Real Property, Probate & Trust Section

The Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section assists members in achieving the highest standards of competence, professionalism, and ethics in their practices. The Section is composed of legal professionals whose practices span the areas of real property, trusts, and estates. The Section’s governance structure includes two separate councils: the Real Property Council and the Probate and Trust Council.

The Section provides benefits to members by annually sponsoring several CLEs in each discipline, as well as hosting an annual midyear meeting with both joint and concurrent presentations. The Section produces a number of newsletters each year with in-depth articles on recent developments, pending legislation, and case law updates. The Section hosts an active website and list serve for each discipline providing numerous resources and current information. The Section also assists the legislature in the enactment and improvement of the laws affecting real property, probate, trusts, and estates, and assists the judiciary in the just administration of those laws.

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The following section executive committee positions are open for applications. All terms begin Oct. 1, 2023.

• Real Property Council Director (one position open): two-year position beginning Oct. 1, 2023, and ending Sept. 30, 2025.
• Real Property Council Member (two positions open): two-year position beginning Oct. 1, 2023, and ending Sept. 30, 2025.
• Probate and Trust Council Member (two positions open): two-year position beginning Oct. 1, 2023, and ending Sept. 30, 2025.

To learn more about roles and expectations for serving on the section executive committee, review this volunteer position description, which provides a general overview of section executive committee positions—these may differ for each section.

Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must be a current section member and should be eligible to vote in accordance with the section’s bylaws.

Application Process: Go to the myWSBA portal to complete the online application for open executive committee positions. The Section has requested that each applicant submit a statement of interest with your application. This document can be uploaded with your online application (PDF format only). Please be advised that application materials may be posted on this website for public viewing.

Note: If you are applying for more than one position on this or multiple sections’ committees, you must complete and submit all applications at the same time, as you will not be allowed back into the portal at a later time. Please make sure you are completing the applications within the application window for all of the relevant sections.

Nomination Process: A nominating committee consisting of the three immediate past Chairs (or if not available, such other past Chairs or members of the Section as may be appointed by the Chair, including one member who is not a current executive committee member) shall review nominated persons and shall provide its recommendations to the Chair for each of the positions on the executive committee to be elected at the annual election (i.e., the director of one of the councils and two members of each of the councils).

Notice of the request for nominations from the membership of the Section for the upcoming open positions on the executive committee shall be posted on the Section website no less than one hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the scheduled election. The notice shall state the following requirements for nominations from the membership: (a) nominations must be received by the identified member of the nominating committee no less than ninety (90) days prior to the scheduled election (and such year's deadline date shall be contained in the published notice); (b) the nomination must be endorsed by three (3) members of the Section and must state the name and Bar number of the nominee and the position for which he or she is being nominated; (c) the nominee must be a member of the Section; and (d) the nomination must contain a brief written statement of the nominee's qualifications for the position. The executive committee and nominating committee may nominate individuals, and these nominations must also conform to the requirements of (a) through (d) above. Within thirty (30) days following close of the nominations period, the nominating committee shall forward the names of the nominees complying with the foregoing process along with any additional nominees identified by the nominating committee to the Chair. The names of all nominees shall be posted on the Section website at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual election of the Section.

Alternate Nomination Process: A section member may nominate another member by emailing Tiffany Gorton at tgorton@khbblaw.com and including the nominee's statement of interest.

Elections Process: All voting members of the section will receive an electronic ballot sent to their email in June 2023. Visit this webpage in early June for election updates and voting instructions.

Questions? 
For more information about the Section, its executive committee roles, and elections process, please review the Section’s bylaws. You may also contact any member of the current Section Executive Committee or email  sections@wsba.org.

NOTICE OF ELECTIONS AND NOMINATING PROCESS

Notice is hereby given by the Washington State Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section, pursuant to RPPT Bylaw 7.3 that the following executive committee positions are open for election:

• Real Property Council Director — 2 years, ending Sept. 30, 2025
• Probate & Trust Council Member — 2 years, ending Sept. 30, 2025
• Probate & Trust Council Member — 2 years, ending Sept. 30, 2025
• Real Property Council Member — 2 years, ending Sept. 30, 2025
• Real Property Council Member — 2 years, ending Sept. 30, 2025

For a detailed description of these roles and their duties in relation to the Executive Committee, please see the Committee Member Role Description.

The nomination process shall begin March 13, 2023, and close April 15, 2023.

All nominations must be endorsed by three members of the Section and must state the name and Bar number of the nominee and the position for which he or she is being nominated. The nominee must be a member of the Section, and the nomination must contain a brief written statement of the nominee’s qualifications for the position.

To nominate a candidate, please submit the information listed above to Tiffany Gorton on the Nominating Committee no later than April 15, 2023.

Voting will take place June 20, 2023, and close June 30, 2023.

Member Benefits

• Quarterly Newsletter*

• Meeting Minutes*

• Announcements

Find more information and member benefits on the RPPT website.

The Section's two list serves are administered by the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section. If you are a section member, you can subscribe by visiting the RPPT Section's website and clicking the "For Members" tab. Look for the list serve tab. Please enter your RPPT section login credentials to access this page and on the page you will see instructions for subscribing to the list serves.

* Please note that some member benefits are password protected. Please contact the section's webmaster to receive the password.

Executive Committee

Please contact committee member for details on their upcoming meeting dates and locations.

For general Section questions, send your email address and Bar number to sections@wsba.org. For more information and to get involved with the Section, please contact Section Chair Devin McComb.