B
A R
L
U N C H
2021 WCBA Officers President: Phil Buri
(360) 752-1500 Vice Pres.: Jennifer Slattery Secretary: Genissa Richardson Treasurer: Collin Alberts
Journal Editor Mr. Rajeev D. Majumdar (360) 332-7000
WHATCOM COUNTY BAR
2021
JOURNAL
APRIL www.whatcombar.org
Top Stories!
Custodian Appointed for Mara Snyder/ Pacific Coast Family Law 3
U.S.-Canada Border Closure Update
6
Local Immigration Attorneys Host Business Seminar
7
Your Regular Favorites!
The President’s Column— “Joy Spring”
2-3
Classifieds—
Jobs, office space & services!
4
Bar Meeting Minutes & Treasurer Reports— (Mar. 2021)
5
Pro Bono Connection— On a break
n/a
Rajeev’s Musings—
Busy gettin’ my vaccine
n/a
Fantastic Ads & Deals!— Our Proud Sponsors
11-15
Calendar!
Our Fifth Virtual Bar Meeting!!!
(Apr. 7)
2
Superlative Disclaimer:
The information & various arti-cles contained within this publi-cation have not been checked for accuracy. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the Bar
Association, the Journal, or the agents thereof.
Coronavirus Cancelations Continue. But….
April 7, at Noon … our
Fifth Virtual
Meeting
! See Page 2. Judge Evan Jones
will address the bar.
Joy Spring
I hugged my friend Mary Lou for the first time in a year.
At first it felt wrong. Awkward. But we didn’t let go. My pandemic shell began to crack.
With two doses of Pfizer vaccine in my arm, I am optimistic that our lives will reopen –
cau-tiously at first, and then in a torrent when we let loose. Once we start we won’t let go.
Think of all the things we will do again for the first time: eat inside a restaurant, sit in a
mov-ie theater, dance to live music, hug our frmov-iends. Our renewal this Spring encompasses all that
makes us social animals. Gathering. Talking. Touching. I am sure that it will become
“normal” after a bit, but I want to savor every first. I want to acknowledge in that moment
that I missed the messy web of interaction that filled my days. The crowd waiting outside
the restaurant is a triumph rather than an obstacle to my getting a table.
I may even have patience for a just-ten-minute-wait that stretches to half an hour. I will
re-member that once I couldn’t even go inside, let alone sit near the window.
When I walk downtown, I relish people returning and stores reopening. Spring is here. I can
see the blooms.
Phil
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whatcom County Bar Meeting
To Join Zoom Meeting on April 7th at Noon:
https://zoom.us/j/96269529904?pwd=ZkI5V2hCbjRSNWVEUWtwdDdLNWxYZz09
Meeting ID: 962 6952 9904
Passcode: 792424
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,96269529904#,,,,*792424# US (Tacoma)
+16699006833,,96269529904#,,,,*792424# US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 962 6952 9904
Passcode: 792424
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adKc6YpYPB
The President’s Column
WSBA Custodian Appointed for
Mara Snyder and Pacific Coast Family Law PLLC
The law practice of Pacific Coast Family Law PLLC/Mara Snyder is closed.
The Disciplinary Board of the Washington State Bar has appointed a custodian for
the practice. The duties of the custodian in accordance with ELC 7.7 are:
1. To assemble and return files to clients or their substitute counsel; and
2. Audit and review financial records including trust accounts and after
comple-tion of the audit, the WSBA will provide guidance for the return any remaining
cli-ent funds. Clicli-ents will be contacted once the process is complete.
The custodian cannot provide any legal advice to clients.
The client files should be available on or before March 26, 2021.
Client funds remaining in trust cannot be released until completion of a full audit
by the WSBA. The audit will not be complete for at least several weeks.
Please have former clients of Mara Snyder email:
[email protected]
Clients or their substitute counsel should provide their contact information
includ-ing email, telephone number and a mailinclud-ing address. Please email that information
to
[email protected]
Clients or substitute counsel will be contacted for
arrangements returning or transferring their client file.
If clients believe there are client funds to be refunded, they should if possible
pro-vide documentation showing payment to the law office and if possible an estimate
of balance of funds to be refunded.
Contact WSBA Custodian, Nancy Ivarinen at
[email protected]
Office Space Available – Bellingham Towers - 119 N. Commercial Street – downtown! Just down
the street from City Hall, the Court House and the Federal Building. If interested please call
360-647-1916 x 112 or email:
[email protected]
. Conference room available for Rent to
Ten-ants and Non-TenTen-ants.
Classified Ads
Free to all WCBA members & firms in which all members have paid their membership dues. $15 otherwise.
e-mail ad copy to:
by the 15th of the preceding month
Part-time Assistant Wanted. Part-time legal assistant needed for law office. Independent contractor
(not an employee). Duties include organizing files, on paper and on the computer, creating templates,
editing documents. Helping to close out 2020 and create new systems for 2021. Detail-oriented,
quick learner, and a pleasant person to be around. If interested, please send a text to Maureen Toomey
at 360-599-0697.
SPACE FOR LEASE. Looking for additional office space or a new location in Skagit County?
Space available in business center with ample parking and on main arterial road in Burlington, 5 min.
from I-5. Remodeled spaces of 1,100 ft 2 or 3000 ft 2 now available. New carpet, LED lighting,
sign-age. Rates from 22 to 25 per ft/year, plus NNN. 720 -790 S. Burlington Blvd., Burlington WA
98233. For more information: 360.853.3287. Edward-Berger Properties, LLC.
Looking for a fun dance band for your next party, fundraiser or other event? Lemon Creek
per-forms songs by great women rockers and popsters of the last 4 decades. From Fleetwood Mac to Amy
Winehouse—Sheryl Crow to Lady Gaga to Garbage—with some interesting and fun detours along the
way. From the irresistible dance grooves of Blondie and Kylie Minogue, to the drama and intensity
of Concrete Blonde and The Cranberries—you will get up and dance! Lemon Creek is Lesley
Ros-tron, Jon Grover, Mike RosRos-tron, and Doug Hyldahl. Check us out at
https://www.gigmasters.com/rock
-band/lemon-creek
and
https://www.facebook.com/pg/lemoncreekrock/about/
WHATCOM COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION TREASURER'S REPORT - February 2021
For period 02-01-2021 to 02-28-2021
Beginning of period cash balance (on 02/01/2021) $22,725.46
Deposits/Credits:
Lunches
Advertising revenue 835.00 CLE Fees Received
Membership dues received this period 700.00 Copier Income
Interest Income - Checking 0.19
TOTAL DEPOSITS: 1,535.19
Checks/Expenses:
Accounting Fees 27.18 Northwood Hall - Bar Lunch
Honorarium, Plaques, Holiday Tip
Courthouse Copier Rental 327.56 Meals & Entertainment (Retirement Party)
Post Office Box Rental (annual)
Postage and Supplies 73.64 Newsletter Stipend (Annual)
Taxes and Licenses Bank Fees SUBTOTAL EXPENSES: 428.38 Donations: Law Advocates Law Library Teen Court
High School Mock Trial Team
TOTAL DONATIONS: TOTAL EXPENDITURES $ 428.38
END OF PERIOD BALANCE $23,832.27
Petty Cash 100.75
Operational Reserves Savings Account - including interest** 6,489.53
$ 30,422.55
WCBA MEMBERS 113
Whatcom County Bar Association Monthly Meeting Minutes— March, 2021
Via Zoom - according to the faulty memory of the Journal Editor
Whatcom County Bar Association - March 3, 2021 Monthly Meeting, via Zoom. 1. Call to order at 12:01pm by President, Phil Buri.
2. Motion to approve January’s minutes; minutes approved.
3. Treasurer’s report given by Colin Alberts. Motion to approve Treasurer’s report; report approved. 4. Social Hour
A
CROSS
T
HE
L
INE
: B
ORDER
& I
MMIGRATION
U
PDATE
By Scott Railton Cascadia Cross-Border Law
[email protected]
1305 11
thStreet, Suite 301 Bellingham, WA 98225 Tel: (360) 671-5945
www.cascadia.com
U.S.-Canada Border Closure Update
The border closure continues to be extended on a monthly basis, with each extension announced around the 20th of the month. It does not appear that we are close to a re-opening, although perhaps some modifications are pos-sible. Re-opening the border does not poll well in Canada, where the COVID-19 numbers are lower. The vac-cine rollout is also moving slower to the north. Prime Minister Trudeau confirmed that reopening is not in the near future.
The land closure continues to apply to “non-essential” travel. Here are the most recent Federal Register notice definitions of “essential” and “nonessential” travel:
Travel through the land ports of entry and ferry terminals along the United States-Canada border shall be lim-ited to ‘‘essential travel,’’ which includes, but is not limlim-ited to—
• U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States;
• Individuals traveling for medical purposes (e.g., to receive medical treatment in the United States); • Individuals traveling to attend educational institutions;
• Individuals traveling to work in the United States (e.g., individuals working in the farming or agriculture in-dustry who must travel between the United States and Canada in furtherance of such work);
• Individuals traveling for emergency response and public health purposes (e.g., government officials or emer-gency responders entering the United States to support federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial govern-ment efforts to respond to COVID–19 or other emergencies);
• Individuals engaged in lawful crossborder trade (e.g., truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo be-tween the United States and Canada);
• Individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel;
• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, re-turning to the United States; and
• Individuals engaged in military related travel or operations.
The following travel does not fall within the definition of ‘‘essential travel’’ for purposes of this Notification— • Individuals traveling for tourism purposes (e.g., sightseeing, recreation, gambling, or attending cultural
events).
At this time, this Notification does not apply to air, freight rail, or sea travel between the United States and Canada, but does apply to passenger rail, passenger ferry travel, and pleasure boat travel between the United States and Canada. These restrictions are temporary in nature and shall remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 21, 2021.
We have seen persons placed into five year bans for attempting to enter the United States for work related rea-sons not covered by these definitions. It is best to seek advice before approaching the land border. Also, Canada has heightened its own requirements for entry. The Canada Border Services Agency website is one reference point for up-to-date requirements on going north. Travel is very limited, and there are quarantine requirements. Trade organizations and academics are discussing what a partial border re-opening may eventually look like. Travelers could be required to present vaccination records, and submit to temperature checks. Some have sug-gested preclearance measures where travelers upload vaccination and/or serology records. The shared NEXUS
trusted traveler system is pointed to as a possible preclearance model. These ideas require substantial buy-in and investment on both sides of the border, and far from a return to “normal.” They could help for travel which might not be “essential” and yet is important, nonetheless.
A Congressional delegation lead by the Representative Del Bene, whose district covers the border, wrote the White House in February and made the following requests:
1. Establishing a bilateral plan for easing restrictions and restoring travel.
2. Vaccinating and testing all necessary U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff to safely reopen travel. 3. Reciprocate the Canadian travel exemptions to allow families and loved ones to reunite.
4. Develop a policy for property owners to cross the border to maintain their properties. 5. Work with Canada to develop reciprocal access to transit through boundary waters.
6. Permit Point Roberts residents to cross through Canada and into the mainland United States.
7. Advocate for American schoolchildren living in border communities and enrolled in Canadian schools to cross into Canada to attend school.
8. Upon the safe resumption of cruises in the United States, ensure that U.S. home-ported cruise ships re-quired to stop in Canada are able to make technical or service stops if the CDC and Canadian health authorities agree that all protocols have been established and are being met by cruise ships and cruise ports.
Hopefully, with the vaccine rollout and decline in COVID-19, better days for the border are soon ahead. The closure has been very tough on local businesses, as we all know. The closure may have longer term impacts, economically and socially. It will be important for Whatcom County stakeholders to provide input on the re-opening efforts, in order to keep the eventual increase in border flows safe and yet as friction free as possible.
Butler Beschen Law, PLLC
Is pleased to announce that Stephen Jackson has
joined the firm as an associate attorney.
Stephen comes to the firm with years of
experi-ence handling serious felonies at the Whatcom
County Public Defenders Office, clerking in US
District Court, and for the Federal Public
De-fenders Office in Nevada. Before his legal
ca-reer, Stephen worked in journalism as a reporter
during which time he won an Emmy for his
work.
Jackson’s practice includes
defense of individuals
ac-cused of criminal conduct,
appellate work, employment
actions, wrongful
discrimina-tion, civil rights, and
vacat-ing criminal convictions.
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