Greetings, now that we have started 2025 and made our judicial rotations and moves, we are excited to hit the ground running. We have many people rotating to new departments to offer their expertise throughout the Court. We also have new transitions in our leadership with Judge Rothrock as Assistant Presiding Judge, Judge Scott as Chief Civil Judge, Judge Young as Chief Criminal Judge, Judge McDonald as Assistant Chief Criminal Judge, Judge Keenan as MRJC Chief, Judge Sutton as UFC Chief, and Judge Galvan as CCFJC Chief. These chiefs meet regularly and discuss operations to ensure cases get to our judges in an efficient and timely manner. They are continuously analyzing how to get calendars covered, how to manage staffing levels to ensure courts are operational and to discuss changes in law that affect filings and capacity issues.

The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meeting held on December 18, 2024, convened by KCBA President Erin Overbey.

Just like that, January is over and we’ve entered the second month of the year. For those looking forward to spring and more sunlight, March is only a month away.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
— Margaret Mead

A 29-year-old clearly distraught woman walks into your office. She is in the middle of an acrimonious divorce, hoping to protect her two-year-old twin daughters from a controlling husband, after she was served with a set of discovery asking that she turn over her diaries to her abusive spouse. Her current attorney repeated the maxim that discovery rules are given a broad and liberal construction1, and told her to turn them over.

As we bid farewell to 2024 and think about the challenges that we face in 2025, I do think the readers of this Bulletin are especially poised to address those challenges. 

Life has a way of surprising us by bringing opportunities and experiences into our lives that will forever expand our knowledge and inspire us to learn more. 

It is 9:07 on a late November morning and Judge Andrea Darvas is wondering whether she’s just presided over her final trial as a King County Superior Court Judge.

Here we are with a new year ahead. Here I am on the cusp of my fortieth year of practice. It does not seem too bold to hope for a better way to resolve differences and settle disputes.

The Kinship Care Solutions Project (KCSP) reopened in July 2022 under Washington’s Uniform Guardianship Act. In addition to screening clients for services, we train and mentor volunteers to represent Petitioners in King County Minor Guardianship cases. We also provide clinical services for clients. Some of KCSP’s cases involve children for whom we seek a Special Juvenile Immigrant Classification (SIJC) to aid them in immigration matters. Most of those cases are referred to us by Northwest Immigrant’s Rights Project, Kids in Need of Defense or other such nonprofits. Many of our clients are referred by the LAARK Team (Legal Advice and Referral for Kinship Care)—see the December Bar Bulletin article on LAARK.