Program areas at Spokane County Bar Association
Continuing legal education - organized to benefit members of the legalprofession through educational seminars, webcasts and conferences. Theassociation strives to provide seminars of the highest quality,utilizing local talent while keeping registration costs at a minimum.digital recordings of seminars are available for purchase on the Association's website.gal training - organized to support guardian ad litem professionalswith educational training and resources.newsletter - all members receive the calendar call newsletter, issuedtwice monthly, either by mail or digitally. Many members receive thedigital version via e-mail.the calendar call contains cle notices meeting notices andannouncements, employment opportunities, federal, state and countycourt information and other important data that is vital to thepractice of law.online access to Spokane County court documents - the Spokane countybar Association has worked toward the goal of having Spokane countysuperior court documents available online.
Practice area support and committee involvement. Scba members areinvited to affiliate with "sections of the Association that concernsimilar practice areas, interests, or industry experience. Membershipin practice area sections promotes camaraderie, networking, andfellowship in the legal profession. The Association maintains thefollowing active sections: young lawyers division, indian law section, intellectual property section, diversity section, family law section, solo & small practice section and elder disability and estate planning section.additional accomplishments of the diversity section and the younglawyers division are as follows: the diversity section: the mission ofthe diversity section is to promote diversity in the local legalcommunity and ensure equal opportunity and inclusion for spokaneattorneys regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender,sexual orientation,veteran status, practice area, age and disability in the membership, leadership and activities of the Spokane County Bar Association. Th0rough collaboration with the gonzaga university school of law and other organizations, the diversity section is committed to promoting inclusiveness through ongoing efforts focusing on recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys within the local Bar Association andjudicial system. The young lawyers division: the mission of the yld isto provide networking, mentorship, and professional support to thosebegtnning their legal careers in Spokane, represent the interests of new and young lawyers to the County and state Bar associations, andpromote social and service opportunities in order to create a betterconnected and more collegial legal community. Members of the scba whoare under the age of 36 or within the first five years of practice(whichever occurs later) are automatically members of the yld withoutfurther dues or registration.
Lawyer referral services, pro bono services, and other social and networking programs: lawyer referral service - the Association provides a "lawyer referral service" for the public.volunteer legal services - the Association promotes pro bono legal services for members of the community who are living in poverty. Online access to an up-to-date Spokane County court family law mediator roster for the convenience of the general public. Other functions - the Association also sponsors other functions and events which benefits the health and wellbeing of the Bar as a whole: regular Bar luncheons are offered featuring keynote speakers members of the judiciary or community leaders.the annual professionalism dinner honors a member of the legalcommunity who exhibits the highest standards of ethics and professionalism and honors members of Bar who have been practicing for 50 years.the annual holiday party and vlp silent auction is a favorite of thelocal membership. The party provides the membership an opportunity tomeet long-time friends and spread some good cheer. The silent auctionis a successful fundraiser for the volunteer lawyers program, a related501(c)3 organization.