2026 Spring Conference



Please take a few minutes to complete our Conference Survey before you head home.

Conference Agenda

(please click on link above to access the agenda)
Conference Venue Wifi
Network: Fairmont_Meeting
Access Code: WSAMA26
Conference Materials below can also be found in the File Archive Here.
Any materials that aren't available yet have not been received or will have a note that they won't be available. Remaining materials should be available online after the conference concludes.
 



Conference Materials:


Thursday April 23rd
Thursday General Session
A Judge’s Take on Dispositive Motions - King Co. Superior Court Judge Mike Ryan & Roger Wynne - PPT will not be available online, Handout only
Legislative Update - Joe Beck, City of Puyallup & Shannon McClelland AWC
Criminal Law Update - Bradley Lane, TSRP, City of Seattle
Public Defense Case Loads: Complying with Court Rules and Keeping the System Running - Anita Khandelwal and Scott Ferron, Pacifica Law Group
  1. The updated CrR 3.1, effective January 1, 2026.
  2. The Washington Supreme Court’s Clarifying Order regarding caseload standards, issued November 6, 2025.
  3. The WSBA’s indigent defense standards
  4. The Washington Supreme Court’s decision, In re Detention of M.E., issued on March 19, 2026.
ETHICS: The Distinction Between Work Product and Attorney-Client Privilege in a Government Setting - Kerala Cowart and Ghazal Sharifi, City of Seattle
 
Thursday Civil Session
ETHICS - When Decorum Breaks Down: Ethical Lawyering Amid Hostility and Misinformation - Charli Archer, Inslee Best
Protecting Privacy in the Public Sphere - Judge Matthew J. Segal (ret.) and Greg Wong, Pacifica Law Group
Bid Protests for Public Works Contracts--How to avoid, defend, and win protests - Kellen Patterson and Jonathan Schirmer, Ballard Spahr
Crafting Skills for Drafting Bills: How to Issue Spot in Ordinances - Brandon Isleib, City of Seattle
Social Media and the First Amendment - Kyla S. Bond, Kitsap County - PPT will not be available online

Thursday Criminal Session
Ethics: UVISA review and Potential Impeach Disclosure (for UVISAs) - Michael Rio, Rio Foltz
Video Evidence in Motions/Trials (Body Cams a Case Study) - Michelle Rutherford, TSRP, Snohomish County
Therapeutic Courts Panel - Geoff McCann, City of Mount Vernon and Hil Kaman, City of Everett (No PPT Available)
 

Friday April 24th
Friday Civil Session
Litigating a PRA case When Material Facts are in Dispute (Procedural Tools) - Jessica Goldman, Summit Law Group and Jessica Leiser, City of Seattle
Municipal Authority to Collect Wealth, Income, and Head Taxes - Debra Casparian, City of Tacoma
When Leave Laws Collide: Navigating the Impact of E2SHB 1213 on PFML, FMLA and Other Leave Laws - Rachel Bender Turpin, Madrona Law Group
ETHICS - Managing Conflict Screens - Steve DiJulio, Foster Garvey
  1. Screening for conflicts
  2. Conflict Policy Memo
Overview of the Recycling Reform Act - McKenna Morrigan City of Seattle & Shannon McClelland AWC
Tort Law Update - Dan Lloyd, Lighthouse Law Group

Friday Criminal Session
Legislative Update DUI - Michelle Rutherford, TSRP, Snohomish County
10.77 Issues (Restoration, Forensic Navigators, Sell Hearing) - Hil Kaman, City of Everett (No PPT available)
The Current State of the Confrontation Clause since Hall-Haught - Bradley Lane, TSRP, City of Seattle
Voir Dire in Domestic Violence Cases - Brie Hopkins, City of Bellevue