The Session Laws of the State of Washington from 1889 to the first two chapters of the 2011 session laws are now available free online, thanks to the Office of the Code Reviser. This is one of the key resources for doing Washington legislative history research.
We are pleased to announce the addition of a new database from EBSCO that provides online, full-text access to a number of our popular books from Nolo Press. The database is called Legal Information Reference Center. It’s available on most of our public computers in both our Seattle and Kent locations. Books available include Neighbor Law, Every Dog’s Legal Guide, Copyright Handbook, Getting a Green Card, and Represent Yourself in Court. You can search for information by keyword, general topic or even visually through an interface that graphs your results. You can also browse or search for forms that are included in the books. Results may be printed at the cost of 15 cents per page or saved to your own USB drive.
A new online training routine for non-professional guardians has been set up by AOC’s Guardian Program. Individuals who wish to be appointed as guardians of another person or of an estate must register online with the Guardian Program, view a series of training videos and complete an exam for the specific videos dealing with guardianship of the person and guardianship of the estate. This new routine was created in response to the passage of HB 1053 in Chapter 329 of the Laws of 2011. AOC has also prepared a promotional flier describing this training and the recent changes to guardianship law in Washington State. King County Superior Court’s Ex Parte committee will meet next week to determine how this new routine will be implemented in light of the existing guardianship training video already available on the Guardian Program’s web site.
There are many residents in Washington who are unable to obtain legal assistance simply because they cannot afford it yet they make too much to access traditional low-income legal aid programs. In an effort to close this gap in the justice system, the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) has partnered with the law schools at Seattle University, Gonzaga University, and the University of Washington to create the Moderate Means Program, a statewide reduced-fee lawyer referral program. Law students will screen and refer clients to lawyers who have signed up to participate and the WSBA is recruiting lawyers to provide reduced-fee legal assistance, to mentor less experienced lawyers, and to serve as CLE faculty.
One of the goals of this program is to “increase access to justice for moderate-income residents of Washington State through reduced-fee legal assistance. The Program will serve individuals and families with incomes between 200% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. For example, the maximum annual income for an income-eligible household of one is approximately $21,000 and for a household of four is approximately $89,000. By providing legal assistance to this under-served population, lawyers participating in the Moderate Means Program will prevent Washington families from falling into poverty.” For additional information about the program, as well as information on how to volunteer, you can go to the WSBA website here.
While most know him as the 27th President of the United States, William Howard Taft spent four uncomfortable years in the White House. What held Taft’s true interest was the court and the law, and once he was freed from the responsibilities of the White House, Taft would go on to serve as the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a position he enjoyed so much that he wrote “I don’t remember that I ever was President.”
This podcast is the first in a series titled Supreme Court Classics. This series will take a look at just a few of the notable justices who served on the High Court and how their influence is still felt today.
The Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) recently contacted us and asked us if we wouldn’t mind handing out some brochures highlighting the free and low-fee legal clinics ELAP offers. Not only are we happy to accommodate the request, we thought it would be a good idea to feature them in our blog. For those of you not familiar with ELAP, they are a non-profit agency that provides access to justice through free or low cost civil legal aid to low income residents of East and Northeast King County, as well as domestic violence legal aid throughout King County. To learn more about ELAP’s legal clinics, be sure to check out their List of Services and their Legal Clinics Calendar.
The Metro shuttle service to the Mariners and Seahawks has been reinstated in a ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, as reported by the Seattle P-I. A Bush administration rule stated that no public transit agency could provide service to games if private charter operators were “willing and able to so so,” even at a higher price. Senator Murray placed a provision into the 2010 federal transportation spending bill that exempted Metro from the rule. The American Bus Association sued and the provision was ruled unconstitional by Judge Ellen Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Today’s ruling from the D.C. Circuit court overturned the lower court ruling and soon sports fans will riding the shuttle bus to the ballgame.
EDGAR, the SEC online database, has a new feature that allows for full-text searching of the last four years of EDGAR filings. The full text that is searched is both the filings and all attachments to the filings. The home page for the search notes that, “Occasionally, some recent filings are not available through the EDGAR Full-Text Search.” There is a “FAQ” page, which I highly recommend reading — it may explain why you are or aren’t getting the results you’re looking for, and it has contact information for help with a search.
There is an advanced search feature, where you can limit your search by form type, company name, CIK (Central Index Key; try this if the company name doesn’t work) or SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code.
Thanks to the blog beSpacific for this tip.
A new resource for low-income debtors is available at the Public Law Library of King County, located at the Seattle courthouse. A drop-in debt clinic, staffed by attorneys, is now open on Tuesday afternoons from 1 – 3 p.m.
Attorneys from the Northwest Justice Project are launching a free Debt Collection Defense Clinic. The Debt Collection Defense Clinic (DCDC) will assist low-income debtors (below 200% FPL: $1,815/mo for one person; $3,725/mo for a family of four) with advice and assistance for issues surrounding debt collection, including lawsuits, collection agency abuse, supplemental proceedings and garnishment.
Debtors seeking advice and assistance from volunteer attorneys should bring all paperwork related to debt collection and documentation of their income, including paystubs and bank statements.
DCDC does not assist clients with filing for bankruptcy. Debtors seeking advice about bankruptcy should be directed to the King County Bar Association’s debt clinic. If debtors have questions about the best referral, they should contact 211 to be screened and directed to the appropriate legal resource.
In conclusion, volunteer attorneys at DCDC will provide advice and assistance to low-income debtors dealing with debt collection issues, at the Seattle courthouse law library on Tuesday afternoons from 1 – 3 p.m. If attorneys are interested in volunteering for the DCDC, email juliak@nwjustice.org and catherinew@nwjustice.org.
A few days ago, a library patron asked me if I knew where he could get forms for requesting relief from Washington state’s sex offender registration requirements. Lo and behold, I found them on the Washington Courts website. They were not there last time I was asked this question. Admittedly, the last time I was asked this question was about two years ago! Anyway, it seems they were added in June of 2010, which doesn’t actually make them *new* so to speak, but nevertheless came as a surprise to me and at least one of my peers who happened to be standing nearby when the reference transaction was taking place. So, for those who, like me, were not aware of these *new* forms, I have provided a link to them below.