[blindlaw] Newly appointed

[Justin Young]

Congratulations of your appointments to both those boards/groups!

Justin

On 7/30/14, Elizabeth Rene via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi listmates,
>
> Just wanted to let you know that the Washington State Bar Association's
> Board of Governors this last weekend voted unanimously to appoint me to the
> WSBA Character and Fitness Board.  This is a three-year term.  As with most
> state bar associations, the Character and Fitness board conducts hearings
> and makes recommendations to the state supreme court regarding applicants
> for admission to the bar whose fitness to practice has come into question.
> It also hears complaints regarding lawyers whose conduct violates the Rules
> of Professional Conduct and makes recommendations regarding their ongoing
> fitness to practice.
>
> At the same meeting, the Board of Governors confirmed my appointment to the
> Court Rules and Procedures Committee, that has jurisdiction over everything
> but the rules governing the practice of law itself.
>
> The Character and Fitness Board has input into the Admission to Practice
> Rules and the questions asked of bar exam applicants on their admission
> forms.  This is important because there has been a growing concern here in
> Washington and in other states regarding bar admission questions that
> challenge the character and fitness of applicants based on disability status
> alone, e.g. mental illness or the receipt of psychiatric treatment.
>
> I raised the issue of the discriminatory impact of such questions to the BOG
> and stressed the importance of having someone on the board with an
> understanding and alertness to disability stigma, and they heard me.  They
> know that I want to see the definition of fitness changed and the
> application questions reworded to address conduct rather than diagnosis.
>
> This board and committee work will be very demanding, physically and
> emotionally, and will be done in addition to my own lawyering job.  I'll
> need your support and encouragement as the months go by, even though the
> substance of what I do will be confidential. I hope I can count on you all.
> Because, in some way, when one of us gets recognized like this, we all share
> in it.This is your victory too.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Elizabeth Rene
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