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May 22 in Seattle: Transnational Perspectives on the Civil Right to Counsel
 | | Raven Lidman |
The Section's next meeting is Tuesday, May 22, noon - 1:30 p.m., and features Professor Raven Lidman of Seattle University School of Law speaking on the development of the right to counsel in civil matters under American law, foreign domestic law, and international law.
When/where: May 22, 2012 - noon - 1:30 p.m. 1111 Third Ave., Third Floor Conference Room, Seattle. CLE credit: 1.5 general CLE credit applied for.
Cost: Free for Section members and law students; $25 for others. To register:
- Registration will be available on the Section Web Page, or
- Contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA.
We hope to see you there!
Thanks to the Foster Pepper firm and WPTL member Kelly Angell for the generous offer of this space.
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 CLE Committee The Section CLE Committee, under the leadership of Lisa von Trotha and Betsy Jackels, has been VERY active, planning our monthly programs! The general plan is to meet at Foster Pepper in Seattle at noon toward the last of the month, the exact date depending on the scheduling needs of speakers and the generous sponsors of the room space . .
Tentative Dates - subject to change!
- Tuesday June 26: International Law & Adoption
- Thursday July 26: The Right to Travel: US/Cuba Relations
- Monday, August 27: Recent Constitutional Developments in the Middle East.
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CRC Committee
 The Section Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, under the leadership of Martha Schmidt, is exploring an exciting initiative to work with the Quinault Nation as the latter considers a resolution on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The CRC, an international treaty ratified by every member of the United Nations except the United States and Somalia, protects the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of children.
The World Peace Through Law Section proposed a resolution in 2010 to the Washington State Bar Association supporting ratification by the US government of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and encouraging educational efforts by WSBA. The Board of Governors adopted the WPTL's resolution in July 2010. Since then, WPTL has cooperated with the three law schools in Washington and with juvenile welfare specialists in the state of Washington to advance education about the CRC. Washington Supreme Court Justice Debra Stephens joined Gonzaga Law School professor Upendra Acharya in May 2011 as keynote speaker at the Juvenile Justice Conference, discussing the WPTL/WSBA resolution, the CRC, justiciability of children's rights and the importance of the treaty for the United States. Should the Quinault Nation decide to adopt a CRC resolution and thereafter interact with the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the WPTL offers its further assistance. This is a remarkable opportunity for our diverse organizations to work together on an important legal reform! If you're interested in helping out, please contact Subcommittee Chair Schmidt. | |
Bylaws Committee
 | | Jana Heyd |
The Section Bylaws Committee, under the leadership of Jana Heyd, has drafted a work plan for systematically reviewing our Bylaws. One item under consideration is whether to broaden eligibility for voting in Section elections. A number of Section members who are on inactive status expressed concern that the Bylaws did not allow them to vote in the last election.
The Subcommittee plans to consider and draft any proposed reform by this June, so if you have input, contact Subcommittee Chair Heyd immediately. | |
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Recommended Reading
 | | Bert Sacks |
Bert Sacks, who spoke to our section about his case Sacks v. OFAC, writes at iraqikids.org to offer some observations on its conclusion:
"[M]y legal battle with the federal government over a $16,000 fine has ended.
The fine was because I traveled to Iraq to bring medicine to Iraqi children without asking for a U.S. license. The judge dismissed the government's efforts to collect from me on the grounds that the government waited too long to sue me.
I'd like to use this posting - possibly my last on this website - to reflect on what the past 21 years have meant to me since I first learned about Iraq and then traveled there.
Was it worth it? What have I learned? How has it changed me?..."
Continued at iraqkids.com. Section member Lynne Wilson writes:
"My friend Beth Lyons is a defense attorney with the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda. She has passed on this excellent website that contains a two hour video of interviews put together by a team from the University of Washington about the ICTR. It's well worth watching, if only to get a window into the struggle to achieve restorative justice in the aftermath of the 1994 human rights catastrophe." See more at Robin Lindley, former Section chair, reviewed the newly published book Drift, by Rachel Maddow:
"Though we are at war, most of us do not see its reality. As a nation, we are more and more distant from the suffering of the men and women who do our fighting and less and less able to influence our leaders, who squander billions of dollars on national security to the detriment of the domestic economy and our democratic institutions - without making us safer. These are the tenets of Rachel Maddow's new book, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power (Random House), which introduces the modern national security state and explains how it imperils America's democratic values, sacrificing real humans, often for unclear or questionable aims."
Randy Winn, Section chair-elect, suggests learning about the role of U.S. companies in eliminating slavery and human trafficking during the free May 9th webinar by LexisNexis: Compliance Across the Supply Chain - California's Supply Chain Transparency Act and Other State and Federal Requirements. While part of it is oriented toward California state law, its subject matter should be of great interest to lawyers everywhere!
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From the Editor: Budget Cuts and Email Newsletters
By now you have heard that the WSBA license fee referendum passed, lowering the license fee by $125. Therefore, the WSBA budget will be reduced on the order of 28%, and the big question is "where?" Historically, sections have gotten a subsidy from the WSBA general fund, roughly $6 per member. While at this writing nothing is settled, it seems prudent to plan for this subsidy going away and the Section having to decide whether to increase dues or do something else.
By pure, raw, but fortunate coincidence, we had the opportunity to switch to an email newsletter, saving on printing and postage an amount comparable to the subsidy. I hope that this change will enable the Section to hold the line on dues, but we must be sensitive to the preferences of Section members who don't like email. What do you think? We're here to serve, so please .
---Randy Winn
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This is a publication of a section of the Washington State Bar Association. All opinions and comments represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by WSBA, its officers or agents.
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"If we are
to teach real peace
in this world,
and if we are
to carry on
a real war
against war,
we shall have
to begin
with the children."
--Mahatma Gandhi
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Section
Leadership
Chair
Patricia Paul
Chair-Elect
Randy Winn
Immediate Past Chair
Jana Heyd
Secretary-Treasurer
Paul Schlossman
Executive Committee
Lisa von Trotha
Mamie S. Brown
Newsletter
Randy Winn
Board Of Governors Liaison
Dan Ford
Contact Us!
http://www.wsba.org/Legal-Community/Sections/World-Peace-Through-Law-Section
- or -
WSBA Service Center
800-945-WSBA (9722)
206-443-WSBA (9722) | |
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