Join your MELAW friends and meet new members at the no-host Social Hour! When: September 22, 2009, 6:00 p.m. Where: Tig Asian, 614 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA (between Cherry St. & Yesler Way) The restaurant is offering special discounts to us, including extending their happy hour. In addition to socializing and networking, you will learn about MELAW’s upcoming plans and provide input on MELAW activities. The board is also setting up committees and you will be able to sign up for those, if you would like to get more involved with our group. Please RSVP and we look forward to seeing you...

As you may be aware, the domestic partnership expansion law (“everything but marriage” with respect to state rights for same-sex domestic partners), which was passed by the Washington Legislature and signed by the Governor, is going to be put to a vote this fall as Referendum 71. The Washington Families Standing Together coalition is organizing voters to approve the referendum. The MBAs, including MELAW, have been asked to become organizational sponsors of Washington Families Standing Together. At present, there are over 150 organizational sponsors. You can see the full list here (note that it...

On August 27, 2009, MELAW President Aneelah Afzali met with Gail Stone, Director of Justice and Diversity Initiative at the Washington State Bar Association (“WSBA”). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss MELAW’s efforts to modify the demographic form used by the WSBA to collect statistical data on lawyers in Washington State. Currently, the form does not include an option for Middle Easterners. Gail Stone agreed to discuss the issue with the WSBA and work on editing the forms. Another topic of discussion was the language options available on the Lawyer Directory used by the WSBA. That...

On August 24, 2009, MELAW Vice President for Community Outreach, Damon Shadid, attended a meeting with Senator Maria Cantwell’s staff to discuss how the Minority Bar Associations of Washington (“MBAs”) could aid the Senator’s office in improving diversity in the federal judiciary.  Members of 12 of the MBAs attended the meeting, and the discussion focused on ideas to help the Senator utilize the knowledge and expertise of the MBAs in making judicial selections.  The group discussed short term collaboration in helping select candidates for the judicial vacancy in the Eastern District of...

MELAW participated in this year’s Arab Festival, which was held on August 1 and 2, 2009. The Festival, a biannual event held at Seattle Center as part of the Safeco Insurance Festal Series, showcases and celebrates Arab culture and provides information and education about the Arab world and the Arab community in the Northwest. With two stages, dozens of performers, three rooms featuring workshops and lectures, dozens of vendors and booths, including several food booths and a coffee shop, and children’s activities, the Festival was a success. MELAW had a booth on both days, with volunteers...

The WSBA has extended invitations to the leaders of the MBAs, including MELAW, to participate in a gathering to discuss the structure of the bar with respect to diversity.  By way of background, the WSBA Board of Governor’s Diversity Committee hosted a gathering on July 17, 2009, to discuss how diversity should be structured within the bar and how to communicate, cooperate and coordinate the diversity efforts of the committees within the WSBA. Representatives from the BOG’s Diversity Committee, WSBA’s Committee for Diversity, the Young Lawyer’s Diversity Committee, the Washington Leadership...

MELAW had a booth at this past weekend’s IACA Iranian Festival at Seattle Center. Thanks Polly Peshtaz, Nima Seyedali, Manal Boulos, and Nilly Park for helping staff MELAW’s...

MELAW co-sponsored the third annual Statewide Diversity Conference on Friday, June 12 at Seattle University. The conference was a success, as was the panel MELAW put on regarding Judicial Appointments. Our VP of Community Outreach, Damon Shadid, moderated the panel, and the panelists consisted of Richard Mitchell and Judge Edsonya...