KCLL Klues: Washington State Legal Research

New Name for WSTLA

Rita D. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:06:57 +0000

As I was preparing an order for CLE materials for the library, I noticed that the Washington State Trial Laywers Association has changed its name. WSTLA is now the Washington State Association for Justice. According to the press release, WSTLA feels that the name change best captures their mission.

Also changing their name this year is the Northwest Women’s Law Center. NWWLC is now known as Legal Voice. Check out their new websites.

Did my ballot count?

Stina — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:48:05 +0000

King County Elections has created a way for you to track your mail-in ballot and confirm that your vote counted. By going to their website and clicking on the Mail Ballot Tracking link, you can enter your name and date of birth and see where your ballot is in the counting process.

Don’t Forget!

Stina — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:40:16 +0000

Tomorrow is election day, and if you live in King County, you should have already received your mail-in ballot. Your ballot needs to be postmarked by November 3rd in order to be counted. King County has also provided mail ballot drop-off boxes throughout the county as an alternative to mailing your ballot. For information on the upcoming election, or to find out more about mail-in voting, the King County Elections office has put together a number of resources on their website.

Ethical Pretexting in the Social Networking Arena

Marcus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:33:17 +0000

Pretexting is a common word people use when scam artists try to pry identifying information out of identity theft victims over the phone. A new area in which pretexting can occur is in the online and social networking areas. Legal and investigative researchers often look at this information. Should it be governed or regulated. Ken Strutin explores this issue in the lates article from LLRX.com.

November class schedule has been posted

Stina — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:24:33 +0000

The November schedule has been posted for classes that we will be teaching at the Seattle branch of KCLL. Classes include Civil Procedure in 90 Minutes, Skip Tracing and a new class called Suing Mad, which teaches those in attendance about commencing an action in Superior Court. You can view a link to our classes here. To sign up for one of our free classes, all you need to do is call the library at 206-296-0940.

Green River Flood Alert Sites

Rita D. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:46:31 +0000

The flooding of the Green River will affect virtually everyone in the Seattle/Tacoma metropolitan area. It may directly affect your home, business or commute. Or it may indirectly affect you when your staff can’t make it to work, or the products you use are stored in a warehouse in the Kent valley. Here are a few links to alert services that will help you stay on top of the flooding situation.

You can sign up for alerts from the Regional Public Information Network. You would receive news alerts from safety and transportation agencies in Puget Sound. They include traffic, wind, flood and earthquake alerts.

Mystateusa.com allows you to sign up for weather alerts in your area. You may select what type of emergencies you want to receive notification. Just click on the weather alerts button in the upper right hand corner.

The cities affected by the potential flooding have established reverse 911 call systems. Each city has its own signup. If you click on each city listed below, the link will take you to their signup page.

Many of these services will allow you to sign up multiple phone numbers or receive text messages.

Check them out!

Free Document Assembly Site -Whichdraft.com

Marcus — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:50:26 +0000

There is a new document assembly site which allows anyone to put together their documents in a coherent and orderly manner with little to no cost. Whichdraft.com describes itself as a “self-directed legal resource that allows individuals to build a variety of high quality contracts.”

The site also describes several of the types of contracts from which it provides sample clauses. This can be helpful for the novice or expert alike.

Immigration Law Resources at WDA

Rick — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:27:26 +0000

The web site for the Washington Defender Association has a great set of links to a variety of documents with information about representing non-citizens and others with immigration law problems. They are located on a page called Immigration Resources and Practice Advisories. Included is a document titled Quick Reference Chart of Immigration Consequences of Selected RCW Offenses that reviews the immigration consequences of particular crimes. There is also a general guide to representing non-citizens.

Demystifying E-Working Copies

Rick — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:15:48 +0000

When I attended the King County Superior Court Clerk’s office most recent CLE workshop, one of the presenters devoted a good deal of time to an explanation of the “working copies” component of the new e-filing system. This was good because many of the attendees seemed confused by it. If you find yourself in the same boat, here are a couple of specific links to useful information about this:

E-Working Copies Active Demonstration – this link leads to an automated demostration showing how to use the E-Working Copies portion of the e-filing system. The advantages of the process are clearly spelled out in the very beginning and since you can start and stop the demonstration yourself, you can review it at your own pace.

E-Working Copies Help – this link leads to the portion of the e-filing web site that describes how the E-Working Copies process works. It includes a link to the demonstration mentioned above as well as a detailed FAQ document and an instructional document with screenshots from a simulated E-Working Copies process.

Check E-filing FAQ Site for Helpful Hints

Rick — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:06:49 +0000

If you’re like many of us and still learning how to use King County’s new mandatory e-filing process, don’t forget to check the helpful FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) they’ve posted on the E-Filing News and Information page. Locate the Helpful Resources portion of the page and follow the link called Frequently Asked Questions about Mandatory E-Filing. The document includes sections for general, process and technical questions and was last updated on 9/1/2009.