On April 22, the King County Bar Association hosted a swearing-in ceremony for 39 new attorneys. The King County Superior courtroom was packed with friends and family celebrating the new admittees’ achievement alongside Presiding Judge Ketu Shah.

The required time period for accepting nominations has concluded, and the King County Bar Association New Lawyers Division will now vote on the following slate of candidates to fill vacancies on the NLD Board.

NLD members who wish to challenge the slate may run against the candidates named below by submitting a petition signed by at least five NLD members in good standing (or 25 signatures if challenging the chair position) and filing that petition with the office of the King County Bar Association on or before 3 p.m. Friday, June 13.

For more information about the petition process, please contact KCBA Member Services Director Bridget Schuster at bridgets@kcba.org.

An electronic election will occur only if a petition to challenge one or more candidates is received by the deadline. If an election is required, members will be sent a voting link by June 20 via their email address on file with KCBA. 

In response to derision over a politically charged article, the KCBA Board of Trustees formed a Task Force to review Bulletin editorial practices. Led by Benjamin Gould (this article’s author), the Task Force recommended greater oversight, clearer editorial guidelines, and reestablishing a review committee. The KCBA Board adopted new guidelines in April 2025 to prevent future issues, limit political content, and clarify that opinions published do not reflect KCBA viewpoints.

Kiyoko Kamio, a law lecturer in Japan and WSBA member, uses music to enrich education, exploring ethical and legal questions around cryonics, the practice of preserving bodies in hopes of future revival. By blending lyrical analysis with classroom tools like mock trials, Kamio engages students in discussions about mortality, autonomy, and emerging technology. For instance, Spring Day, by South Korean pop icons BTS, can mirror the suspended state of cryopreserved individuals.

As this edition of the Bar Bulletin is published, the presiding judge will administer the oath to the newest members of our Washington Bar. Admittees recite a number of affirmations, including two promises that seem particularly important in 2025.

As spring arrives throughout the world, many countries celebrate May Day (May 1st) with a festival to celebrate the arrival of spring. Throughout history, May Day has marked a date halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, a time when people came together to celebrate with traditions including maypole dancing, gathering wildflowers, bonfires, and crowning a May Queen.

Felipe Mendez is a community leader and sports lawyer who serves as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for Seattle’s FIFA World Cup 2026 organizing committee. A third-generation Mexican American raised in Sunnyside, Washington, Felipe draws on his family’s legacy of hard work and cultural pride to guide his career and leadership style. After beginning in litigation and spending a decade in school law, he transitioned to sports law, earning a global master’s degree and serving as General Counsel for the Seattle Sounders. Author Helen Boyer shows how Felipe's deep roots in both soccer and service combine legal rigor with a passion for community impact. 

In recent years, we’ve read and heard many describe American culture as having entered a “post-truth” era. The headlines are numerous, often with references to the rise of misinformation and blind political partisanship. 

Approved April 16, 2025, by the KCBA Board of Trustees

1. The mission of the Bar Bulletin is to publish content that is of practical interest to the general legal community of King County. Content about current legal developments or pertaining specifically to King County or Washington State is favored. All content published in the Bar Bulletin should further its mission.

Some things change, while other things remain the same. Mediating cases over the past several years, I have witnessed that fear appears to be an unfortunate guiding light for many attorneys, young and old. It comes in many forms: fear of failure, fear that someone will take something from me, fear that I won’t get what I want, or worse, what I think I deserve.