KCBA’s newest legal aid program recently turned two years old and has been successfully helping kinship caregivers around the state with their legal issues, especially minor guardianship. The Legal Advice And Referral for Kinship Care (LAARK) program is staffed by two full time attorneys, one part time legal assistant, and is supervised by the statewide kinship care legal aid coordinator. It is separate from KCBA’s Kinship Care Solutions Project (KCSP), but the two programs work closely together, even referring cases to each other when needed. LAARK is a statewide program that provides consultations and legal advice and does not have an income limit. LAARK does not provide representation in court, but does provide brief and extensive services to eligible clients, which includes multiple consultations, help drafting court documents, and advice on preparing for court. KCSP is for King County residents who are under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and matches clients with volunteer attorneys for their minor guardianship cases. Sometimes, Paul McVicker, the KCSP Staff Attorney, will advise clients who haven’t yet been placed with a volunteer. When LAARK has a client who is eligible for KCSP, they refer them to the program to get on the list for a pro bono attorney. This month’s PBS spotlight highlights a client who received help from both of KCBA’s Kinship programs, with a successful outcome!

In the world of legal research, it seems that change is the only constant. For those of you who are regular Fastcase users through the WSBA’s platform you may have noticed that things look a bit different lately. Fastcase merged with vLex to create vLex/Fastcase. While you may not be familiar with vLex, (they didn’t have a big market share in the US prior to the merger) it is one of the fastest-growing legal tech companies internationally. vLex was founded in Spain and is a major player in foreign and international law research. With the merger, vLex/Fastcase claim to have formed “the world’s largest law firm subscriber base with more than one billion legal documents from more than 100 countries.”

The King County Bar Association (KCBA) Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon Committee is pleased to announce that the Annual MLK Jr. Celebration Luncheon will take place in person on Friday, January 17, 2025, at the Seattle Convention Center from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. The committee warmly welcomes the keynote speaker for this year’s luncheon, Marsha Currin McGriff, Ed.D, Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. McGriff earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and her master’s degree in education from Tuskegee University, and her Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership from Creighton University. A veteran higher education leader, she has dedicated her career to advancing systemic cross-cultural equity and implementing the tools of inclusive excellence.

In Washington, child support and whether either parent of minor children in a family law proceeding should be ordered to pay a child support transfer payment is based upon the economic table established by the state and set forth at RCW 26.19.020. RCW 26.19.075 identifies a five-point, discretionary, non-exclusive list of reasons to justify a deviation from the basic or standard child support calculation...

This November we vote. Or to be more exact, many of us already voted—as early as October 18, 2024. I have been putting off writing on this important topic because I feel especially clear this election season about what is important for us as a country, for us as a State, and even for the City of Seattle, where I live and vote. I feel like the stakes are so high. The notion that others feel differently than I do and might support someone else for President, for Governor, or for King County Superior Court bench is hard to bear this year. It feels terribly important because these are important decisions. Thinking about the possibility that someone I do not support could win these significant elections is simply hard to fathom. So, I have tried to avoid contemplating a result I disagree with.

Did you know? Members of the New Lawyers Division (NLD) are attorneys that have been practicing for 10 years or less. When an attorney with less than 10 years’ experience joins KCBA they are automatically members of the NLD and eligible to participate in all NLD events. Participation in the NLD is a great way to meet other attorneys, expand your network, give back by participating in charitable events and grow your knowledge at our recurring CLE’s. The NLD also admits student members from statewide law schools and the WSBA Rule 6 Law Clerk program for no membership cost. Presently the NLD has 1550 members and is served by a board of 17 trustees including lay members and student liaisons from the University of Washington and Seattle University law schools. The NLD is the biggest section of the KCBA!

One way to learn how “powerful” or “influential” a person is in King County is to search the person’s name in the Puget Sound Business Journal. When you search the name of Kelly Twiss Noonan, there are too many “hits” to count, as her accomplishments over her 35 years in the law have put her high on the lists of power and influence in our community. In 2022, Kelly was recognized by the PSBJ as one of its “Women of Influence” and, in a separate list, PSBJ named her in its “Power 100” in recognition of her positive influence in our community.

As anyone familiar with our current political climate knows, we are a nation divided, polarized and deeply intransigent. The purpose of this article is not to address the merits of either position or discuss politics. That is for another article written for another day, and probably better done by someone more qualified. The purpose of mentioning this idea of a divided and polarized electorate is to compare it to how we operate when attempting to mediate. How do we expect to resolve a dispute if the opposing sides are unwilling to see the other’s point of view? How do we find compromise when to do so would mean you must ignore what you so deeply believe is right and just? Is it any different for legislators from both sides of the aisle who must cross the aisle if they expect to pass a law? In other words, why should we negotiate?

On September 26, former KCBA and KCBF presidents came together for a reception at the home of Scott Smith (a former KCBA president himself).

The King County Bar Association was sad to learn of the passing of former Seattle King County Bar President, Bruce Pym.