Page 5 - Pierce County Lawyer - July August 2024

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
JULY/AUGUST PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER
By Elizabeth Vincent
Summer is upon us, with its lazy, hazy, slightly dangerous days. As I write this column, a heat advisory
is predicted for this weekend. The foliage is hanging off the stem, right next to a burgeoning crop of judicial candidate campaign signs.
[ PG. 7 ] Local Bar President Catherine Case reminds us to take “just a bit of a break from the norm”
by getting out and enjoying the seasonal fare at the Tacoma’s Farmer’s Markets. She also highlights the annual TCPBA Bar Convention’s registration requirements, which is just a short time away!
[ PG. 9, 14 ]
In her Director’s Column, Kit Kasner announces a welcome decision of the Board of Trustees to make liaisons from the WA Women Lawyers and the Minority Bar Association voting members of the Bar. Additionally, she makes a call for writers to submit articles for this publication. Interested in taking a “break from the norm” and sharing with our readers your exposition on a subject, legal or otherwise? We’re here to entertain, as well as inform. See the article in this issue by our esteemed contributor, Professor John Weaver, with his nominations for the “Legal Academy Awards.” I would add to Professor Weaver’s list a category for Most Incompetent Lawyer, as the 1981 noir thriller Body Heat, which the professor cites in a footnote for addressing the Rule Against Perpetuities, also highlights William Hurt as an amorous advocate who is brilliantly outplayed by his client, played by Kathleen Turner.
[ PG. 11 ] We have a tribute to an outstanding member of our local Bar who recently passed away. Retired Superior Court Judge Brian Tollefson provides a portrait of his friend Judge David Kenworthy, who started his professional career as a U.S. Marine and served two tours of Vietnam. He was also an accomplished pilot and expert mountain climber who lived a large life, but is also remembered for his humility, even demeanor and compassion for others.
[ PG. 12, 13 ] President Case and President-Elect Elizabeth Johnson give all the details of the upcoming Bar Convention, which expects to be a full-glam event at lovely Leavenworth again this year. The registration form is included.
[ PG. 16 ]
Retired Superior Court Judge Ron Culpepper submits a book review of White Cascade, by Gary Krist, an evocative tale of the catastrophic Wellington Avalanche of 1910. He delves into the elements that conspired to create this disaster: the Great Northern railroad tracks near the town of Wellington blanketed with snow and debris from a winter storm, stranding the passengers and crew of the Seattle Express and a Fast Mail Train on their runs from Spokane to Seattle, a warming current thawing the mountainside snow and carving off a 150- foot block, the massive slab roaring down the slopes and pummeling the trains, throwing them into a ravine and entombing 96 people on board. A friend of mine recently hiked the trail to the Tye Ravine, and remarked at the hushed eeriness of the site.
[ PG. 22 ] Our prolific examiner of legal concepts, David Shelvey, dissects Power of Attorney Law, discussing the history and distinctions between Power of Attorney and Durable Power of Attorney. He cautions readers about the inconsistency of the states’ interpretations of the Uniform Power of Attorney Act, and the need to contact an Estate Lawyer in these various jurisdictions to determine the portability of a POA.
[ PG. 27 ] Michael McNeil from the Pierce County New and Young Lawyer’s Section enumerates the benefits of good old- fashioned networking for creating relationships with peers and mentors. He invites new and young lawyers to join their ranks and attend their monthly meetings, held the first Thursday of the month at 909 A Street in Tacoma. Get involved and become part of this vibrant community!
[ PG. 29, 30 ] Pierce County Law Librarian Stephen Seely gives us more helpful tips, this month on Consumer Law and credit scores, and the library’s resources on these topics. Tacomaprobono Community Lawyers’ Laurie Davenport summarizes their Language Access Project as part of their ongoing efforts to engage and advocate on behalf of marginalized community members. We applaud their organization’s progress in working to overcome communication barriers for those in need of legal services.
Enjoy our seasonal fare. And, however you take advantage of these summer days, be sure to keep cool!
July/August 2024 | PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER 5