To the members of SCBA and any attorneys practicing in Skagit County Superior Court:

In a very brief window of time, the entire State of Washington has had to adjust to being the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. I can think of other forms of notoriety I would prefer. As matters have rapidly progressed, our grocery stores have been inundated by hordes of concerned people who seek to obtain supplies to see them through and our restaurants, bars, recreational facilities, and meeting places have been shuttered and our schools have been closed. The Courts have remained open.

The emergency conditions have caused extreme changes in our operations. Our earlier Orders have now been superceded by the Supreme Court’s Order (see attached). Barring emergent Civil matters and In Custody criminal matters, this Order leaves us a very narrow swath of cases we can hear. I expect to revise Skagit County Superior Court’s Order to reflect the terms of the Supreme Court’s Order and to give clarity on what we still can hear and how we will hear it. We will be in touch as soon as we can be with the new changes. In any event, all Emergency Orders are posted on our website.

The Judges and Superior Court Staff appreciate the understanding and cooperation the Skagit County Bar has shown in this Emergency.

David Svaren, Presiding Judge

Supreme Court Emergency Order re CV19 031820.pdf

Unfortunately, due to the current lack of staffing and volunteers in the Volunteer Lawyer Program, the Housing Justice Project will be temporarily suspended through April 24.

We will be sending a call out to all members to assist in the recruitment of a Program Manager candidate. We will be offering a $1,000 finder’s fee to anyone who finds a candidate who fills the position beyond three months.

Additionally, we need volunteers to assist with the HJP when it opens up again on May 1. Please let us know if you are available.

Additionally, we are monitoring whether or not the Law Day Clinic should continue as scheduled. We will know more in the week to come and will update everyone at that time.

INFORMATION REGARDING NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

Due to the recent cases of the COVID-19 virus in nearby counties, Skagit County Superior Court and the Skagit County Facilities Management Division are undertaking daily applications of disinfectant throughout the courthouse.  Additionally, hand sanitizer dispensers are located on the first and second floors of the Courthouse. While we are using our best efforts to keep the Courthouse a safe environment, you are reminded to wash your hands regularly, avoid touching your face and stay home if you are sick.

TO JURORS:

Thank you for your willingness to serve.  Our society is based on the rule of law and the Courts cannot stop functioning during this challenging time.  Skagit County Superior Court is committed to performing our Constitutional duties while protecting the safety and security of our community.  

Until further notice, you are excused from jury service if you meet any of the following criteria:

• You have a chronic health condition such as heart disease, lung disease or diabetes;

• You are pregnant;

• You have a weakened immune system; or

• You are sick or have recently been in contact with someone who is sick. 

Please contact Superior Court at (360) 416-1200 if you are requesting to be excused for any of the above reasons.

The Judges will be moving from a weekly civil/criminal rotation to quarterly (every three months).  The goal is to provide provide increased consistency and stability to the criminal and civil rotations. The civil rotation Judge will also take over the Juvenile Offender Calendar and the Protection Orders Calendar.

The Protection Orders calendar will be moved from Tuesday mornings to Tuesday afternoons (1:30 PM).

In an effort to reduce the amount of cases on the Friday morning Criminal Calendar, the Court is creating an out of custody Arraignment calendar on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 AM. Please docket any out of custody arraignments to this calendar beginning on April 7th.

Attached is a template of the new calendar with color highlights as to each schedule.

You may address any questions related to this announcement to

Lisa West, Administrator
Skagit County Superior and Juvenile Courts
Superior Court: 360-416-1206
Juvenile Court: 360-416-1225

Weekly Court Schedule 4-2020.pdf

We regret to inform you that SCBA's Free CLE scheduled for 01/13/2020, titled "Low Bono, Unbundled Services, Limited Scope Representation" has been canceled due to snow.

Skagit County BAR:

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Heather Shand to serve as Superior Court Commissioner. Heather received her B.A. in Sociology with a Minor in Society and Justice at the University of Washington in June, 1998 and subsequently received her Juris Doctor Law Degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in December, 2000. Additionally, Heather received her Masters of Law from the University of Washington specializing in Taxation in June, 2004. Heather has served in the capacity of Pro-Tem Judge for District Court as well as Pro-Tem Commissioner for Superior Court and has experience in family law including adoptions, guardianships, probates, business, taxation and estate planning. With Heather’s broad experience we anticipate a smooth transition with a tentative start date of September 30th.

More information regarding an official swearing-in ceremony is forthcoming.

Best always,

Lisa West, Administrator
Skagit County Superior and Juvenile Courts
Superior Court: 360-416-1206
Juvenile Court: 360-416-1225

The Volunteer Lawyer Program held Will Clinics since September of 2018 in four low-income senior housing facilities in the Mount Vernon and Burlington area. As a result, 40 seniors now have completed estate plans, typically consisting of a Will, Durable Power of Attorney for Finances, Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Health Care Directive.

Each of the clinics consisted of three separate sessions to help ensure that the clients had ample opportunities and time to understand estate planning concepts and to make careful decisions. The first session was a general educational presentation on basic estate planning. At the second session, an attorney met individually with each client to review the client’s information and objectives. At the final session, each client met individually with an attorney to review and then sign the documents.

Thanks to each of the following volunteer lawyers who participated in these clinics:

Luigi Colombo	Timothy Lehr
Hollie Del Vecchio	Katherine Tarraf
Richard Hughes	Michael Winslow

Special recognition goes to Luigi Colombo for participating in two of the educational and review sessions as well as three of the signing sessions.

 Funding for this and other VLP programs was provided by the Office of Civil Legal Aid and the Legal Foundation of Washington. In addition, the VLP received a technology grant from the local offices of Edward Jones to purchase the needed equipment for these clinics.

In an effort to create consistency, moving forward, all jury instructions must be presented in Arial font, 12 pt. size with 1.5 spacing between lines. 

The dates for the upcoming Will Clinics are now confirmed.

The Skagit Volunteer Lawyer Program is coordinating a series of information sessions and workshops to assist low-income elderly individuals by drafting powers of attorney, health care directives, community property agreements and wills.  We are recruiting volunteer attorneys to assist at the workshops, which are scheduled from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on:

Friday, September 21

Friday, October 19

Friday, November 16

Friday, December 7

The VLP will provide all the necessary information and completed discussion drafts of the documents.  Attorneys will review those prepared drafts with the participants, make any revisions, and then administer the execution of the documents. Mentorship will be available, so no prior experience in estate planning is required.  This is a fantastic opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in estate planning, while assisting marginalized members of our community.

For more information, please contact Terry Schaberg at 360.588.5757 or terrys@communityactionskagit.org.

NOTICE from SUPERIOR COURT

Please be advised that there will be no regularly scheduled calendars or trials during Judicial Spring Conference - except for ex parte at 1:15 p.m. and criminal rightings at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which will be heard by a District Court Judge. If you have an emergency order to be signed, please come to Court Administration. We will contact District Court and find out when a judge is available for you.

Monday – April 9 – No Pro Se Domestic motions or At Risk Youth Calendars

Tuesday - April 10 – No Dependency Calendar or Family Treatment Court

Wednesday- April 11 – No Criminal, Paternity or Truancy Calendars or Drug Court

Thursday – April 12 – No Summary Judgment/RALJ or Preadoption Dependency Calendar

ITA hearings will be held as usual on Tuesday, April 10, and Wednesday, April 11.

Criminal In-Custody and Juvenile Calendars will be held as usual on Thursday, April 12.

All Friday calendars will be held as usual.

There will be a special Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Protection Order calendar on Thursday, April 12, at 9:30 a.m.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Thank you.

Melissa Beaton
Superior Court Manager
Skagit County Superior Court
205 W. Kincaid, Room 202
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
360-416-1207