If not for Seattle’s reputation for coffee, this place might have become equally renowned for its chocolate. With the holidays rapidly upon us, we thought it would be timely to check out some of the options for locally sourced chocolate. We have nothing against good national chains, like See’s, but there are more than enough local choices for your chocolate cravings and for stocking up on gifts for the holidays (or plan ahead for St. Valentine’s Day).

Bisma Shoaib interviewed women antitrust leaders to outline priorities for the next era of competition policy. Shoaib, an antitrust attorney at the FTC’s Northwest office, says these steps will curb concentrated power, promote fairness, and help antitrust keep up with technological disruption.

Eric Gillett enumerates why litigators who train as mediators gain a transformative perspective that makes them more effective advocates and better client counselors. He lays out five benefits that together improve outcomes, reduce burnout, and open new paths in practice.

Emma Schiller is KCBA’s Records Project legal assistant and its Pro Bono Services coordinator. Emma is a resident of the world; she was born in Seattle, grew up in San Diego, lived for a few years in Barcelona, Spain, and graduated high school in a small town in Southwest Washington across the river from Portland. The daughter of two Husky alumni, she spent her childhood dreaming of going to the University of Washington and studying to be a doctor — helping others. However, as she grew into a young adult, a new passion emerged in international politics and human rights.
 

As with so many other facets of our government that we’ve only recently internalized are grounded in norms, traditions, or political will (I’m looking at you, enforcement of the Hatch Act) rather than hard and fast law, the current Supreme Court’s increased employment of the shadow docket has taken many by surprise. When most of us think of a case coming before the Supreme Court, we imagine the long, slow, deliberative journey through the trial and appellate courts and, if the case is granted cert, the briefing, oral argument, and considered reasoning of the final opinion. With the shadow docket, once the case hits the Supreme Court — cue the record-scratch sound — we get the black hole of an unsigned order with no explanation of the reasoning behind it, and just to add further mystery, sometimes released in the middle of the night.

KCBA members enjoyed five opportunities to see Seattle sports teams play at home in the summer and fall. It has been a great year for sports, especially with the Mariners — who qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in the past 23 years.
 

Did you know? The latest figures show that KCBA has 3,996 total members. Of these members, approximately 1,527 have been practicing less than 10 years and, as such, are members of the New Lawyers Division as part of their KCBA membership; 470 NLD members are law student members. These numbers make the NLD the largest division in KCBA!

On Sept. 24, the King County Bar Association hosted two swearing-in ceremonies, with a total of 139 people taking the Washington oath of attorney. The King County Superior courtroom was packed on both occasions with friends and family celebrating the new admittees’ achievement alongside Presiding Judge Ketu Shah.
 

As we are in the middle of harvest season and the Festival of Lights, I want to thank the King County Bar community for being partners with our court to improve accessibility to courts, championing the rule of law, and ensuring we work toward a more civil society. The work each of you does — from the mundane to the complex, from explaining court proceedings to your neighbors to zealously advocating your clients’ interests — is noteworthy. It is that passion for the rule of law that makes our society function.

The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meeting held Sept. 17, 2025, and convened by KCBA President Sidney Tribe.