Paula Littlewood
WSBA Executive Director
As I’ve traveled around thestatethe last several years,theinputandfeed- backreceivedfrom WSBA members is invaluable.
One thing that is fairly consistent is
that WSBA members aren’t clear on
what license fees pay for, or the value
members receive from paying those
fees. While I believe value is defined
differently by each individual, I felt it
was important to address some of the
many changes and adjustments the
WSBA has made as a result of what
we’ve heard about how you, our members, define value.
First, the themes I’ve gleaned are
fairly consistent among members. You
want help in maintaining a successful
practice, you want support to keep up
with the changing needs of the profession and your clients, and overall
you want your membership to be more
meaningful.
Let me start by talking about some
of the transitions that have occurred
that involve the CLEs WSBA delivers.
We went through a fairly significant
organizational realignment last year,
with one of the goals being to bring
CLE offerings into a clearer focus, better tied to our mission-focus
areas and strategic priorities.
As a result, WSBA is focusing on what we are uniquely
positioned to provide, which
are seminars on substantive
areas of law in partnership
with our sections, skills for
practice in the 21st century,
and professional ethics.
At the same time, the work
of the board-appointed MCLE
Task Force is well under way.
This group is examining the
“M” in MCLE. Should CLEs
remain mandatory? If so,
should credit only be avail-
able for black-letter law courses? Or
should CLEs be expanded to include
other areas that impact your practice
and your lives, like stress management,
work life balance and leadership? In
light of the changing needs of the pro-
fession, should revisions be made to
the MCLE rules and regulations? This
group is projected to complete their
recommendations for the board and
Court by the end of 2014. It is clear
whatever recommendations they come
up with, though, the Task Force is striv-
ing to insure that the “M” in MCLE will
stand for “Meaningful.”
Another change in the CLE offerings
is the development of WSBA’s Legal
Lunchbox Series. This monthly series
is offered free to members. On the last
Tuesday of every month, members
can earn 1. 5 CLE credits by joining a
90-minute webcast. All Legal Lunch-
box topics are focused around 21st-
century practice skills. The response
to this series has been overwhelming,
and if you haven’t taken advantage of
this free member benefit yet, I encour-
age you to register for the next Legal
Lunchbox CLE on March 25. The topic
is “The 21st-Century Law Practice:
Tools and Efficiencies.”
If you’re an individual
who takes CLEs at WS-
BA’s Conference Center
in Seattle, we’ve made
an enhancement there
that’s worth noting. We
recently added an audio induction
loop system for the hearing impaired.
For those struggling to hear at CLEs
in the past, that issue has now been
addressed. In fact, I encourage you to
read Jerry Paulukonis’s story on page
46. He’s a true testament to the value
of this recent change.
Other changes have occurred in our
Law Office Management Assistance
As we announced in January, we’ve also added recent
enhancements to Casemaker,
a powerful research tool free
to WSBA members. You can
now access CaseCheck+, a
case citator that determines
if there has been any negative
treatment on a case. Additionally, you have free access
to CiteCheck, which allows
you to upload documents and
have the case citations auto-
Defining Value in
Meaningful Ways
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