July is finally here, and it brings with it the weather many of us wait for throughout the grey winter and wet spring months of the Pacific Northwest. It also brings the new fiscal year at the King County Bar Association which means a change in our leadership and a reminder it is time to renew our memberships in, and commitments to, KCBA.
This is my first column as I start my year as President of KCBA, an organization I have been involved with nearly my entire legal career. I am honored to serve our membership and the mission of KCBA, and I will do so with genuine effort and humility.
Under the tireless, heartfelt, and effective leadership of our immediate past President, Tahmina Watson, KCBA continued to make history in achieving excellence, equity, and accessibility in the administration of justice to our community. Among other things, KCBA brought the Motion to Adopt a SCOTUS Code of Ethics before the American Bar Association. KCBA has always been dedicated to bringing excellence to the practice of law and this latest achievement is a continuation of that dedication.
As members, we show our dedication to those values and that work not only by continuing to support KCBA with our membership dues and participation in the organization, but also with our volunteerism and involvement in the community. I will work to continue to make KCBA a place for all lawyers in King County who stand for justice, professionalism, and service.
KCBA has provided so much to me in my own legal career. As the incoming President, I want to shine a light on what KCBA can do for all its members. I joined KCBA in November 2004 when I was sworn into the bar at the KCBA Swearing-In Ceremony in the ceremonial courtroom in King County Superior Courthouse in Seattle. I was not even sure what I was signing up for. I certainly did not know the countless opportunities of personal and professional development I would encounter because of KCBA. I definitely didn’t envision I would be writing my first column for the President’s Page nearly 20 years later!
I quickly learned I had signed up to be a member of a community of attorneys who care about making our profession better by knowing and supporting each other, mentoring each other, and being accountable to one another. An organization of lawyers which brings pro bono enthusiasm and practice opportunities (including financial support) to our colleagues and serves our community through those pro bono services. KCBA uplifts our community and the lawyers who serve that community.
We are the largest voluntary bar in the state for these reasons and we should all be proud of that.
Since 1886, KCBA has been a leader in advocating for diversity, professionalism, and justice in our community. Like many of us, KCBA has endured many changes and challenges over the last three years. Significantly, KCBA continued to be successful providing essential pro bono services as well as services to its members during the global pandemic. We saw the departure of our long-term Executive Director in June 2020 and then welcomed a new Executive Director who was only with us for eighteen months. Luckily our dedicated and long-time Associate Executive Director, Kathleen Jensen, has been doing a fantastic job as our Interim Executive Director. As of the writing of this column, the Executive Director Search Committee is preparing to interview finalists for the permanent position, and expects to have announced the new Executive Director as of the date of this publication.
This is all to say, with the start of this July there is much change ahead for KCBA, and I look forward to it. I am committed to continuing the excellent work KCBA does for our members and our community.
This is also the perfect time for you to recommit to the mission of KCBA through your membership and involvement. I can speak from experience that you will get out of KCBA what you put into it — the more involved you are with the activities of our Bar, the more your membership will enrich you and our entire community.
I am excited to work with all of you this year to continue the work of KCBA and all whom it serves.
