Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington: Committees

Committees

Admiralty
ADR
Appellate Practice
Bankruptcy
Bar Liaison
CLE
Court Services & WSBA Liaison
Criminal Law
Ethics and Practice
Federal Appointments
Intellectual Property
Local Rules
Membership
Nominations
Pro Bono
Website/Communications

Admiralty
Holds an annual CLE regarding contemporary maritime issues, it has a standing committee that reviews and proposes recommendations regarding local admiralty rules, and the Committee is studying the implementation of technology as it relates to maritime practice. For more information, contact:

Scott E. Collins
Admiralty Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-292-1144
Email: scollins@helsell.com

Jim Woeppel
Admiralty Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-624-2650
Email: woeppel@aiken.com

ADR
Assists the Court in administering Civil Rule 39.1 and is responsible for supporting the process of certifying mediators and arbitrators. For more information about becoming a CR 39.1 mediator, double click on the committee name, above. A list of CR 39.1 mediators is available at the following at: http://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/. For more information, contact:

Spencer Hall
ADR Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-292-5900
Email: shall@hallzan.com
Kirk Johns
ADR Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-623-9900
Email: kjohns@staffordfrey.com

Appellate Practice
Has the primary goals of providing continuing legal education for federal appellate practitioners through a biannual CLE designed specifically for those practitioners; acting as a liaison between the federal appellate bench and members of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington; enhancing communication between the bench and bar regarding topics such as rule revisions; and providing a source of information for key legal and practice developments to federal practitioners, such as information regarding the proposed split of the 9th Circuit. For more information, contact:

Katie O'Sullivan
Appellate Practice Committee Chair
Phone: 206-359-6375
Email: kosullivan@perkinscoie.com

Bankruptcy
Serves to act as a liaison between the bankruptcy bench and bar. It informs members of rule, statutory, and case law modifications regarding bankruptcy practice, and it provides comments to the Bankruptcy Court regarding proposed rule changes. The committee co-sponsors an annual breakfast with bankruptcy practitioners and members of the Bankruptcy Court. It has published a newsletter with Court developments and unpublished opinions. The committee is developing projects for continued interaction between all members of the Bankruptcy community. For more information, contact:

Jane Pearson
Bankruptcy Committee Chair
Phone: 206-447-4705
Email: pearj@foster.com

CLE
Works to keep bar members informed regarding procedures in the federal courts. In that regard, the committee hosts and co-sponsors CLEs, including the Civil Litigation Institute with the Washington State Bar Association, which is held annually in the Spring. This involves designing curricula and selecting speakers for the CLEs. The committee also assists and supports the substantive law committees of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington when those committees hold CLEs. The committee also hosts and coordinates the CLE program held every December before the Annual Dinner. For more information, contact:

Floyd G. Short
CLE Committee Chair
Phone: 206-373-7381
Email: fshort@SusmanGodfrey.com

Court Services & WSBA Liaison
Provides input to the Court on issues relating to services provided to attorneys, including technology in the courtroom, technology in the Clerk's office and courthouse amenities for lawyers. The committee expects to be involved in the process of determining appropriate facilities and amenities for lawyers in the new courthouse, currently in the design stage. For more information, contact:

Lish Whitson
Court Services & WSBA Liaison Committee Chair
Phone: 206-626-6000
Email: lish.whitson@whitsonlaw.com

Criminal Law
For more information, contact:

Kristine Costello
Criminal Law Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-749-5020
Email: kcostello@costello-black.com

Tessa Gorman
Criminal Law Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-553-7970
Email: tessa.gorman@usdoj.gov

Ethics and Practice
Focuses on improving ethics and practice skills in federal practice. The committee has established a mentorship program for attorneys who are new to practice in the federal courts in the Western District of Washington. For more information about the Mentorship Program click the link above. For more information, contact:

Alex Baehr
Ethics and Practice Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-340-1825
Email: baehr.alexander@dorsey.com

Merrilee MacLean
Ethics and Practice Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-224-8047
Email: mmacclean@karrtuttle.com

Federal Appointments
Provides input on federal judicial appointment candidates as requested by the court. For more information, contact:

John Congalton
Federal Appointments Committee Chair
Ph: 206-623-8300
Email: johncongalton@aol.com

Intellectual Property
For more information, contact:

Robert Medved
Intellectual Property Committee Chair
Phone: 206-232-5800
Email: bob@ramedved.com

Local Rules
Follows changes and proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and Evidence that occur on a national level, develops proposed revisions to the local rules to accommodate those national rule changes, and periodically suggests changes to the local rules to improve practice in the district. The committee works closely with the Court's local rules committee on these projects. The committee also acts as a spokesperson for the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington before the rules committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. For more information, contact:

Mark Hough
Local Rules Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-389-1587
Email: mhough@riddellwilliams.com

Karl Quackenbush
Local Rules Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-370-7956
Email: kquakenbush@riddellwilliams.com

Membership
For recruiting new members to the Association. We do this by offering a free two-year membership to newly admitted members of the state bar, together with a free CLE on the local rules of Federal District Court. We also approach firms in the Western District, offering information about the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington and the benefits of membership. For more information, contact:

Maria Milano
Membership Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-624-3600
Email: mmilano@riddellwilliams.com

Katy Samiljan
Membership Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-521-3857
Email: ksamiljan@bskd.com

Nominations
Is responsible for nominating candidates for trustee and officer positions in the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington and for recommending candidates to serve as Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representatives to the circuit and district judges in the Western District of Washington. For more information, contact:

Brian Kipnis
Nominations Committee Chair
Phone: 206-553-7970
Email: brian.kipnis@usdoj.gov

Pro Bono
Has two primary functions. First, the committee maintains a screening panel that reviews potential pro bono cases received from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington for merit and determines whether pro bono counsel should be appointed. Second, the committee maintains the roster of attorneys willing to take pro bono cases. The Clerk's Office at the District Court has the application form for persons interested in participating as a pro bono attorney. For more information, contact:

Judy Ramseyer
Pro Bono Committee Chair
Phone: 206-972-4654
Email: judy@ramseyerlaw.com

Website/Communications
Maintains and updates the Federal Bar Association's website, reports on the activities of the Association, and provides a forum for current issues in the Western District of Washington and the Ninth Circuit. For more information, or to submit articles for consideration, contact:

Duncan Manville
Website/Communications Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-288-9330
Email: duncan.manville@yahoo.com

Joanna Plichta
Website/Communications Committee Co-Chair
Phone: 206-447-5144
Email: PlicJ@foster.com