In the Star Trek franchise, Starfleet Academy tested its cadets with an exercise called the “Kobayashi Maru” — a training simulation intentionally designed to be impossible to win.1 If I were designing a Kobayashi Maru simulation for aspiring appellate attorneys, it might go something like this: imagine presenting oral argument at Division One of the Court of Appeals and one of the judges interrupts your well-prepared introduction to inform you Division Two has just decided the same legal issue and adopted your opponent’s reasoning.

Like nearly everyone, we at King County Law Library found ourselves particularly challenged by the COVID shutdown. A huge percentage of the legal research materials we had were literally meant to be used hands-on. Even most of the electronic subscriptions we maintained were still set up to be used from one of the library’s in-house computers.

A big thank you to everyone who attended this year’s New Lawyers Division Spring Soirée on April 4th! It was a huge success.

On any given day, the majority of King Couty Law Library’s (KCLL) pro se patrons come to us with family law questions. Fortunately, between the myriad of state and local resources online, in the courthouse, and in the library, these folks can access many required court forms and how-to materials on their own.

Did you know that you can become barred with the Tulalip Tribal Court? Attorneys do not need to be Tulalip tribal members to serve as counsel at the Court, but they do need to pass the Tulalip Tribal Court’s separate bar exam. 

After President Karen Orehoski called the meeting to order, the Board approved the meeting minutes for the Board meeting on January 17, 2024.

Earth Day arriving at the end of this month provides a reminder that law firms and employees are players in environmental conservation and sustainable practices. 

I recently spoke with a lawyer who was describing the variety of personalities she has encountered during her first year as a litigator. It reminded me of a lesson compellingly modeled for me in my first years as a lawyer, for which I now have gained a 40-year perspective.1 Condensed to its essence, the lesson is “Don’t be a jerk.”

The bar exam will no longer be required to become a lawyer in Washington, the state Supreme Court ruled in a pair of orders Friday.

Each year the King County Bar Foundation hosts an annual event, the Breakfast with Champions. The Breakfast is our chance to honor the hard work of Bar Association staff and volunteers, highlight the Bar Association’s services, and build community with you, our champions of the law. I hope to see you there to say thank you in person!