It is a few days after Juneteenth as I write this column. It is an important day, a day to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. Of course, it symbolizes much more than one day. On its face, it was a day in 1865 in Texas when emancipation would be enforced 900 days after emancipation was first announced. The Confederate States surrendered on April 9, 1865, two months before emancipation in Texas. And still, there were enslaved people in states that did not secede and they were not freed until the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865.

The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meetings held on May 15, convened by KCBA President Karen Orehoski.

Shifting our perspectives or stepping into the other party’s shoes offers benefits to both attorneys and clients. These benefits include improved problem-solving, a better outcome, or a more thorough understanding of the situation and each party’s interests. Just a reminder that shifts in perspectives not only allow for better professional outcomes but for better personal ones, too.

Office Space

Law school was a transformative experience. Having just graduated college, I had very little exposure to adult life experiences. And my childhood was not unlike many others who had come of age in the late 1970s. Graduating law school in the mid-80s, I had very little exposure how business works beyond serving customers at hospitality and retail establishments off and on. Law School taught me how to think differently. It taught me how to identify the issue, evaluate facts that were relevant to that issue, and then apply those facts to the law.

As we all know, one of the most stressful but imperative requests an attorney or pro-se litigant can make to the court is to seek a protection order. Laura Groves and Peyton Healy are attorneys with backgrounds in both Family and Dependency law. Laura has been practicing for 19 years, and Peyton has been practicing for four years. We write this article today as we have observed both positives and negatives in practice and in court caused by the changes to Chapter 7.105 of the Revised Code of Washington that went into effect July 1, 2022.

The KCBA has built our reputation on the skill, commitment, and diverse acumen of our members. Given the legacy of excellence our members and volunteers have created, the KCBA is well suited to influence and support decision makers and institutions to consider, adopt, and implement legislation and policies impacting local, state, and national practice. Because of our reputation of excellence, we are recognized to have competence and credibility on myriad issues and have long acted. Each official position is thoroughly researched by our policy committee and presented to the Board of Trustees for Resolution.

Jason Amala has never been one to shy away from a challenge or take the easy way out.

Just three years out of law school, Jason was presented with a significant opportunity, but one that posed a substantial risk. Jason was asked to leave his comfortable and relatively risk-free position as an associate at a large, successful firm to be the sole associate for three partners who were going to create their own firm. There were no guarantees, but Jason took the leap and did not look back.

One of the most persistent beliefs about jury trials is that cases are won in opening statement. It is a belief largely born out of primacy theory, which is the idea that what jurors hear first at trial is most influential to their final verdict. The belief in opening statements as the key decision point for jurors has been repeated in publications, television series, movies, and endless CLE presentations. Harvard University Professor of Law Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr. recently wrote, “Though Hollywood movies about courtroom dramas often glamorize the closing arguments given by lawyers, in reality the opening statement is likely the most important single event of a trial.” Last year, a retired trial judge in California presented a CLE on “how to win your case in opening statement.” We hear it regularly from some of our own clients. But this profession, as smart as its members are, routinely embraces old wives’ tales, pop psychology gimmicks, and other beliefs that give attorneys that sense of control and belief that they are inching closer to success, so we wanted to explore the research on this issue and offer insights into whether cases are won in opening statements.