May 2004 Board Meetings
By Joseph E. Bringman
The KCBA Board of Trustees met on May 5 and May 19, 2004. The following is a summary of key actions taken at those meetings. Complete minutes of these and other Board meetings are available from the KCBA office.
Officer and Trustee Election Results. First Vice President John M. Cary announced that the following persons had been elected to serve in the indicated positions during the 2004-2005 term:
- President: John M. Cary
- First Vice President: Gary A. Maehara
- Second Vice President: John R. Ruhl
- Secretary/Trustee: Bonnie J. Glenn
- Central District Trustees: Karen W. Murray and Jeffrey M. Sakoi
- East District Trustee: Amelia J. Adair
Municipal League Award. Mr. Cary reported that the Municipal League has selected KCBA and KCBF as this year’s Outstanding Civic Organizations. The Board voted to pay for the cost of KCBA Staff to attend the Municipal League’s luncheon on May 27, 2004, at which KCBA and KCBF will be honored.
Attorney General Candidate Forum. Executive Director Alice Paine reported that all four candidates for Attorney General have accepted an invitation to participate in a candidate’s forum on June 30, between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Room 3AB. Former KCBA President Lucy P. Isaki will serve as moderator.
Proposed GR 31. As previously reported, proposed GR 31 would allow unlimited internet access to all Superior Court filings in Washington. J. Mark Weiss, Chair of the WSBA Family Law Section, reported to the Board that (1) substantial negative comments submitted in opposition to this proposed rule caused the Supreme Court Rules Committee to refer the matter back to the Judicial Information Systems (“JIS”) Committee, which drafted the original proposed rule; (2) following review, the JIS Committee sent the rule back to the Rules Committee without change; and (3) several groups, including the ACLU, WSTLA, the Access to Justice Board and the Northwest Women’s Law Center, are forming an ad hoc coalition to oppose the current version of this proposed rule.
The Board voted to permit interested KCBA Sections to take public positions on proposed GR 31 or to join the ad hoc group in opposition to GR 31, provided that the Sections first ensure that there is a consensus of their members behind any position they may take and that they make clear that, although they have the permission of the KCBA Board to state their position as a section of the KCBA, they do not speak for the KCBA as a whole.
Approval of FY 2005 Budget. The Board approved the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2005. Significant aspects of the budget are (1) average staff salary increases of three percent; (2) staff benefit increases (due primarily to the increased cost of health benefits) of three percent; (3) an increase of $35,000 in the budget for the Lawyer Referral Department to permit limited television advertising; and (4) a $35,000 increase for promotional mailings by the CLE Department, offset by an anticipated $35,000 increase in projected revenues.
Drug Policy Project Report. Drug Policy Project Director Roger Goodman reported on the progress of the Project’s 2003-2004 initiatives. Following his presentation, the Board was presented with a letter drafted for President Tom Kelly’s signature in support of a federal bill that would repeal an existing federal law which denies student financial aid to applicants convicted of a drug offense. Among other things, the letter observes that the current law increases the impediment to addicted persons who seek to obtain an education as a way of lifting themselves from a life troubled by drugs. Following a friendly amendment to include in the letter data concerning racial disparities in drug convictions, if available, the Board voted to authorize Mr. Kelly to send the proposed letter.
Letter to City Council Regarding Indigent Defense. John Cary moved to authorize President Kelly to send a letter to the Seattle City Council advising that KCBA opposes any change to the existing system under which several not-for-profit entities share contracts for the provision of legal services to indigent criminal defendants. Proposals were made to modify the draft letter to explain problems associated with a competitive bidding model that overly emphasizes cost savings and to reference constitutional requirements for provision of counsel to indigent criminal defendants. The Board approved the sending of the letter as modified. n
Joseph E. Bringman is KCBA Secretary. In his other life, Joe is a commercial litigator with the Perkins Coie law firm. He can be reached at (206) 359-8501 or at JBringman@perkinscoie.com.
