CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Transcript

1 ccbawashington.org OCTOBER 2012 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION SENIORS WIN AGAIN! page 5 page 14

2 THIS MONTH S ISSUE President s Message...3 Senior Lawyers Victorious Again!!!...5 Small/Solo Legal Practice Management Article 1: /13 Nuts & Bolts, FLS & CLE Calendar...8 Transition of Assignments for Superior Court...9 Health Care Proxies & Financial Powers of Attorney...11 CCBA Monthly Board Meeting...12 Access to Justice in Clark County and Beyond...13 Clark County Superior Court Meeting Minutes...14 YLS Announcements...16 Family Law Section...16 Family Law Section Calendar...17 The Devil s Advocate...18 Ο πραγµατικός Σωκράτης...19 Hearsay Profile: The Gavel...21 Double Hearsay...22 Inns of Court...23 Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program...24 News You Can Use...25 Attorney Bookkeeping Tips...25 Law Library News...25 Legally Drawn...25 SW Washington Lawyer Referral Service...26 Events Calendar...26 HEARSAY is published 12 times per year and is design edited by: JEFF GOUGH, Creative Director GOUGH CREATIVE GROUP GCG director@goughcreative.com An annual "green" subscription is included with annual membership dues. Members may purchase a hardcopy subscription for $ Letters, news items, upcoming events and announcements are welcome. Articles by members are accepted. Submissions should be presented in Microsoft Word and may be edited for length, clarity and style. Submissions by members are published at the editor s discretion and space available. Views expressed in articles represent the authors opinions, not necessarily the CCBA s. The publication does not purport to offer legal advice. RICHARD G. SPIER MEDIATOR CCBA OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Highly experienced full-time neutral since 1992 Business & commercial; personal injury; employment; real estate & construction Listed for Mediation in The Best Lawyers in America Member, Oregon and Washington Bars Fax rspier@spier-mediate.com N.E. 28th Avenue Portland, Oregon No charge for travel time or travel expense in Oregon and Washington

3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE SUZAN CLARK CCBA President As I enjoy what promises to be one of the last sunny days of our beautiful Fall weather, my thoughts go to what a different ship I inherited than my predecessors when I became president of the CCBA. Now that our association is on a steady course of financial solvency, the focus of the board will shift towards how to best meet the ongoing needs of our membership. The Hearsay magazine remains one of our most popular and visible benefits. During his term as CCBA President, David Ridenour led the effort to convert our photocopied paper newsletter (reminiscent of newsletters sent out by elementary schools) to the color magazine format you enjoy today. A small but consistent group of members have served on the Hearsay committee over the years. David Gregerson succeeded David Ridenour as editor. After completing his term as president, Kurt Rylander took over the editing reins. The association owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to these editors, particularly Kurt Rylander as he has held the position for longer than any of his predecessors. Developing interesting original content presents a challenge to the dedicated few that work on Hearsay month to month. They need material, photos and ideas from the membership. If you would like to submit an article, have an idea for a story or have a subject matter you would be interested in seeing featured in the Hearsay, please let Kurt Rylander, Lisa Darco or any of the board members know. The ongoing strength and success of the Hearsay depends on your input and participation. office. The CCBA now has two exceedingly capable employees staffing the bar office part time. On a final note, I decided that if I add some of my favorite travel photos to the President s Message, I might draw more readers. This month I am featuring photos I took in Kruger National Park, South Africa, a place that should be on the top of your bucket list to visit marks the 35th anniversary of the formation of the CCB A. The annual CCBA Barrister s Ball will be held on February 23, 2013 at the Pearson Air Museum. We need input from our membership in planning the evening. We also welcome your participation on the social committee to help plan the event. Last year Beaches catered a sit down dinner and we featured a DJ for after dinner dancing. As only a few intrepid members danced, the board is soliciting your comments and suggestions for this year s ball. Please call or e mail me or our CCBA manager, Lisa Darco with your input. The Barrister s Ball provides a great opportunity to socialize with members and retired members who you don t see on a regular basis. We are compiling a slide show of photos of CCBA members and activities from the past 35 years. Please send in your old and new photos of members and events to the bar office. We recently hired Heather Norton to replace Kaitlin Lisandrelli as our member services coordinator. Heather is an attorney whose career for the last several years focused on raising a family. I believe we are very fortunate that her desire to ease back the world of law as her children get a bit older brought her to our HEARSAY - OCTOBER

4 Benefits of CCBA Membership HEARSAY Monthly Newsletter (and discounted advertising rates) Free copy of the Membership and Resource Directory High-quality CLEs at discounted member rates; saving you travel time and money on your annual educational requirements Access to the Southwest Washington Lawyer Referral Service Social and networking opportunities throughout the year: quarterly membership meetings, annual Golf Tournament, Winter Social, and the Summer Barbeque The opportunity to participate in committees and sections pertinent to your interests and practice Call to become a member! HENDERSON LAW FIRM, PLLC Phender745@gmail.com MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE PERSONAL INJURY WRONGFUL DEATH Representative Jury Verdicts and Settlements: Failure to diagnose brain tumor $4.5 million Obstetrics malpractice $3.5 million Obstetrics malpractice $1.6 million Trampoline accident $1 million Electrocution at work -- $900,000 Motorcycle collision -- $500,000 Rear end MVC. Soft tissue injury -- $230,000 Available for referral or association on serious injury, wrongful death and medical negligence cases. Advising Property Owners, Condominium & Homeowner Associations for 20 years. MICHAEL SIMON Phone: (WA) (OR) Fax: michael.simon@landerholm.com The focus of Mike Simon's law practice is representing condominium and homeowners associations, government condemnations, individuals and businesses with land use, real estate, and civil litigation matters. He approaches each issue through its details, reviewing and interpreting the most complex documents to formulate the best approach to representing his clients. 4 CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

5 Senior Lawyers Victorious Again!!! Photo credits: Special thanks to DEBBIE STAHNKE for the cover photo of Judge Gonzales, and the rest of tournament photos in this article. BOB VUKANOVICH CCRA Special Correspondent For the second year in a row, the senior lawyers beat the young lawyers in the annual CCBA softball game. Normally, the senior lawyers start getting to the softball field about an hour early so that they can take some fielding, batting practicing, and, most importantly, do some stretching. It is amazing as we get older that the stretching becomes mandatory. Unfortunately, this year the field was being used right up until game time. Consequently, the senior lawyers had to come to the plate and bat first without any warm-ups whatsoever. The young lawyers were salivating, thinking that the senior, David West makes a great play or in their minds the old, lawyers were going to be in a world of hurt. Oh were they mistaken!!!! The senior lawyers came out swinging and scored 4 runs in the first inning. When the senior lawyers had to take the field, they started a battery that was 129 years old (i.e., Bill Baumgartner on the mound and Roger Bennett behind the plate). After getting the first batter out, manager Dan Stahnke Bob Vukanovich looks like he is sneaking home! announced that Bill had reached his pitching limit (a Steven Strasburg decision) and was replaced by Scott Horenstein. The young lawyers were put down one, two, and three in the first inning. Once in the lead, the senior lawyers never relinquished it; due in part to the superior playing of the entire team and especially the co-mvps Scott Horenstein and Shawn MacPherson. This is the second year in a row that Scott Horenstein was named co-mvp due to his superior pitching. He had the young lawyers confused They all look like winners! all day with that now famous Horenstein screwball pitch. After the game, the young lawyers were complaining that the ball was dropping as it crossed the plate, causing them to continually hit grounders. The other co-mvp of the day, Shawn MacPherson, played second base flawlessly, and did just as much damage with his bat. While there were two MVPs, it must be said that the entire senior team played exceptionally; from David West covering center field like a gazelle, Greg Gonzales continuing to play shortstop even after hurting his arm, to Roger Bennett going 3 for 4 at the plate. Manager Stahnke did put in a pinch runner for Roger however after Roger was clocked running from home plate to first base in just under 10 minutes. At the end of the day, the senior lawyers won the game 13 to 7, and the senior lawyers could be heard chanting three-peat as they were leaving the field. With this said, a special thanks needs to be given to the young lawyers for making the game possible. They provided the umpire, the food, and the drinks. Without them, the game would not be possible. Chris Boyd snags it with Andrew Wheeler close on his heels! Judge Stahnke says Make it a 3fer! Last, it is this writer s understanding that Chris Boyd will be moving to the senior lawyers team next year. A meeting was held by the senior lawyers and it was decided that Chris would be allowed to carry our equipment and get us drinks during the game. If he performs those duties well, he may even get some playing time!! Hopefully more people come out next year. This is a wonderful event and we all have lots of fun and laughs. HEARSAY - OCTOBER

6 CCBA HEARSAY ARTICLE SERIES: Small/Solo Legal Practice Management Article 1: Intro to the Series and Impetus MARK SAMPATH Hearsay Special Correspondent Recently, your illustrious, and controversial, yes we are referring to you Rylander, Hearsay editorial staff sat down to kick around some potential ideas for future articles. As we sat in the bowels of 500 Eighth Street that are the CCBA offices, we discussed Dave Gregerson s potential introspective pilgrimage to an ashram in Pennsylvania (we can all appreciate that given his future job as Superior Court judge) and Kurt Rylander s inability to find a late morning weekday tennis partner (surprise, surprise, most attorneys are actually doing work at that time of day). During that lively meeting, the discussion turned to the potential near-term sale of a Clark County law firm. As we discussed the issues that such a potential transaction raise, it became clear that there are a number of specific practice management related issues that many small law firms and solo attorneys must deal with. Clark County is known as having one of the highest per capita concentrations of solo practioners and small law firms in the State of Washington, maybe even the United States. While there are more than 800 attorneys currently practicing in Clark County, less than 70 of them do so in a law firm with more than 4 attorneys; less than 10% of Clark County licensed attorneys work at a medium or large law firm. Those of us practicing law either as a solo attorney or as part of a small law firm are acutely aware of how challenging it is to succeed in such an environment. The challenging economy, both locally and nationally, has made the business aspects of our jobs that much harder. These challenges do not take into account the amount of time that we spend on non-billable tasks such as marketing, administrative issues, billing and pro-bono. Additionally, solo and small firm lawyers must worry about long term issues such as retirement planning, health and life insurance, and succession planning. Finally, just understanding and managing the business aspects of running a law practice, especially controlling overhead, is particularly challenging. Let s face it, not all of us have an investment banking or business background, or are lucky enough to get a cushy gig as a Clark County Superior Court Judge. Yes, Dave Gregerson, I am talking about you. So, we thought it might be both interesting and hopefully useful to do a series of articles over the next year exploring these issues that solo and small firm attorneys deal with. Along the way, we will share some of the experiences and best practices of our community s attorneys and provide some information gained from local experts outside of the legal industry. The interest in this series of articles carries a personal note for me. As a solo practitioner, my family has to date had access to health care insurance through my wife s employer; an experience which I suspect is quite common for Clark County solo practitioners and small firm attorneys for whom health care benefits are both complicated and costly. Recently, my wife has decided to change career paths, which includes going back to school. For us, this means that going forward, we are going to have to obtain and pay for health care insurance on our own, putting us into uncharted territory. So it is under these conditions that we will embark on this Better Know Your Practice series (apologies to Stephen Colbert). Along the way, we will look at issues such as the different health care options available to solo attorneys and small law firms and the associated costs and administrative burdens. We will talk to some experienced certified financial planners to get some insights and practical tips regarding planning and saving for retirement, both individually as well as through the law firm entity. We will explore the issue of purchasing or selling a law practice and partnering with fellow attorneys to create a law firm. We will look at succession planning issues. Additionally, we will look at some of the different technologies that are available which help solo and small firm attorneys manage their practice; from cost effective scanning solutions to 6 CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

7 practice management software that allows attorneys to cheaply manage conflict lists, time and billing, and contacts. Finally we will explore the issue of law office overhead and talk about the different ways that a solo attorney or small firm practice can view overhead. From that starting point, we will examine different options that attorneys have for controlling or reducing overhead expenses so that they can better maximize firm or attorney income. This includes examining the choice to rent office space, utilizing a virtual or home office, or buying a law office building and becoming both landlord and tenant. Our hope is that this Better Know Your Practice series will address some of the concerns and questions that solo and small firm attorneys have in these areas and maybe provide some tips and potential solutions that actually add value. The first article in this series will focus on financial and retirement planning for attorneys. If not, well at least I managed to meet my editor s requirement of filling up some blank space on a monthly basis. We are creative about protecting intellectual property Representing Injured Workers on Their Washington Claims Busick Hamrick, PLLC Patents Trademarks Copyrights 406 West 12th Street Vancouver, WA (360) Trade Secrets Unfair Competition Litigation Licensing Counseling Due Diligence RYLANDER & ASSOCIATES PC Trial & Patent Attorneys Steven L. Busick Frances R. Hamrick Douglas M. Palmer (360) Washington Street Vancouver, WA Conference Room available to rent The CCBA s office conference room is available for meetings and depositions at reasonable rates. Call Lisa at: HEARSAY - OCTOBER

8 2012/13 Nuts & Bolts, FLS & CLE Calendar Call to register For firms with new associates, this series is a great way to support your local bar association and provide new associates with an introduction to the community and a broad set of useful legal skills and information. 8 CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

9 MEMORANDUM TO: All Concerned FROM: Barbara D. Johnson, Superior Court Presiding Judge RE: Transition of Assignments for Superior Court FAMILY COURT ASSIGNMENT CHANGES Judge Nichols, Department 3: At the end of 2012, Judge Nichols will transition from Family Law to Criminal/Civil assignment, taking over Judge Melnick s Dept 5 caseload. Judge Nichols will continue to preside over Adult Drug Court. The other judges doing the Crim/Civil caseload will develop a coverage schedule for the days Drug Court conflicts with the Crim/Civil schedule. Judge Nichols will remain in his current courtroom on the 4th Floor of the Courthouse. Judge Melnick, Department 5: Beginning January 2013, Judge Melnick will transition from Crim/Civil to Family Law, taking over Judge Nichols Family Law caseload. This assignment will continue until the end of Judge Melnick will remain in his current courtroom on the 5th floor of the Courthouse. Judge Stahnke, Department 1: Beginning January 2014, and through June, 2015, Judge Stahnke will take over the Family Law caseload from Judge Melnick. Judge Stahnke will remain in his courtroom on the 3rd floor of the Courthouse. Department 8 will take over the Family Law caseload from Judge Stahnke beginning July, 2015, through December, Judge Gonzales, Department 4: Judge Gonzales will remain in the Family Law assignment at the Family Law Annex until the end of Beginning January 2015, Judge Gonzales will transition to the Crim/Civil caseload, taking over the Crim/Civil caseload and courtroom of Department 2. NEW JUDGE Assignment for incoming Department 2 Judge, David Gregerson: After taking office at the beginning of the new term January 14, 2013, Judge Gregerson will take over the Department 2 Crim/Civil caseload and courtroom located on the 3rd floor of the Courthouse through December Beginning January 2015, Judge Gregerson will transition to Family Law, taking over the Family Law caseload of Judge Gonzales and the courtroom at the Family Law Annex. Other Judges remain in their current assignments through the Term of Office Judge Rulli will remain in Family Law assignment at the Annex, and continue to preside over Juvenile Recovery Court. Judges Johnson, Lewis, and Collier will remain in the Crim/Civil caseload and their present courtrooms at the Courthouse. Judge Woolard will remain in the courtroom on the 3rd floor of the Courthouse and the Crim/Civil caseload, except as noted above, with Department 8 transitioning to Family Law in July, This schedule may be subject to change in the event of retirement of any judges. HEARSAY - OCTOBER

10 Desk For Sale Desk is 71" long x 59" high x 35" deep. Asking $75 Computer and phone not included Call Lisa at the CCBA for details CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

11 The Clark County Bar Association is pleased to announce its Twenty-third Nuts and Bolts Lecture: Health Care Proxies & Financial Powers of Attorney by Attorney Peter Fels Wednesday, November 14 th, 3:00 5:00 PM, at the Red Lion at the Quay Health Care Proxies and Financial Powers of Attorney Issues to be considered: 1. Statutory background 8. Bank (or other financial institution) refusal to accept 2. Capacity 3. Who is client 4. Fiduciary duty 5. Gifting/disclaimers 6. Undue influence 7. Competing POAs 9. Honoring funeral instructions 10. Unsigned agent acceptance line 11. Who to name, naming attorney 12. Competing POLST and health care directive, health care POA 13. Revocation HEARSAY - OCTOBER

12 CCBA Board Meeting Minutes DAVID GREGERSON CCBA Secretary Sept. 5, 2012 Board members in attendance: S. Clark; D. Gregerson, J. Nellor; J. Fairgrieve (presiding); A. Dunn. Staff in attendance: L. Darco 1. Fairgrieve called the meeting to order at 12:10 PM. 2. Approval of minutes from Aug. 1, On motion duly made, seconded, and passed, minutes are APPROVED. 3. Nellor was present and provided treasurer s report, commenting that we are stable and better off than we were a year ago. Expenses are averaging $6,100/month. Income has increased. Budget will be proposed with approximately $1,000 more in monthly income and corresponding expenses. Nellor recommends a reserve fund of as-yet undetermined quantity. 4. Old business: a. Kaiser balance transfer: Tabled. b. Mentorship program update: Fairgrieve reports he has explored model programs in other bar associations, but they are rare. More exist as state level attorney training programs. We will try to create a new and unique one, to be overviewed at general membership meeting next week. c. September annual meeting: September 10 at 12:00 at Inn at the Quay, CLE to be added to supplement after the meeting. Discussion held regarding program content and duration, with draft agenda. Approximately 30 have already registered. 5. New Business a. Membership surveys: work in progress, tabled for now. b. SmartPros Legal and Ethics online CLE: Fairgrieve was approached by vendor. Recommended referral of this matter to the CLE committee for a response, if any. Set over for 1 month for a report. c. New Trustees: Committee reviewed three interested applicants and ranked them for slate recommendation. d. SGAL: Dunn reports we are waiting for 1) an application, and 2) to hear feedback from the bench regarding amending local rules. Existing templates exist from sister counties. Discussion held on how, and who, to administer the list of approved SGALs. e. Copy machine: Annual audit from copier vendor indicates our usage is way under contracted rate. Rep. recommends a new machine at lower price. Darco should explore all options, including competition among vendors. f. Overdue Invoice Policy: Vendors should be personally called, then brought to the board if issue is not resolved. g. Golf Tournament: postponed until May. Discussion held regarding whether it should be organized by a committee or overseen by the board. h. Barrister s Ball: discussion held regarding program options, including casino or poker tournament. Input from members will be sought. 6. There being no more business before the board, on motion duly made, seconded, and passed, the board meeting was ADJOURNED. ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY Vancouver law firm Marsh, Higgins, Beaty & Hatch is seeking a licensed Washington State attorney having a minimum of two years litigation experience. The candidate should have consumer bankruptcy experience and have experience in or willingness to develop, a couple other areas of law. Basic knowledge of Microsoft word, Excel, and Outlook required. Oregon license is a plus. The candidate will be expected to fully manage his or her own cases and have direct client contact. This position provides the opportunity for a candidate with initiative and a willingness to work hard, to quickly develop as an attorney. We offer a competitive benefits and compensation package. Please respond to this ad by forwarding your cover letter and résumé to legalmanager@yahoo.com. OFFICE SHARE/SPACE FOR RENT 514 West 9th. Nice large office with bay windows recently remodeled. Receptionist, use of conference room, copy machine, kitchen and parking spot included. Block from courthouse. Utilities included. $650/mo. Adjoining smaller office available for asst? Charming landlord. Call CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

13 Access to Justice in Clark County and Beyond LOREN ETENGOFF Hearsay Special Correspondent Law Offices of Loren S. Etengoff PETER FELS Hearsay Special Correspondent Law Office of Peter L. Fels, PC Loren Etengoff, Law Offices of Loren S. Etengoff Peter Fels, Law Office of Peter L. Fels, PC The 2012 Campaign for Equal Justice is in full swing and we are calling on all attorneys in Clark County to show their support for equal justice this year. The Campaign for Equal Justice is Washington State s annual fund drive that raises money for more than 20 civil legal aid programs - including the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP). Every year thousands of low-income families in our state, including hundreds in our own neighborhood, find themselves faced with an urgent civil legal crisis: they need access to unemployment and public benefits, domestic violence advocacy, and eviction help. The Clark County VLP is working hard to make sure that those who need legal help can get it, even if they can t afford a lawyer. The Washington State Supreme Court conducted a civil legal needs study in At the time, they found that three out of four low-income people face an urgent civil legal crisis ever year, and only one in five get access to legal help. Since then, we have been faced with an economic crisis that has left more people struggling financially. Requests for legal help have skyrocketed since 2008: Domestic Violence Advocacy up 95% Home foreclosure help up 490% Requests for food assistance up 213% At the same time, Interest on Lawyer Trust Account funds, a traditional funding source for civil legal aid, has dropped from a high of $9 million in 2007 to less than $2 million each year since The bright spot in all of this has been the Campaign for Equal Justice. The legal community of our great state has stepped up to say that access to justice is important to us. In 2011, the Campaign raised over $1.3 million for legal aid. Lawyers and judges from Clark County contributed $16,519, and over $34,000 came back to the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program. We had 30% participation from lawyers and judges in Clark County, and we know we can get even more this year. You can help ensure access to the justice system for everyone in Clark County by making a contribution to the Campaign for Equal Justice this year. There are many ways to give. You can contribute online at You can also make a contribution when you renew your Washington State Bar license beginning in October. Volunteers for the Campaign will be getting together in November to make calls and help raise money. If you make your donation before November 14th we ll take you off the list! So hurry up, beat us to the punch and make your donation today. Thank you to everyone in Clark County who has made a contribution already this year: Susan Arney Matthew S. Bisturis Karen Leslie Campbell Loren S. Etengoff Hon. Robert L. Harris Alicia L. Lowe Mark W. Muenster Judith Zeider and P. Alex Mintz LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION Sole practitioner looking for small executive suite office space? Would you like to be across the street from the Clark County Courthouse? Here is the perfect location for you! One year lease includes: Reception/waiting area for clients, free conference room use, copy machine availability, fax machine availability, separate 7 x 10 storage space available for lease, kitchen/break room. Utilities and janitorial included. Contact Teresa at HEARSAY - OCTOBER

14 CLARK COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT BENCH/BAR MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 JOHN FAIRGRIEVE CCBA President The meeting began shortly after noon. Persons present were Judge Robert Lewis, Judge John Nichols, Ann Christian, Suzan Clark, Jolene Sell, Clay Spencer, Heather Beasley, Emily Sheldrick and John Fairgrieve. OLD BUSINESS: 1. Indigent Defense Standards: Ann Christian began the meeting by telling the committee that certain portions of CrR 3.1, the new Standards for Indigent Defense, will begin to go into effect on October 1, 2012 (the standards can be found at d) Standard 3.4, relating to caseload standards, will become effective on September 1, Ann pointed out to the committee that the caseload standards specifically use the term should rather than shall, a change made by the court to the standards as they were proposed to the court. Ann also told the committee that starting on October 1, 2013, appointed criminal defense counsel would have to file a Certification of Compliance with Applicable Standards form on a quarterly basis. In summary, by signing the form an attorney certifies that he or she meets basic minimum professional qualifications; that the attorney has access to an office for meetings, a post office box, and adequate telephone service; that the attorney has investigators available and will use them as appropriate, and that he or she complies with the standard regarding nonexcessive caseloads. Ann stated that attorneys who have a local indigent defense contract will file with her and that she will notify the court. She further stated that if an attorney fails to file a certification he or she will be ineligible to be appointed to future indigent defense cases. Ann also stated that she is concerned that the proposed caseload standards for district court, found at CrRLJ 3.1, is higher than our district court providers have been handling. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Mandatory Mediation Pilot Program: John Fairgrieve raised the question of whether there was any interest in starting a mandatory mediation pilot program for civil cases. Heather Beasley stated mediation was required in civil cases in Oregon and Emily Sheldrick stated that it was the same in federal district court. Judge Lewis indicated that the superior court judges might be receptive to a pilot mediation program, but asked who would pay for mandatory mediation? He observed that mediation and arbitration are usually good for attorneys but not for litigants with modest means. 2. Suzan Clark told the committee that our district court plans on starting to use electronic filing in January Judge Lewis told the committee that Judge Melnick will replace Judge Nichols as a family law judge in January 2013 and will remain in that position for a year. The plan is for Judge Nichols to retain his drug court responsibilities for the time being. In 2014 Judge Stahnke will be moving to family court. Judge Gonzales will remain in family court for the time being. Judge Lewis told the committee that the county needs the equivalent of three full-time judges to handle the family court load. He stated that the general goal is to create a regular rotation of judges through family court. He also told the committee that the judges want to get away from the perception that the rotation of 14 CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION