WSBA Family Law Section
Annual Report for 2007-2008 (Period of October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008) Date: September 2, 2008 Section Name: Family Law Section Submitted by: Kathleen E. Schmidt, Chair, 2008-2009 Term of office for section leadership: September through August
1. Sections Highlights & Accomplishments for FY 2008 In October 2007, Marc Christenson chaired our annual fall CLE in Tacoma which featured a strong program and course materials re Division of Retirement Accounts/QDROs. In April 2008, the Annual Skills Training Seminar that is designed for lawyers new to the practice of family law was held in the Tri-Cities co-chaired by Rachel Felbeck and Julie McKay. The low-cost program included motions practice with mock oral argument and mentoring for new lawyers. This program is an excellent opportunity for young practitioners to learn from more experienced members of the section. In June 2008 the Vancouver Hilton was the site of the always popular and well-attended mid year program chaired quite successfully by Executive Committee Member and Secretary Dayann Liebman. The midyear program offers intermediate to advanced level CLE training for seasoned family law attorneys and provides instruction in many areas of family law as well as social and networking opportunities for the attendees. During the annual business meeting of the section awards were presented to The Honorable Edwin Poyfair of Clark County Superior Court as Judicial Officer of the Year, to Janet Skreen from the AOC as Professional of the Year, and to Jean A. Cotton, the outgoing chair of the executive committee, for Attorney of the Year. As in years past, through its executive committee and with the invaluable assistance of legislative liaison Rick Bartholomew, the Family Law Section participated in discussions involving important legislative proposals and had a real voice in shaping legislation. Section members and members of the Family Law Section Executive Committee also served in key roles on the Local Court Rules Committee, the Task Force on Trust Accounts & Retainers, the Supreme Court Dissolution Task Force (SB 5470), the Unified Family Court Task Force, the Access to Justice Board, the Pattern Forms Committee and the Child Support Commission. Jean Cotton continued her efforts to make the section’s position known with regard to the POLB’s Legal Technician Rule including authoring an article in the WSBA Bar News in the summer of 2008 on this very important topic. The Section will have a continued presence at all WSBA Board of Governors’ meetings. The Section will continue to meet annually with the Superior Court Judges Association Family and Juvenile Court subcommittee in order to promote on-going communication and to forge meaningful alliances with the judiciary. Current benefits for members of the section. Benefits included the very popular members-only listserve; access to the members only web-site which includes Doug Beckers’ amazing “QuickCites”; a newsletter providing timely topics of interest to members along with updates on the activities of the section and its leadership; timely information and survey solicitations through the “Hotsheet”; reduced tuition for Family Law Section CLE programs; and thank-you gifts to members attending the annual midyear program.
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Section Community Involvement & Special Financial Designations The Family Law Section was honored to again work with the Administrative Office of the Courts in providing training to the state’s court facilitators in June 2008 and we look forward to continued participation in future training programs for this group. With a long history of contributing to charitable programs, the Family Law Section continued this tradition in 2007-2008 by donating $500 to the Pierce County Minority Bar Association’s Youth and Law Forum, $5,000 to LAW Fund, and $9,500 to the WYLD GAAP program. Section Priorities, Including New Goals for Upcoming Fiscal Year 2009 Adoption by the state legislature of a new child support schedule that will update the existing economic table and address long standing issues with the existing scheme for determining child support. Careful consideration of all upcoming proposed legislation to ensure that lawmakers do not pass laws or rules that will negatively impact family law litigants and practitioners in the state. Support of programs to improve and provide access to justice for family law litigants. Continue to educate the judiciary and the public with regard to important legal issues facing families in the State of Washington now and in the future. Continue to educate our members by providing quality seminars, access to the members-only listserve, publication of our newsletter and distribution of the “Hotsheet.” Diversity-Ways the Section is Addressing Now or Intends to Address The Section has made plain its support of family laws that do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, religion, culture or race. Current Relationship Between the Section and WSBA The Section enjoys an excellent relationship with the WSBA staff including the CLE department and the legislative director. Our liaison Toni Doane has provided outstanding support for the Section. Our BOG liaison, Peter Karademos, has been an invaluable asset in our ongoing work with the WSBA and the BOG. Additional Information & Comments The Section would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our past chair Jean A. Cotton who served the Section well during her tenure starting in April 2007 and ending in August 2008. We are sorry to say goodbye to committee members Marc Christenson, Rachel Felbeck and Julie McKay and we are glad to welcome returning members Tracy Flood and Shelley Brandt as well as newcomers to the committee Ruth Edlund, Cynthia First and Kathleen Royer who were just recently elected to three-year terms. We look forward to another successful and productive year.
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Respectfully submitted, Kathleen E. Schmidt, Chair WSBA Family Law Section, 2008-2009
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