[WSBAPT] Fw: WSBA reminders, updates and news....

Thu May 3 08:59:20 PDT 2018

Note below the issue being raised of separating the Sections from the WSBA.

Jackie Cyphers
Jeannette A. Cyphers, Attorney at Law
P. O. Box 908   
Edmonds, WA 98020-0908
425-776-5887
fax 425-640-0814
jacyphers at gmail.com

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-------Original Message-------

From: Paul S
Date: 5/3/2018 7:55:47 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:,
Subject: WSBA reminders, updates and news....

Hello fellow WSBA members, 

Here are a few "back channel" reminders, updates and other newsworthy items:

Censorship Continues. All governors are still prohibited from emailing their
constituents unless messages are heavily censored by President Pickett and
the Executive Director. I'm sure you've noticed that the Great Leader and
the staff are not similarly encumbered. Notably, censorship has also spread
to NWLawyer, which a fellow governor told me is no longer publishing member
letters unless they're "on point," per an exchange he had with the Executive
Director on behalf of a constituent. The penchant for Orwellian jargon also
continues.
Please feel free to share this email broadly among WSBA colleagues who might
wish to see improvements in WSBA leadership, governance and member
representation. 
If you received this email from a friend or colleague and want to be on my 
Concerned WSBA Members" email list, let me know at pswegle at gmail.com  If you
received this email from me and you want off the list, just let me know. 

WSBA Member Meetups. Recent WSBA Member Meetups in Ballard, Edmonds and Lake
City were all well attended and lively. Everyone hoping for positive changes
at the WSBA should JOIN, whether in my district or not.
The next Meetup is downtown Seattle, Tues, May 8 at the Elysian Bar -
https://www.meetup.com/Lawyers-of-District-7-North/events/249838337/
May 17/18 BOG Meetings. It is critical to have as many members as possible
participate in person or online at the May 17 and May 18 meetings. 
We'll be discussing reform proposals to roll back the three new appointed
BOG seats and we'll be voting on critical governance proposals. 
I'll provide details and possible talking points beforehand. If you support
change, you must speak up. 
President Pickett Proposes to Make Sections "Independent of the Bar." Things
at the WSBA are getting stranger by the day. President Bill Pickett is now
personally advocating that the Sections be reorganized to be "independent of
the Bar" under some new umbrella entity. But somehow it's not bifurcation?..
. 
Pickett first raised this at a BOG Budget and Audit Committee meeting on
April 26, by asking what the financial/budget implications would be if the
Sections were separated from the WSBA.
He then sprung his vague idea of separating the Sections from the WSBA on a
surprised and largely unimpressed group at the Section Leaders Spring
Meeting on April 30 - an event I attended in part to monitor for any more
weirdness - and there it was....  As one very respected member in attendance
said - "another solution in search of a problem." 
Pickett then finally disclosed his idea for reorganizing the WSBA to the BOG
by email on May 2. 
Given that former President Furlong raised some vague bifurcation idea just
days before he resigned, I suspect this is actually something being pushed
by the Executive Director, but it's impossible to say, since I asked that
question and it was not answered. In any event, it's just another
distraction - not going to happen. 
Budget and Audit Meeting Updates.  In other news from the April Budget and
Audit meeting, some of my BOG colleagues pushed for having LLLTs and LPOs
pay the same WSBA dues as attorneys. This recommendation didn't succeed in
Budget and Audit, but it may well succeed if voted on by the BOG. 
After spending $1.7 million of WSBA member dues on the LLLT program there
are only 36 LLLTs. Your thoughts about equalizing dues?
At the same B&A meeting, it was discussed that the APEX Awards Dinner had a
net loss of $50,000. President Pickett apparently blamed poor ticket sales
on communications critical of the WSBA, without naming me or anyone else.
How about the high ticket cost and the long program format? The plan to
narrow the financial loss in the future is to raise the already steep ticket
price by $25. Any guesses on how this experiment in price elasticity will
work out?
Attack on Rajeev Majumdar.  Former WSBA president Anthony Gipe recently sent
an e-mail to QLAW and trans attorney leaders, falsely suggesting that Rajeev
Majumdar, a candidate for WSBA President, may be unfit for that office and
hostile to their interests. This seemed like a smear campaign by Gipe, who
is helping lead opposition to our WSBA reform efforts, of which Rajeev is a
key leader. I personally believe Rajeev would be an outstanding WSBA
President.

Intimidation Tactics. Hardball tactics to silence governors who are not "on
point" are not new. Check out the following 2016 email sent to the BOG and
senior staff by a former governor regarding the Bylaw amendments then being
railroaded. The email writer appears intent on intimidating three incoming
governors, including none other than Rajeev Majumdar! I'm not sure who else
participated in drafting this "loyalty" email, but I'm quite sure no
apologies were offered.... Typical WSBA power politics. The last line is the
best if you're in a hurry.

From: Jill Karmy <jillkarmy at karmylaw.com> 
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2016 1:20 PM
To: Athan Papailiou (athan.papailiou at gmail.com) <athan.papailiou at gmail.com>;
Keith Black (keithmblack.law at gmail.com) <keithmblack.law at gmail.com>; Bill
Hyslop (whyslop at lukins.com) <whyslop at lukins.com>; Brad Furlong
(bef at furlongbutler.com) <bef at furlongbutler.com>; Andrea Jarmon
(ajarmon at jarmonlaw.net) <ajarmon at jarmonlaw.net>; Anglea Hayes (ahayes at aiin
net) <ahayes at aiin.net>; Robin Haynes (robin at mcneicewheeler.com)
<robin at mcneicewheeler.com>; Sean Davis (SMVD.Esq at gmail.com) <smvd.esq at gmail
com>; Ann Danieli (danielilaw at aol.com) <danielilaw at aol.com>; Christina
Meserve (meservebog at yahoo.com) <meservebog at yahoo.com>; Kim Risenmay
(kim at risenmaylaw.com) <kim at risenmaylaw.com>; Bill Pickett
(bill at wdpickett-law.com) <bill at wdpickett-law.com>; Mario Cava (mario
cava at gmail.com) <mario.cava at gmail.com>; Rajeev Majumdar
<rajeev at northwhatcomlaw.com>; Dan BOG <danbog at mcbdlaw.com>; James Doane
(jamesdoane at me.com) <jamesdoane at me.com>
Cc: Jean McElroy <jeanm at wsba.org>; Elijah Forde (elijahforde3 at gmail.com)
<elijahforde3 at gmail.com>; Paula Littlewood <paulal at wsba.org>; Doug Ende
<douge at wsba.org>; Phil Brady (pbradyiv at gmail.com) <pbradyiv at gmail.com>;
Karen Denise Wilson (bog at kdwilsonlaw.com) <BOG at kdwilsonlaw.com>
Subject: Re: WSBA - By Law Amendments

To BOG Elects, 

Thank you for your letter. I have added our 3rd year Governors as they have
been, inadvertently I hope, excluded from your original email. 

As you have asked to be clear on your position, I would like to be equally
as clear. Your concerns are based on incorrect facts, which you have
unfortunately continued to pass on. I view the continued public circulation
of false material a breach of your fiduciary obligations to this
organization. In particular, Rajeev, your continued anti-WSBA commentary,
publicly promoting incorrect facts about this process and the proposed
amendments, has already caused harm to the organization. I feel saddened
that you all continue to perpetuate these falsehoods. It has served to
inflame members needlessly. To be specific, you have perpetuated the false
notion that these changes take away from member benefits and that these
changes take away the right of referendum. Further, you fail to recognize
the multi-year process that led to these decisions.  We spent several years
in open public meetings taking public comment on these changes ranging from
Court oversight to the election of public members to the BOG.

You are taking an oath of loyalty to this organization in just one week.
Carefully consider if you are up to this task. 

Best,
Jill 

Thanks for paying attention everyone. The views above are solely my own.
Unfortunately, they do not also represent the views of the WSBA.... 

Expecting lots of you on May 8 for the Downtown Seattle Meetup and on May 17
and 18 for historic BOG meetings!

Paul Swegle
Governor, District 7 North
Immediate Past Chair, Corporate Counsel Section
Washington State Bar Association

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