[WSBAPT] Easy commenting on HB 1788 abolishing the State Bar

[Carla J. Higginson]

Dear Doug,

The Court is not taking a position on ESHB 1788.  Chief Justice Fairhurst sent the following email to the Board of Governors on March 14th, and the Board was mindful of this when we voted to oppose the bill:

"Today, the court voted on two motions related ESHB 1788 as amended by Sen. Pedersen.

The first motion was to ask for the bill to be withdrawn and if it wasn't withdrawn to oppose it.  The motion failed on a vote of 4 to 5.  (JJs. Stephens, González, Gordon McCloud and Yu voting in favor; CJ Fairhurst and JJs. Johnson, Madsen, Owens and Wiggins voting against.)

A second motion was to take no position on the bill and to indicate that we affirmatively agree with the effective date.  The motion passed on a vote of 5 to 4 (CJ Fairhurst, and JJ. Johnson, Madsen, Owens and Stephens voting in favor; JJ. Wiggins, González, Gordon McCloud and Yu voting against).

Thanks.  Mary

Mary E. Fairhurst
Chief Justice"

Regards,
Carla Higginson



From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com [mailto:wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com] On Behalf Of Doug Owens
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2019 5:42 PM
To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv
Cc: WSBA Real Property Listserv (wsbarp at lists.wsbarppt.com)
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] Easy commenting on HB 1788 abolishing the State Bar

According one member of the Board of Governors, a vote by the Supreme Court indicates that a majority of the Court supports the bill or at least will not go on record as opposing it.  What now?  Yours truly, Doug Owens


On Mar 18, 2019, at 4:31 PM, Laurel Brown <laurel.brown8385 at gmail.com<mailto:laurel.brown8385 at gmail.com>> wrote:

Thank you Eric,

I just submitted the response you so thoughtfully provided.  I worked at WSBA when they had the first dues rollback around 2010, and do not agree with another proposed rollback being quashed, but I fully agree with your position that just eliminating such an established organization would create serious crises.

Laurel

On Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 4:20 PM Eric Nelsen <Eric at sayrelawoffices.com<mailto:Eric at sayrelawoffices.com>> wrote:
All--

My apologies for this cross-post but this affects every attorney and we really need to act. I personally have not made enough time to deal with the inside issues of the WSBA, but on a basic governance level I think it's insane to simply abolish an entity like the WSBA with so many active obligations and activities. Here is the comment I just sent to my state rep:

Please OPPOSE HB 1788 abolishing the State Bar. Regardless of whether eliminating the Bar would be a good or bad idea, no long-established and active entity can be simply abolished without creating a financial and legal catastrophe. The Bar has employees and ongoing employee benefit obligations. It has leases and other ongoing financial commitments. It has assets to preserve, debts it owes. It is always organizing and conducting Continuing Legal Education courses, and scheduling and committing to events for months into the future.

If the Bar is to be abolished, there must be an orderly process, perhaps like a dissolution and winding up of a business. A hasty and drastic "vanishing" of the Bar would subject the State to untold liability on the Bar's ongoing commitments. Please help our Legislature proceed with more deliberation. Thank you for all your work on the public's behalf as our representative.

A huge Thank you! to Carla Higginson for making commenting easy by providing the link to make direct comment regarding the legislation, which I'm copying here:

https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill//1788<https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1788>

Sincerely,

Eric

Eric C. Nelsen
SAYRE LAW OFFICES, PLLC
1417 31st Ave South
Seattle WA  98144-3909
phone 206-625-0092
fax 206-625-9040

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--
Laurel Brown
Attorney and Counselor at Law
5071 SW Waite St.
Seattle, WA  98116
425-361-6286
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