WSBA Responds to Coronavirus

Updated March 20, 2020

Find an ongoing list of COVID-19 updates and resources here.

WSBA's Response to COVID-19

Amidst concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus particularly in western Washington, the Washington State Bar Association is following advice from Public Health — Seattle & King County to assist employers in keeping their staff healthy and protecting those in the community who are most vulnerable. While the WSBA office remains open at this time, we are:

• supporting employees who are able to work remotely to do so.
• examining whether non-essential meetings or events can be held virtually.

Overall, we intend to continue the highest level of service to our members and the public while also cooperating to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the weeks to come. We will keep monitoring the situation closely and reassessing week by week. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this extraordinary time.

On Monday, March 16, WSBA President Rajeev Majumdar and Interim Executive Director Terra Nevitt sent an email to all WSBA members notifying them of further measures for the safety of members, staff, and visitors to our offices during the COVID-19 outbreak. Measures include:

• WSBA is limiting access to its office, but services will continue to be made available. WSBA will close general public access to its Seattle office beginning March 17, to comply with orders from health-department officials and to ensure the safety of staff and volunteers. For assistance, please refer to our services directory and questions@wsba.org for general inquires.
• Court emergency operations and closures. The Washington Supreme Court has postponed March oral arguments and authorized presiding trial court judges to respond appropriately to protect the safety of their own courts and communities.
• The Board of Governors meeting on March 19 will be held virtually. Following the guidance of state and local government officials, the meeting has been moved from Olympia to a primarily virtual format hosted from WSBA headquarters. See the agenda and remote participation access as we finalize details before Thursday.
• On-demand Legal Lunchbox for April and other WSBA CLEs. April’s Legal Lunchbox on-demand CLE is free throughout April. We plan to use webinar technology for other WSBA CLE offerings throughout April to allow for remote faculty and attendee participation with minimal disruption.
• Practice support. Our free legal research platforms—Casemaker and Fastcase—offer services that also may be beneficial if you are affected by closures of local law libraries.

Guidance for Legal Professionals

We have also gathered resources and advice for legal professionals to prepare for a pandemic. Please see Are You Prepared for a Pandemic in the Legal Community for more information.