It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your President for the last twelve months. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.
Before I share some of my favorite highlights, I first want to congratulate Scott Collins, President of the King County Bar Foundation, and to the entire team that organized a successful Breakfast with Champions event last month. KCBF raised over $330,000 that will help support many of our pro bono and scholarship award efforts. With almost 800 attendees at the downtown Seattle Westin, and with the brilliant former Seahawk Doug Baldwin Jr. as the keynote speaker, the event was full of positive energy and enthusiasm. I felt like Baldwin was speaking my language — the language of love. His overall message to us was “be honest, be curious, be forgiving.” He left us all inspired and in awe.
What particularly resonated with me was his wish for us, as lawyers, to be loving. He said that as lawyers and judges, there’s a (loving) way to demand and deploy the law, and there’s a way to uphold the law. He emphasized that we must be empathic, kind, and patient in our human-to-human connection. And he urged us to be all of those things without boasting, bragging or imposing our demands on others. I hope we can all take his message and act with love, which is a message that has resonated with me in the past few years. I recently wrote about how acting with love pays off in many ways for my monthly column for Above the Law. And with that love, I can now sum up the last 12 months — love helped us get through a challenging year.
I’ll start with the item I am most proud of — KCBA made history by moving the American Bar Association to adopt a resolution requiring the U.S. Supreme Court justices to be bound by a code of conduct.1 The resolution was spearheaded by Kathleen Hopkins, drafted by Tom Fitzpatrick, and assisted by James Williams, Neal Black, Lucian Pera, Mark Schickman, and Lorelie Masters. It was a masterclass on how to get things done. They worked around the clock, demonstrated determination in the face of challenges, and acted for the greater good of the country to ensure our highest court remains a sacred office. The resolution could not be timelier! Anyone following the news will see why a code of conduct is necessary. I am grateful the universe brought this resolution during my term. When I wrote my book Legal Heroes,2 the ethical violations of both lawyers and judges had been at the forefront of my mind. It feels like I was at the right place at the right time to help move this resolution to a national level. Thanks to the entire ABA SCOTUS Ethics Resolution Team! As a team, they are honored with the “Friend of the Legal Profession Award” and it is so well deserved. They helped solidify KCBA’s role as a leader in the national legal landscape, and the impact of this work will be felt for years to come. Well done to all! I hope members will congratulate them in person at the Award Ceremony on June 20.
While you can never plan a bar association presidency, you go with the flow, and you do the best you can. My term started with the departure of our wonderful Executive Director, Dua Abudiab. The Executive Committee met without delay and unanimously agreed to ask Kathleen Jensen to be our Interim ED. We are so grateful to Kathleen. Not only had she been managing the growing KCBA team with grace and dignity, but she also gave us the time and space as a board to recruit a new ED. Given our recent history of recruiting EDs, we knew that the pressure was on to ensure we got this right, so we took a fresh approach with our Executive Director Search Committee. The search committee, co-chaired by Ian Warner and Scott Collins, and helped by Deborah Coleman, Karen Orehoski, and Chalia Stallings-Ala’ilima, led this truly arduous task. It was somewhat of a full-time job for them for a few months. Though none of this was easy or quick, they were thoughtful through the multi-layered process. We are being assisted by Executive Search Firm Glick, Davis and Associates. At the time of writing, the process is ongoing, candidates are being interviewed, and the work is continuing in earnest. Please do come to our awards ceremony on June 20th! If I am lucky enough to close this project before my term is over, we’ll be able to make some announcements!
But as we wait for that announcement — drum roll please…
This year’s President’s Award is going to the KCBA Executive Director Search Committee! Their incredible patience, grit, thoughtfulness, diligence, and love for KCBA were evident in every step they took, every word they wrote, and every decision they made. I believe wholeheartedly that their work will impact our organization for years to come. On behalf of the entire KCBA, thank you, Ian, Scott, Karen, Chalia, and Deborah, for your hard work!
Another big project that concluded this past year was our new website and database. Though this has been in the works for a few years, it was a challenging job. Thank you, Kathleen Jensen and team for taking this project to the finish line and ensuring we had beauty and efficiencies in these vital member resources. (Be sure to read Kathleen’s March and May columns, if you missed them!)
KCBA also got a new Membership Director this year. I am so excited that Bridget Schuster is on the team. Bridget was an attorney at Williams Kastner before pivoting her career to be a force at KCBA — giving her a background that makes her a great fit for this role. Every single one of us will benefit from her work to make sure our members can grow in and outside our careers. Thank you so much, Bridget! Now that I’ll have more time not being president, beware of my “bright idea” messages that might come at you at all hours of the day!
Being the president also allowed me one of the greatest joys and privileges of my career — taking part in the swearing-in ceremony for new lawyers. My path to the law profession made it even more precious for me to be part of this. Becoming a lawyer was far from easy. I moved countries, schools, homes, and had much disruption in my life growing up. But I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer and never considered a different career. In the end, I achieved that dream. So it has been a joy to be able to welcome others into the profession, many of whom likely had their own challenging journeys to get here. Thank you, Judge Patrick Oishi, and the entire King County Superior Court, for organizing a profoundly impactful swearing-in ceremony. Thank you to KCBA staff Tom Lockyear, Jordan Brock, Emily Lake, and Casey Almas for being the superstars behind the scenes for this event. And thanks also for making sure Ben Byers, New Lawyers Division Chair, and I knew exactly what to do and say during these ceremonies. These events will be some of my favorite memories.
One thing I made sure to say to the new lawyers being sworn, “Honor the profession. Be an honorable professional.” It’s a good reminder for all of us and echoes the SCOTUS resolutions.
I was also grateful to have been selected as a Diversity Scholar for the National Conference of Bar Presidents. The NCBP holds its conference concurrently with the ABA annual and mid-year conferences. Our very own former WSBA President, Patrick Palace, serves on NCBP’s Executive Committee. Every single NCBP leader is warm, kind, personable, and knowledgeable. They truly care about the legal profession and work to ensure bar associations provide their lawyer members with the support and nurturing they need. I used what I learned from them during my term. I am thankful that an organization like NCBP exists.
Thank you to all the members of KCBA’s Board with whom I had the honor of serving, particularly the Executive Committee. For those who will complete their three years on the Board — Neal Black, Cecilia Youngberg Gregson, Cynthia Jones, Darcel Lobo, and David Perez, thank you. I am sure we’ll find a way to keep you involved!
I want to thank the KCBA staff. KCBA has been in our community since 1886,3 with a mission of justice, professionalism, and service. Without a staff that cares, an organization like ours cannot function well. KCBA can only fulfill its mission with a great staff to ensure the members’ needs are met. You have all done an amazing job. Though the pandemic brought challenges, you cared for our members as well as the clients we serve. I commend you all. I sincerely hope KCBA’s member-driven mission is kept at the forefront, as always.
Thanks again to Kathleen Jensen for stepping up to lead the staff for the past 8 months. Also, a huge thank you to Jennifer Dixon, the KCBA executive assistant, for coordinating with my law firm team to juggle my calendar! Thank you also to Judy Lin for your leadership and hard work keeping up the ever-important pro bono work and taking on more leadership duties. Thank you to Chris Young, our Bar Bulletin Editor — who is doing a terrific job. And to everyone else at KCBA who keeps things moving like clockwork — thanks to all of you.
I must take a moment to thank my own team at Watson Immigration Law, particularly Nicole Lockett, our Chief of Staff and Senior Paralegal, and Cyril Pahuyo-Sanchez, our paralegal. Being KCBA President while also running my own law firm as the only lawyer (in addition to the other hats I wear, including mother, wife, member of other committees, columnist, author, etc.) was probably the most growth I have had in my life and career. I could not have gotten through the year without them. They are the wind beneath my wings; thank you both.
Our next President, Karen Orehoski will be fantastic in her new role. She has been a KCBA member since the day she was admitted to the bar and has served on almost every committee. You will not find a more committed leader who will keep the well-being of the organization as her north star. Congratulations, Karen!
And finally, to fill the void that KCBA will leave in my life, I am getting ready to launch my next book on July 4th!4 This book has been a labor of love. I found pockets of time whenever I could over the last 18 months to write, and I worried whether I could finish by my deadline. My third book, “The Startup Visa: US Immigration Guide Book for Startups and Founders” is an easy-to-understand book with guidance on visa options throughout a startup company’s journey that I hope will be impactful to both startup employers and founders who want to change the world through innovation. Though I have written it for the layperson, I hope it will also be useful for corporate lawyers serving businesses. Just like politicians need votes, authors need reviews, and I hope I can count on this community to help me on this journey.
I will also continue writing my Above the Law column, which I hope you will follow.
I love KCBA. I know you do too. And I look forward to participating and supporting KCBA going forward.
1 https://abovethelaw.com/2023/03/king-county-bar-moves-the-aba-to-adopt-a-code-of-ethics-for-the-us-supreme-court/.
2 https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Heroes-Trump-Era-Inspired/dp/1735758507/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1684332128&sr=8-4.
3 https://www.kcba.org/?pg=Mission-History.
4 https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Visa-Immigration-Startups-Founders-ebook/dp/B0BXWK6QH4/ref=zg_bsnr_154991011_sccl_2/143-3198417-7923669?psc=1.
