Friday, January 10, 2014

Joint Calendaring Solutions As A Relationship Aid

Recently I heard another person complain that her spouse kept forgetting her birthday. I have long had problems with my partner forgetting commitments. I'm sure that my memory is imperfect as well.
It would be nice to have a perfect memory but, like a perfect body, we have to work with what we've got and there is no excuse for not doing what we can. And memory problems, like body problems, can be largely ameliorated with technical solutions.
The simplest solution is the humble pocket calendar. It's cheap, easy to carry around and if used habitually can solve the problem of forgetting joint time commitment.
However, today we have electronic calendaring solutions. These generate reminders that pop up on one's cellphone AND can be shared between the partners. There is absolutely no reason not to use them, unless one is paranoid about the NSA learning of your dental appointments and movie dates. Since they have already put a radio in the fillings of your teeth and are watching you through the movie screen, this is not an additional problem.
Working together as a couple to make this happen can actually be a caring response to a real problem, and turn into something fun! The key point is this: as with all relationship problems, the first and most important consideration is the will to solve the problem. Once that will is present, calendaring solutions can help.

WSBA World Peace through Law Section Newsletter - January 2014

WPTL logo
WSBA World Peace through Law Section 
January 2014
WPTL logo
Year-End Review & Next Year Plans
Reviewing 2013: The Section experimented with new ways to promote peace through law; five such events are detailed below. Perhaps the most interesting and useful was working together with the Arizona State Bar Association World Peace Through Law Section on a pair of programs on Litigating the Right to Peace (below). Such joint efforts may create a helpful model for the future!
For 2014: The first order of business is electing a new set of officers. Please look to your email box for a ballot!
The Section's Executive Committee resolved at our December meeting to continue the innovation, but with more organization. The Board plans to host something like one CLE or similar event every other month, starting in the spring. Members who would like to try their hand at running an event should contact the Board. Chairing a single event lets you promote a topic or a speaker that you find interesting, without the commitment of serving on the Board. If you try it, you might you like this sort of work!
In the alternate months, the Executive Committee plans to meet to develop programming and so forth. The newsletter will be published shortly after those meetings; this sets up pipeline of information to make the section more productive. If you have something to present to the Board or put in the newsletter, send it in!
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as Section Chair. Our Chair-Elect, Nandini Rao, is already showing the enthusiasm and organization that will, with your help, make 2014 even better than 2013. 

November 1 & 2: Helping Human Trafficking Survivors Volunteer Training CLE
Washington Anti-Trafficking Response NetworkThe Section's biggest event was the "Volunteer Attorney Training for Survivors of Human Trafficking in Washington State," a 13-credit CLE on November 1 & 2. Working together with Seattle University School of Law the Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network (WARN), theCoalition Against Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles(LAFLA), the Section was able to host training for over three dozen volunteers and staffers, including section members, to provide assistance to survivors of human trafficking.
Participants committed to handling one case through WARN, which will provide a prescreened case, mentoring, and technical assistance as needed. It was an opportunity to make a difference with an important problem, and the limited seating filled up very quickly, as a testament to the interest of our Section and the community in doing our part. This model of a program may be usefully repeated, perhaps once a year around Pro Bono Month (October).

August 30: Border Patrol Roadblocks
Paul Richmond
Paul Richmond
Longtime Section member Paul Richmond of Port Townsend, who has represented multiple clients stopped at Border Patrol roadblocks inside Washington state. talked about "Border Patrol Roadblocks in Washington State" at a lunchtime mini-CLE, on Friday, August 30, 2013 in the Alki Room in the Century Square Plaza, 1501 4th Avenue, Seattle.  
Setting up roadblocks to conduct suspicionless searches up to 100 miles from international borders (which includes the Pacific coast) raises numerous legal, constitutional, and practical issues. Attorney Richmond provided:
  • Descriptions of several cases involving Border Patrol stops in Olympic Peninsula towns and elsewhere;
  • Analysis of the law used to justify the stops, including constitutional issues;
  • Current state of practice, including positions of federal prosecutors, the Border Patrol, and local law enforcement;
  • Practice tips for attorneys with clients arrested at these roadblock for minor offenses.
This event provided 1 live general CLE credit and was attended by several dozen Section members. The success of this event suggests that Section members who have practical experience in human rights and peace law can be of great service in sharing what they know at a Section-sponsored event.

June 22: Litigating the Right to Peace
 Attorney Roberto Zamora gave a witty and sobering description on  "Litigating the Right to Peace" on the evening of June 22, 2013 at Seattle University School of Law.
One hundred lawyers, law students, and peace advocates heard how he had, even before he completed his law degree, sued Costa Rica for violating its obligation to be peaceful, and won.
Zamora's talk is now available for your viewing on video, thanks to Mike McCormick of Talking Stick TVThe text of the event handout (including several links to further resources) is here. Further information about Roberto Zamora's campaign for the right to peace can be found at www.peaceasahumanright.org.
This event was a notable example of working together, with this Section leading a coalition of the willing including Seattle University School of Law, the National Lawyers' Guild, El Centro De La Raza, the Arizona State Bar World Peace Through Law Section, Talking Stick TV, and others. The expenses of Attorney Zamora's travel to the USA were split between our Section and our Arizona sibling, who hosted him a couple of days before us. This is a useful model for working together!
In addition, attendance at this event was larger than at any of our events for years, probably because of the intergroup cooperation, and also because it occurred outside regular business hours, making it practical for working lawyers.

April 26: Sunshine Over The Energy Wars: Home Solar In Washington State
Home Solar
Actual installation in WA
The Section's second free non-CLE webcast featured Kevin Moen of Solterra Systems discussing the practical side of home solar (net energy production, how easy/hard to install) and the legal side(taxes, permits, restrictive covenants, what's going on in Olympia this year) in"Sunshine Over the Energy Wars: Practical and Legal Aspects of Home Solar in Washington State," April 26 at noon.
Resource and energy shortages are common factors in international conflicts. We and our clients can better decide which practical steps we can take to reduce this risk, but only if we're familiar with their legal aspects. As with the March 29 program, reaction from attendees was positive, but attendance was small, perhaps because no CLE credit was forthcoming.

March 29: Pro Bono Opportunities with Immigrants & Refugees: Yes You Can!
Sharing A Webcast
Join us in this free webcast!
The Section experimented with webcast non-CLE programming, starting with  "Pro Bono Opportunities with Immigrants and Refugees: Yes You Can!", on March 29 at noon. This free webcast featured Jordan S. Wasserman, pro bono coordinating attorney atNorthwest Immigrant Rights Project, and several attorney-volunteers describing how you can make an immediate contribution to the cause of peace by providingpro bono services to refugees and immigrants. 
Webcast facilities were provided to the Section on condition that no one apply for credit for this event; however those who viewed the program learned how to earn up to six credits every year (up to 18 credits per reporting period!) by working a pro bono case with a Qualified Legal Services Provider (QLSP). Feedback from those who attended, either in person or over the web, was positive, although attendance was sparse.

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. 
2013 IN REVIEW
* November 1+2: Human Trafficking
* August 30: Border Patrol Roadblocks CLE
* June 22: Litigating the Right to Peace
* April 26: Home Solar in Washington State
* Young Lawyers Liaison Needed
"To be free
is not merely
to cast off
one's chains,
but to live
in a way that
respects and enhances
the freedom of others."
 --- Nelson Mandela "Long Walk To Freedom"

Section
Leadership

Chair
Randy Winn

Chair-Elect
Nandini Rao

Immediate Past Chair
Patricia Paul

Secretary-Treasurer
Jana Heyd

Executive Committee
Chalia Stallings-Ala'ilima
Lisa von Trotha

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)
Images (c) Constant Contact, Wikimedia, WSBA. Used with permission.

Sunday, January 05, 2014

4freeCLE: Free Continuing Legal Education - January 5, 2014

4freeCLE: Free Continuing Legal Education!
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January 5, 2014
In This Issue
Webcasts
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan, Maryland + Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgin Islands
Virgina
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Archive

For AV CLE On Demand, SeeRewinn's Guide to Free CLE: Your State

Earn CLE Anywhere!
Webcasts

CLE State-by-State
 
Each of these programs can earn you credit, at no cost, in the state in which it is listed. 
In some cases, the programs require that attorneys attending apply for credit via reciprocity or other rules; check with the credit-granting authority in your state.

Alabama

Alaska

Arkansas

Free CLE Arizona
Arizona

CaliforniaFree CLE California

Free CLE - ColoradoColorado

Connecticut
Connecticut does not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. Any of the programs may be of interest to Connecticut lawyers, including the free webcasts above.


Delaware

District of Columbia
DC does not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. The webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed there.

FloridaFree CLE Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

IllinoisFree CLE Illinois
For AV CLE, see Rewinn's Guide to Free CLE: Illinois.
Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine
Michigan, Maryland + Massachusetts
Michigan, Maryland & Massachusetts do not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. The webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed in there.

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

Free CLE - New York
New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island 

South Carolina 

South Dakota 
South Dakota does not have a mandatory CLE requirement; the webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed there.
Tennessee

TexasFree CLE - Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virgin Islands

Virginia

Washington 
For more AV CLE, see Rewinn's Guide to Free CLE: Washington State.
West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

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