For the April issue of the Bar Bulletin, I am pleased to share space with Carrie Griffen Basas, JD, Med. Carrie is the Executive Director of Disability Rights Washington. Prior to joining Disability Rights Washington, Carrie led Disability Law Colorado and the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds. Carrie has long worked to create strategies for equity, accessibility, and social impact and I am appreciative of her taking the time to share the following with the KCBA and our Bar Bulletin readers.

The practice of law is about building relationships in an environment where various positions and perspectives are paramount. I can think of no other profession built upon a divergent discourse, where we are applying the same set of facts to sometimes polarizing ends of a spectrum.While predictable and familiar, the human creation of dichotomy where all is categorized into either a political left or right and the splitting of perception into black or white, is hurting lawyers, harming judges and the judiciary, and threatening the rule of law and our democracy. I write this opinion today as a call for the legal community to consider the spectrum in its complexity and entirety, instead of splitting it into a binary of black and white, or political left or right.

The practice of law is about building relationships in an environment where various positions and perspectives are paramount. I can think of no other profession built upon a divergent discourse, where we are applying the same set of facts to sometimes polarizing ends of a spectrum.While predictable and familiar, the human creation of dichotomy where all is categorized into either a political left or right and the splitting of perception into black or white, is hurting lawyers, harming judges and the judiciary, and threatening the rule of law and our democracy. I write this opinion today as a call for the legal community to consider the spectrum in its complexity and entirety, instead of splitting it into a binary of black and white, or political left or right.

Laws may not change hearts, but hearts can change the law. When we are driven by collective ideals of inclusion and belonging, we can create collectives and active allyship. 

Laws may not change hearts, but hearts can change the law. When we are driven by collective ideals of inclusion and belonging, we can create collectives and active allyship. 

As I have shared in previous articles, KCBA and I are dedicated to active allyship — a meaningful exchange of interests and resources. We will keep learning, allowing for brave spaces where compassion and vulnerability are expected. We are champions of inclusion who share our space of privilege and amplify the voice of those with lived experiences of oppression and exclusion. It is our mission to achieve diversity in the legal profession and excellence in the judiciary, and we are committed to calling out barriers to meaningful access to justice. We are interrupters of overt bias.

In the first of a series of collaborations with other King County advocacy organizations, December’s From the Executive Director’s Desk features Michele Storms, ACLU of Washington’s Executive Director, who encourages members to shake off the blindness of privilege.

In the first of a series of collaborations with other King County advocacy organizations, December’s From the Executive Director’s Desk features Michele Storms, ACLU of Washington’s Executive Director, who encourages members to shake off the blindness of privilege.

When I chose Seattle as my home more than 23 years ago I did so for many reasons. Among others, the city reminded me of San Francisco where my dream to become an attorney was formed. When I arrived here the hills and older neighborhoods felt like home. I had no idea then the history of this beautifully diverse city: of Profanity Hill, of the expulsion of the Duwamish, the violence and attempted expulsion of Chinese laborers, or of the King County Bar Association.

When I chose Seattle as my home more than 23 years ago I did so for many reasons. Among others, the city reminded me of San Francisco where my dream to become an attorney was formed. When I arrived here the hills and older neighborhoods felt like home. I had no idea then the history of this beautifully diverse city: of Profanity Hill, of the expulsion of the Duwamish, the violence and attempted expulsion of Chinese laborers, or of the King County Bar Association.