candidates in the process being trained. We're about 2012 to 2018, we're about six years in. Right now we have 27 who are licensed. We have another 60 or so that are completing education and admission requirements. Then we probably have a couple hundred coming up through the community colleges. The education happens at two levels. There's what we call a core education at the community college level. Once they complete that, then they can move on to the practice area education, which is offered through the University of Washington Law School. We've had people say to us, "That's all you have?" We're saying, "Well, we started from ground zero." I think, once it starts picking up momentum, we'll ... CHRIS: Yeah. One of the things that we found very interesting about the class of folks that you are licensing is just that you require them to have malpractice insurance. ALPS, as the endorsed carrier of the Washington State Bar, actually found it to be a very appealing risk group because of the extensiveness of the educational requirements that you place upon these folks who aren't going to law school but, I would venture to say, are actually more qualified and trained coming out of their program than most folks coming out of law school. I wanted you to just comment on just the extensiveness of the training that your triple L.T.s have to engage in to earn this distinction. PAULA: One of the University of Washington law professors said the exact same thing. When we came to the end of developing the family law practice area curriculum, he said, "These folks are going to be better trained in family law than our JDs coming out."  I went to law school and never took family law. I could have started practicing family law the day I received my license. The family law training is 15 credits. Five credits are just basic family law, probably what a lot of us, if I had, would have taken them in school. The next 10 credits drill down very deeply into the actual scope. One of the most important things ... This is where I, as chief regulatory counsel and chief disciplinary counsel, was probably most involved was in this training aspect. We wanted to make sure these folks understood the scope of their authority. Most importantly, when they've come to the edge of it and gone beyond it. Actually, when we first took the curriculum to the triple L.T. board, the triple L.T. board said, "Wait a minute. You're training them to do things they can't do." We said, "Yeah. We have to expose them to things that they can't do so they understand when they've crossed the line." Each class is twin taught by a law professor and a practitioner. When I think back to my own law school experience, if somebody would have been giving me the doctrine and, at the same time, saying, "Here's what it's going to look like on the ground." It would have been really helpful. Gonzaga is also helping teach the classes. I would be remiss to not thank ALPS for stepping in. As Chris mentioned, we do require malpractice insurance for the triple L.Ts. We do not yet in Washington require that for lawyers. We had talked to a couple of insurance carriers. They said exactly what Chris said. "Huh. These guys are less risk, better trained, narrower scope." Whereas, lawyers can ... CHRIS: Go everywhere. PAULA: Go everywhere.  We thank ALPS hugely for stepping in and believing in the license and believing in the caliber of providers we're turning out. CHRIS: As you think about the future, what do you think is the outlook for the program and for the ... PAULA: For the license. CHRIS: For the license. I do think it's one of those that's very unique nationally. A lot of people are keeping their eyes on it. Talk about just what your outlook is for the license here in Washington, and what you see down the road in terms of the many speaking engagements you've done nationally in terms of thinking about where other states may go on this issue? PAULA: There's a number of states that are looking at it. Utah is probably the closest. Their rule is drafted. I think they're working on development of their exam. I think they're calling them limited license practitioner ... I can't remember. It's a little bit different name. Oregon has had two task forces recommend that they do it. We'll just wait and see when they get to putting rubber to the road. New Mexico is looking at it. California jumped in the water right behind us. They were moving pretty quickly, but I think they've got other issues they're dealing with right now. Minnesota was looking at it. Florida. I'm trying to think. Montana looked at it. I'll tell you where I've been traveling a lot is Canada. We've probably been to four or five provinces now that are quite interested in a number of their provinces. I think in particular, states where there's a lot of rural population. We all know it's getting more and more difficult to recruit lawyers into the rural areas. I think there's a lot of states and some of these provinces that are seeing that the triple L.T. might be an option to serve rural areas. The nice thing for the triple L.T. is, since they go to a community college for the first part of their education, they get to stay in their community. Right? CHRIS: Mm-hmm (affirmative). PAULA: The practice area education that's offered by the law school is streamed, so you can actually be anywhere to take the law school classes. They're synchronous, so it's not like they're downloading podcasts at three in the morning. We've taught in the classes. It's very interactive. The students are there. They're chatting at you. I think a lot of states, and definitely these provinces, are looking at a possible solution for servicing rural populations. CHRIS: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Is there anything that's surprised you about the license as it's now moved from concept to regulatory infrastructure to an actual class of folks that you're regulating? PAULA: There are a couple of things. One was the collaborations that developed. One was our three law schools saying, "Don't don't have [inaudible 00:13:51] develop the curriculum. We'll do it together." That's was really fun. We worked with the three law schools in the state to develop the family law curriculum. Then the collaboration between the community colleges and the law schools. There were these collaborations that we never anticipated that were really fun. They really came together and said, "How are we going to make this the best license possible?" It created a culture of innovation in Washington. As you know, the bar and a lot of people were very opposed to this right up until the bitter end. Once the Supreme Court spoke, once the Supreme Court passed the rule and said this is the direction we're going, we need to do this for the public, it really, in a lot of ways, created a culture of innovation. We had people coming to us saying, "Have you thought about the triple L.T. in this area or that area?" We had the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys came and said, there's some parenting things where we think triple L.T.s might be helpful. The ALJs have approached us. That was exciting. Not to say we don't still have people that question the idea or are suspicious. County bars have started embracing them, the members of the county bars. The Washington State Bar two years ago, the Board of Governors voted to make triple L.T.s members of the bar. That's all been super exciting. CHRIS: Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was interesting. I mean, you and I, we were observers of legal trends. Our profession is not the fastest to adapt to emerging challenges that society thrusts upon us. I thought it was interesting going back to the Supreme Court order that started the license. Here's the quote. "We have a duty to ensure the public can access affordable legal and law-related services, and that they are not left to fall prey to the perils of the unregulated marketplace." It just seems like that's the type of ... Your Supreme Court, frankly, went out on a limb a little bit and said, "You know what? We think that there is something to be said for creating this opportunity." It's interesting to now watch, six years later, where you're at now and where you hope to go. PAULA: Yes. We tell everybody every place where we speak about it, "Come on in. The water is fine." CHRIS: Good. Thank you, Paula. I appreciate your time. Fascinating subject. As we think about access to justice and alternative legal services, it's clearly an issue that observers are going to be watching from around the country. PAULA: Great. Thank you. CHRIS: Thank you.  

This week, Aaron and Sam discuss talk about the five reasons that your customers are leaving. Then, Sam talks with Patrick Palace of Palace Law about opening a boutique law firm and being president of the Washington State Bar Association.

Andrea Jarmon has faced domestic abuse from multiple people throughout her life, experienced homelessness and being turned down by shelters, and had an unplanned teenage pregnancy. Despite the incredibly unfavorable circumstances she has dealt with, Andrea excelled in high school, worked her way through undergrad, and went to law school. Now she represents other victims of domestic abuse who feel like the legal system is working against them, just like she did. In the final On the Road report at the 2016 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Laurence Colletti asks Andrea to share her story with our listeners. She talks about overcoming adversity, multiple generous people she encountered who helped and encouraged her, and an American Bar Association scholarship that gave her the confidence to pursue a law degree (not to mention helping to pay for it). Tune in to hear her harrowing and inspirational story firsthand. Andrea Jarmon has been practicing law for nearly 10 years, primarily providing legal representation in criminal and family law cases. Prior to establishing her private practice, Andrea was with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office where she practiced as an Assistant Attorney General in various divisions, among them the Criminal Litigation and Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Andrea is on the board of governors for the Washington State Bar Association.

"The Unkindest Tut of All" Aired October 19, 1967 King Tut is back in Gotham City with a new set of predictions that includes the indentity of Batman.  But just what is the purpose of all these predictions?  Tut doesn't seem interested in gaining control of Gotham City as his new kingdom.  He's more interested in gaining control of the universe and his scheme will ensure this happens.  And where is Batgirl in all this? Joining John to discuss this episode, one of the better of the third season and a fitting continuation of the Tut storyline, is Shazam/Isis Podcast host Richard F. Lee.   Richard Lee is a Batman fan who was first introduced to Batman '66 through the wide release movie and the View Master reels. Richard's biography was published in Who's Who in America, 2000 Millennial Edition. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington, a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Gonzaga School of Law, and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also a practicing member of the Washington State Bar Association. Richard is currently practicing law in his home state of Washington.   Links Richard's website Shazam/Isis Podcast website Shazam/Isis Facebook page

Danica Noble is Coordinator for the NORML Women of Washington and an antitrust attorney. She is chair of the Antitrust, Consumer Protection, and Unfair Business Practices Section of the Washington State Bar Association. Ms. Noble graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and was a judicial law clerk in the US Virgin Islands.

Ed Wolfe, a Bremerton lawyer and former U.S. State Department official, is running for Kitsap County Commissioner. With his extensive service in all three branches of government (executive, legislative, judicial) and impressive resume in civic and business arenas, he is lauded across all aisles as the refreshing change needed in government. Tune in to hear his thoughts on what it takes to be a leader in the 21st century, and the importance of bringing balance back to the political and policy process.

In reaction to rising legal costs and decreased access to legal services, Washington State has authorized paralegals to practice law on a limited basis through its new Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) program. Soon paralegals will be able to practice in specific areas of law. To learn more about this developing field, tune into this episode of the Paralegal Voice, where host Vicki Voisin interviews NALA President Ann Atkinson, ACP, as well as attorneys Steve Crossland and Thea Jennings of the Washington State Bar Association. Together, they review the licensing, permissible scope of practice, and continuing education requirements for these new LLLT Paralegals. Ann Atkinson is the current President of the National Association of Legal Assistants and Senior public finance paralegal at Kutak Rock, LLP. Ann has also served on the Board of Directors for the Nebraska Paralegal Association and is a former adjunct professor for Metro Community College in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a prominent author and presenter in matters paralegal. Steve Crossland has been a practicing attorney for nearly 40 years. He is the former President of the Washington State Bar Association and has been dealing with the unauthorized practice of law and access to justice for 21 years. He is also the recipient of WSBA's Award of Merit and the current Chair for the Limited License Legal Technician Board. Thea Jennings is the LLLT Program Lead and Staff Liaison to the LLLT Board at the WSBA. She began her career at the WSBA in 2008 as a paralegal in the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the disciplinary body that prosecutes ethical violations by Washington attorneys. In 2006, she received her post-baccalaureate certificate in paralegal studies from the University of Washington, where she also received her undergraduate degree in English and French studies. Special thanks to our sponsors, NALA and ServeNow.

Christopher Green practices credit litigation in Seattle Washington. He has represented consumers from all over Washington State including King, Snohomish, Pierce, Kitsap, Whatcom, Thurston, Chelan and many other Washington Counties and has represented residents of Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett, Spokane, Kent, Auburn, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Oak Harbor etc. etc. He handles both individual and class actions. He does over 90% of his cases on a contingency fee basis and has represented hundreds of consumers against credit reporting agencies, banks, credit card companies and debt collectors regarding disputed credit errors. He is admitted to practice in Washington State and is also admitted to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He graduated from Washington State University with honors and attended the University of Puget Sound. He is a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Washington State Bar Association, National Association of Consumer Advocates (Original Member), King County Bar Association and Federal Bar Association. Chris also teaches non-attorneys in his course "Correcting Your Credit", held four times a year at the University of Washington's Experimental University. Experimental College.

Deborah is the Executive Director of PrivacyActivism. Her work focuses on consumer education campaigns, advocacy, and analysis of privacy issues, with particular emphasis on data flow, data matching, and privacy risks associated with data collection. In 2005, Deborah chaired the Association for Computing Machinery's Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP) conference, bringing together attendees not only from government, business, education, and non-profits, but also from the community of computer professionals, hackers, crackers and engineers who work the code of cyberspace. Deborah is currently a member of the University of Washington's Shidler Center for Law, Commerce and Technology Advisory Committee. She was a committee member of the Washington State Bar Association's Access to Justice, a committee formed to develop more detailed guidelines addressing the issue of the technological impact on privacy within the justice system. In her previous role as a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, she worked on issues related to electronic privacy, database information collection and personal identity. www.privacyactivism.org