A Challenge to Our Members
Change can be difficult. However, with reflection we often realize change is needed and often brings new opportunities, new perspectives, and a fresh start. The King County Bar Association has encountered some intense change in the last few years. A global pandemic, the departure of two Executive Directors, the unionization of our staff, a potential spinoff of our beloved Housing Justice Project, increasing demand on our pro bono services, and the changing needs of our members have all presented challenges to our important organization.
During this period of transition, it became clear the hunt for our forthcoming executive director needed to be thorough, meticulous, and considerate. I was privileged to participate in the Executive Director Search Committee, headed by Ian Warner and Scott Collins. Our team (including members Chalia Stallings-Ala’ilima, Debra Coleman, and Tahmina Watson) knew our next Executive Director needed to be someone with a vision for the future to lead KCBA through these times of change while also honoring its history. We have accomplished that. As you all know by now, Christina Coad has joined KCBA as our new Executive Director.
Christina comes to KCBA following her role as Executive Director at the University of Washington’s Alliance for Professional Development, Training, and Caregiver Excellence, a position she held since 2019. Her background includes practicing law as a civil legal aid attorney and as an advocate for crime victims. Christina eagerly anticipates her return to the legal profession and is ready to focus on furthering KCBA’s mission. She aims to provide opportunities for members to achieve this mission through active community involvement and volunteer work. Throughout her interviews for this job, Christina stressed KCBA’s emphasis shouldn’t be solely Justice, Professionalism, and Service, but rather, Equitable Justice, Professionalism, and Service.
Christina started at KCBA on July 17. The Board and I are excited to work with her and the KCBA team to keep moving our organization forward, no matter what challenges the world brings. As we do that, it is important to acknowledge and reflect on the historical foundations and original purpose that led to the creation of this organization. KCBA was established as a countermeasure to mobbish attempts to expel Chinese residents. Some individuals who partook in those malevolent endeavors were indeed local practicing attorneys. KCBA’s founders stood firm against such injustice, conveying the message to lawyers and the wider community that attorneys ought to be the guardians of law and justice, not contributors to its breakdown. KCBA was created to rally attorneys for our community during emergent times of need.
Fortunately, KCBA offers a plethora of robust programs which cater to our community’s needs. These include our Neighborhood Legal Clinics and numerous in-house pro bono initiatives such as the Family Law Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Project, Kinship Care Solutions Project, LAARK (Legal Advice and Referral for Kinship Care), Self Help Plus Program, The Housing Justice Project, and The Records Project. These are not merely programs; these are lifelines for community members in need. However, while they all contribute significantly to the community by offering essential pro bono legal aid to those in need, they are not tailored to tackle any unforeseen legal assistance crisis which may loom in the future.
At our Annual Awards Ceremony in June, Michael Goldenkranz, our Pro Bono Award recipient, and Aaron Paker, the Outstanding New Lawyer Award recipient, really stood out. Both emphasized the importance of community service and support for the vulnerable. These KCBA members embody the spirit of giving and contributing positively to our community. KCBA is here to facilitate and support our members in their efforts to uphold law and justice through volunteer opportunities and community engagement.
In her departing message to the Board, our immediate past president, Tahmina Watson, challenged all of us to evaluate how KCBA and its members are contributing to our community in these critical times. There could not be a more appropriate time for this professional introspection than right now. As we transition to new leadership, it’s important for us to consider how both we and KCBA can actively motivate and support our members in becoming prominent voices for, and guardians of, law and justice. We are living during a time when cracks in our democracy are showing. The public faith in institutions, including our justice system, seems to be waning. The possibility of an imminent crisis — demanding swift and accessible legal assistance — is always just around the corner.
We should each take some moments to remind ourselves why we chose this profession. Then, we need to question what actions we can take — both as individuals and as members of a bar association — to rebuild trust in the American judicial system. KCBA is here to help us start this conversation and provide effective volunteer opportunities to accomplish that.
