By Paul Crisalli
The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meeting held on December 14, convened by KCBA President Tahmina Watson.
After a call to order and approval of the minutes, President Watson provided the treasurer’s report. KCBA is doing well overall, and there will be a change in invoicing for the WA Lawyers Practice Manual, which will be in July instead of June.
President Watson remarked that she was thankful for the Board members’ work. The Board needs to fill two seats, so she will address that around the beginning of the year.
Interim Executive Director Jensen referred to her memorandum for an update. She highlighted that KCBA had just hired Bridget Schuster to be the new Member Services Director. Two team members, Jordan Brock and Tom Lockyear were also promoted. For the holidays, staff would receive three floating vacation days, which may affect response times.
ABA Liaison Kathleen Hopkins thanked the Board for supporting an ABA draft resolution to have a Code of Ethics for the Supreme Court of the United States. Ms. Hopkins discussed the process, timeline, and next steps for KCBA to propose and endorse this resolution. With one abstention, the Board voted to endorse Ms. Hopkins to continue with the development of the resolution, with Board approval likely occurring in January.
Benjamin Byers provided an update of the New Lawyer’s Division. He asked the Board to think of nominees to recommend for the Outstanding Young/New Lawyer Award this year.
The Board next considered two proposals from the Public Policy Committee. First, Public Policy Committee Chair Rory O’Sullivan discussed a resolution in support of improving ballot design. The Board voted and approved the resolution.
Second, Scott Smith from the Removing Barriers for Reentry Sub-
Committee, discussed a motion to support the elimination of the waiting period to vacate misdemeanors. The Board discussed the proposal, and with one abstention, approved the motion.
Amicus Committee Chair Victoria Ainsworth presented an outline for a proposed KCBA Amicus Brief for a case before the state supreme court. The brief would support the position taken by the Office of the Attorney General. With two abstentions, the Board approved of the brief. The Board thanked the committee for a well spelled out process in handling the amicus.
Vice-President Orehoski reported that the strategic planning committee met and reviewed Board input from previous meetings. They will continue to work and report back. VP Orehoski reported that the executive search committee has interviewed potential firms to help with the vetting process on hiring an executive director. VP Orehoski thanked Committee Chair Ian Warner for his work. VP Orehoski reported that planning was underway for the slate of candidates for the Annual Awards Celebration. She asked the Board members to help recommend potential candidates.
Secretary Crisalli reported that while there was no update on the HJP Spin-Off, the committee would reconvene in the new year.
Last, Interim ED Jensen discussed the membership numbers, noting that they have continued to increase and have surpassed budget projections. KCBA also anticipates launching a new database in April, which will be a significant upgrade.
