Seattle, Washington, April 18, 2008 — The Honorable Deborah Batts, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, addressed a sold-out ballroom last night at the annual banquet of QLaw, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Bar Association of Washington.  Distinguished GLBT guests and friends included Justice Bobbe Bridge (retired), Justice Mary Fairhurst, Anne Levinson, Senator Ed Murray, King County Executive Ron Sims, King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu, and many other celebrated members of the community.
 

Outgoing QLaw President and Co-founder Beth Barrett Bloom welcomed the crowd and recognized the many groups and individuals who contributed to QLaw’s vibrant presence in the Washington State Bar.  She also presented the Community Leadership Award to Anne Levinson, prior legal counsel to two Seattle mayors, former presiding judge for Seattle’s Mental Health Court, former chairwoman of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and a member of Force 10 Hoops, LLC, a local company praised for saving the Seattle Storm women’s professional basketball team from a pending move to Oklahoma.  Ms. Levinson accepted the award on behalf of Force 10 Hoops, which she described as a group of four women committed to providing girls the opportunity to excel in sports, an opportunity some of the women never had.

Federal District Court Judge Deborah A. Batts delivered the keynote address.  Judge Batts, an African-American, is also the first openly gay or lesbian judge to be appointed to the federal bench.  Judge Batts recalled being considered for the bench by President George H.W. Bush, whose administration ultimately declined to nominate her because “her image does not match our image.”  She was re-nominated, confirmed, and sworn in by the administration of President Bill Clinton.  Through the trials and tribulations of the confirmation process and subsequent assails on her character, Judge Batts persevered, and as she remarked to the QLaw crowd, “I am still here.”  Judge Batts praised her partner, Gwen, for her love and support, and concluded her remarks by noting that “significant diversity on the bench gives credibility to, and fosters faith in, the judicial system.”

The 2008 QLaw Special Honoree was the Honorable Bobbe Bridge, retired Justice of the Washington Supreme Court.  Justice Bridge, known for her famous dissent in Andersen v. King County, 158 Wn.2d 1, 138 P.3d 963 (2006), was introduced by her colleague and co-Andersen dissenter Justice Mary Fairhurst, and the defendant in the case, King County Executive Ron Sims.  Justice Fairhurst shared portions of Justice Bridge's many groundbreaking legal opinions affecting LGBT rights, and concluded with words echoing Justice Bridge's Andersen dissent: "Bobbe, we all look forward to that time when state-sanctioned discrimination toward our gay and lesbian citizens is erased from our state's law books."   Ron Sims remarked that never before had he wanted to lose a case so much as he wanted to lose in Andersen, and he shared his hopes of a day when our bold Justices Bridge and Fairhurst’s words would appear not in the dissent, but leading a majority opinion.  The audience rose to their feet in applause as Justice Bridge approached the stage.  Justice Bridge engaged the audience to consider the unfulfilled promises it must address as a legal community, so that all persons can live “free of legal bias.”  “The obligation of lawyers,” she said, “is to pursue justice for all.”  A longstanding advocate for children, Justice Bridge is now president of the board for the Center for Children and Youth Justice, where she will address the needs of at-risk youth, including GLBT youth who are homeless or struggling in the foster care system.

The Honorable Judge Mary Yu presented QLaw’s Public Interest Summer Grant recipient, Sarah White.  Judge Yu remarked that when the Grant Committee of QLaw concluded their interview with Ms. White, the committee’s support of this “stellar” law student was enthusiastic.  Ms. White, a first-year student at the University of Washington School of Law, will receive $5,000 in grant funds so that she may spend her summer as a legal intern with the Northwest Women’s Law Center in Seattle.   She will engage in research and policy analysis to advance GLBT rights.  Funding for the grant was made possible by the QLaw Foundation in conjunction with generous matching funds from the University of Washington School of Law.
 

Dainen Penta, incoming president of QLaw, concluded the evening with heartfelt thanks to all and the assurance that QLaw would continue to serve as a voice for the GLBT legal community.    He congratulated and welcomed newly elected members of the Board of Directors, including Sherman Helenese of WaMu, Barbara Rhoads-Weaver of Bullivant Houser Bailey, and Misty Willits of Helsell Fetterman and banquet chair.  He also acknowledged re-elected members of the Board, including Lisa Gilmore of Helsell Fetterman, Michael Heath of UBS Financial Services, and Andrew Kamins of Heller Ehrman.

In addition to individual sponsors, the QLaw banquet was sponsored by a number of law firms, including Silver sponsors Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Heller Ehrman LLP, Helsell Fetterman LLP, K&L Gates, Lane Powell PC, and Perkins Coie LLP, and Bronze level sponsors Bullivant Houser Bailey PC, Cairncross & Hempelmann PS, Christensen O'Connor Johnson Kindness PLLC, Cohen & Iaria, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Frank Freed Subit & Thomas LLP, Michael Longyear & Eric Brunstrom of Reed Longyear Malnati & Ahrens PLLC, McKinley Irvin PLLC, The Nahajski Firm, Ogden Murphy Wallace PLLC, Olympic Law Group PLLP, Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt PC, Seattle University School of Law, Starbucks Coffee Company, Stoel Rives LLP, Stokes Lawrence PS, Susman Godfrey LLP, Williams Kastner and WaMu.


Additional banquet photos will be posted on the photographer's website when available.  For more information or to inquire about 2009 sponsorship opportunities, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Seattle, Washington, [March 12, 2008].  Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation today greatly expanding the scope of rights available to registered domestic partners.  The legislation increases the rights, protections and obligations of registered domestic partners, including same-sex couples and qualifying heterosexual couples with one partner over the age of 62 years.  Read the house bill report here; read the full text of the bill here.

"Many lawyers throughout the state will have clients who are impacted by this new law, and will need to consider the impact on their clients and on their practice," said Beth Barrett Bloom, President of QLaw: the GLBT Bar Association of Washington.  "As long as we maintain a parallel - but not identical - track of marriage rights for gay men and lesbians, lawyers representing our community will need a map and a flashlight to carefully tread this new frontier." 

The domestic partner registry created in 2007 granted certain rights to qualifying registered domestic partners related to health care decision-making, powers of attorney, rights and responsibilities related to death and others.  The new legislation expands these rights and responsibilities in areas of law including:

o Dissolution, parenting plans, child support
o Community property and other property rights
o Judicial process and victim's rights
o Taxes
o Public officials
o Public assistance
o Veterans
o Guardianship and powers of attorney
o Probate and trust law

In addition, the process for terminating a domestic partnership has been changed dramatically.  While a domestic partnership under the prior registry could be terminated by following notice filing requirements, the new law requires most domestic partners to file a petition for dissolution in superior court and follow the procedures applicable to dissolution of marriages.  A limited exception allows non-judicial dissolution for domestic partnerships that meet a stringent list of requirements.

Some highlights of the new domestic partnership law include:

o Judicial dissolution procedures, including a statutory right for domestic partners to access the courts for child support, maintenance and parenting plan obligations and the enforcement of orders;
o Application of community property rules to domestic partners as of the date of registration;
o Extension of the spousal testimony privilege to domestic partners;
o Inclusion of a registered domestic partner as a "family or household member" for purposes of domestic violence laws;
o Exempts real property assigned to a registered domestic partner under a dissolution decree from real estate excise tax;
o Permits domestic partners who are residents in long-term care facilities to share the same room;
o Establishes domestic partners not named in a will created before registration as omitted domestic partners for purposes of intestate distribution.

Most provisions of the bill take effect 90 days after adjournment of the legislative session (which was March 13, 2008).  Notable exceptions are section 1042, which reinstates prior law related to mediation in family law cases, and section 1047 which relates to family court programs.  These provisions take effect January 1, 2009 and July 1, 2009, respectively. 

Practitioners should be careful to assess the federal tax consequences that domestic partnership registration may have on Washington couples, including possible gift and estate tax implications of the community property provisions and provisions applying maintenance requirements in a dissolution.  In addition, practitioners should note that domestic partners registered under the current law must take steps to unregister or explore entering into a separate property or other domestic partnership agreement prior to the effective date of the new law if they wish to try to mitigate or change some of the default rules contained in the new law.  Currently registered domestic partners should speak to their legal and financial advisors prior to the effective date of the new law.

"The fact that nearly two-thirds of the members of the House co-sponsored the bill seems to demonstrate a growing consensus that domestic partners should be afforded more of the rights, benefits and obligations that married couples enjoy automatically," said Andrew Kamins, a member of the QLaw Board of Directors who testified in favor of the bill.

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