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Washington State Bar Association presents Decoding the Law: Race Relations, Police, and the Law │ Dec. 4, 2017

Updated: March 17, 2021

SEATTLE – The next installment of the Washington State Bar Association’s new community dialogue series, Decoding the Law, will address the legal system’s response during a time of racial tension. Decoding the Law convenes legal professionals and the public in dialogues about timely issues in the news from a legal perspective. Details for the upcoming event:<./p>

We invite the public to learn more about the legal perspectives behind the headlines of the day,” said Washington State Bar Association Executive Director Paula Littlewood. “Our hope is to bring bar members and the community together to discuss significant issues in a conversational, nonpartisan way.”

Decoding the Law: Race Relations, Police, and the Law will delve into community policing, the warrior versus guardian way of training, its impact on race relations, and more. Distinguished panelists include Norm Stamper, former chief of police for the Seattle Police Department; Sue Rahr, executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission; and Michele Storms, deputy director of ACLU Washington. It will be moderated by William Pickett, president-elect of the Washington State Bar Association.

After “Race Relations, Police, and the Law,” the next subject in the quarterly Decoding the Law series will be “What is Sexual Harassment?” in March 2018, to coincide with International Women’s Day. Decoding the Law launched earlier this year with a three-part series on the death penalty and continued in June with “Transgender Rights and Legislation,” and in August with a two-part series on “Immigration: Policy and Personal Perspectives.” Each event takes place at the Washington State Bar Association’s Conference Center in downtown Seattle and is also available via live webcast or can be downloaded for viewing at a later date.

For more information about Decoding the Law, visit www.wsba.org/news-and-events/decoding-the-law

About the Washington State Bar Association

The WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court and exercises a governmental function authorized by the Court to license and regulate the state’s nearly 40,000 legal professionals, including lawyers, limited practice officers, and limited license legal technicians. The WSBA both regulates legal professionals under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. The WSBA administers the Bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; administers the lawyer discipline system; and provides continuing legal education for legal professionals, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities. The Bar’s mission is to serve the public and its members, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.