CCBA Welcomes Judge Gonzales

met for the first of what promises to be a series of meetings to
discuss issues and problems related to the administration of
criminal justice in the county and to see if solutions to the problems
could be developed. Ann reported that the first meeting
was successful.
4. Bail schedule in felony cases: Judge Lewis brought up the
issue and mentioned that there was not much support from the
superior court judges for adopting a new bail schedule if the
purpose for doing so was to allow a suspect arrested over a
weekend to be able to post bail prior to appearing before a
judge. He also mentioned that the matter is still under discussion.
Ann Christian told the committee that legislation passed
by the legislature in its recent session with an effective date this
summer will require an individualized determination of bail by
a judicial officer prior to the release of any suspect charged with
a class A or B offense.
Suzan Clark mentioned that she was concerned that bail
amounts in general were being set too high, commenting that
$100,000 seems to be the new $10,000.
5. Local high school mock trial teams at the state tournament:
Judge Lewis reported that all four local high school mock trial
teams that proceeded to the state tournament finished with two
wins and two losses. He stated that the Ridgefield High team finished
highest among the local teams, placing 8th or 9th in the
state, and that a Ridgefield witness was named best witness in
the tournament.
6. Next Bench Bar committee meeting: The committee will meet
next on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at noon in Judge Nichols’ jury room.
Respectfully submitted,
John Fairgrieve
Family Law Section Meeting
CHRIS BOYD
Family Law Section President
The Family Law Section held our monthly meeting on May 9,
2012. Stan Horak presented on bankruptcy, short sales, foreclosures
and hold harmless issues and how they relate to Family
Law. We had nearly fifty (50) attendees. Stan was very informative
and I’ve added “Call Stan” on my standard file checklist.
Stan was kind enough to offer an open door policy for any attorneys
with questions on this constantly changing topic. I have a
feeling many FLS members will take him up on that invitation.
Our next meeting, which will be our last before summer break,
will be on Wednesday, June 13th. We need officers for our next
year’s FLS, so those interested should throw their hats in the
ring. As outgoing president, I have made sure to set the bar at an
exceptionally achievable level for the new president. In all seriousness,
it is a truly positive experience and we have a wonderful
group of Family Law attorneys and judicial officers.
Our meetings are in the reserved lounge section of Tommy O’s,
801 Washington Street, Vancouver. Typically, these are on the
second Wednesday of the month. The cost of the meeting will
be $13.00 for lunch plus $5.00 for one CLE credit for CCBA
FLS members. If you are not a member of the CCBA and FLS
the cost is $13.00 for lunch and $10.00 for the CLE credit.
Please RSVP by the Friday just prior to our Wednesday meeting
by sending your payment to our section’s Treasurer, Meredith
McKell Graff, 3214 NE 42nd Street, Suite B, Vancouver, WA
98663.
Our officers are: President, Chris Boyd; Treasurer, Meredith
McKell Graff; Secretary, Stephanie Ellis.
If you would like to attend a CCBA FLS meeting and do not currently
receive the email updates, please email me at
cboyd@vancouverlaw.net.
Remember to visit the blog for updates and announcements:
http://ccbafamilylawsection.blogspot.com/
Very Truly Yours,
Chris Boyd
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Call Lisa Darco at 360.695.5975 for rates and availability.
14 CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION