Editorial Guidelines for the Bar Bulletin

Approved April 16, 2025, by the KCBA Board of Trustees

1. The mission of the Bar Bulletin is to publish content that is of practical interest to the general legal community of King County. Content about current legal developments or pertaining specifically to King County or Washington State is favored. All content published in the Bar Bulletin should further its mission.

2. There is a strong presumption against publishing any piece a nontrivial portion of which expresses an opinion on partisan politics or international affairs. Any such piece may be published only if (a) in the judgment of the editor, the expression of the opinion is sufficiently important to the mission of the Bar; and (b) the Bar President or his or her delegee approves publication.

3. The Bar Bulletin must make it clear that any opinion piece represents the views of the author and not the Bar Bulletin, the Bar, or its officers or trustees.

4. The principles of transparency and accountability are foundational to The Bulletin. To ensure that every article we publish reflects these values, all pieces of editorial content must include a byline that clearly identifies the author(s) or shows a general authorship, for instance “The Bulletin Staff,” “KCBA Staff Leadership,” or “KCBA Board of Trustees Leadership.” Including individuals’ names and, when relevant, their affiliations and credentials are preferred whenever possible. Anonymous articles will not be published, except in rare cases approved by the Bulletin Committee due to confidentiality concerns.

5. The Bar Bulletin shall not disparage any individual or organization based on race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

6. Where these guidelines discuss the kind of content appropriate to the Bar Bulletin, they are meant to set out general principles and are not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive. The Bar Bulletin editor has the discretion to refuse to publish any submission. The President or his or her delegee may countermand the editor’s decision to publish content that does not conform with these guidelines.

7. While these guidelines are not content neutral, they should be applied with as much viewpoint neutrality as is practicable and consistent with their purpose.