SKAGIT COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT

For Immediate Release:  December 28, 2017
Contact: Lisa Tremblay, Administrator, Superior and Juvenile Courts
(360) 416-1206 or 416-1225
lisat@co.skagit.wa.us

Skagit County Superior Court is happy to announce the appointment of Gwen Halliday to serve as Superior Court Commissioner.  G. Brian Paxton is retiring after serving as Superior Court Commissioner since 2006.

Gwen brings 27 years of experience practicing law.  She earned a bachelor's degree from Whitworth College and a law degree from the University of Washington Law School. She worked for the Attorney General's Office in Spokane before being appointed a deputy prosecutor for Skagit County. For the past five years, she has also served as a deputy prosecutor in San Juan County.

Gwen is an active member of the community.  She served on the Board of Directors for Conway School District and Skagit Habitat for Humanity.  She has also served in numerous roles with the Boy Scouts of America including District Chair and Activities Chair for the Mount Baker Council.    

Gwen will begin her new role as Superior Court Commissioner on January 28, 2018.

The Skagit County Bar Association is circulating this important survey to its past and current members.

SURVEY REGARDING MOVING FEDERAL CVB PROCEEDINGS VENUE TO MOUNT VERNON, WA

Dear Members of the Bar in Skagit County:

Magistrate Judge Paula McCandlis has asked our court to examine whether we can move Civil Violations Bureau (CVB) proceedings from the current location at the Bellingham Municipal Court to the new Skagit County Community Justice Center in Mount Vernon.  Chief Judge Ricardo S. Martinez supports exploring this request.

CVB proceedings include pleas, sentencings, and non-jury trials, on petty offense and misdemeanor violations taking place in national parks or other federal enclaves.  CVB defendants are scheduled to appear on a specific day and time, and are given the opportunity to consult with prosecutors and defense counsel in the courtroom.  Most violations  require only one court appearance.

We moved our CVB proceedings from the old Bellingham Federal Building to the Bellingham Municipal Court in September, 2016.  Judge McCandlis has been conducting court there the first Tuesday of every month starting at 5 pm.  We have court security officers screen all members of the public for weapons before they enter the courtroom.

We examined the defendant address data from the last three years and we noted virtually all of the defendants who received citations were from areas much further south than Bellingham.  We suggest moving the proceedings will be more convenient for the defendants and others travelling for court.

The Skagit County Community Justice Center is a new facility near I-5.  It is 27 miles south of Bellingham.  It has a full size courtroom near the public entrance, a screening station for security officers, and plenty of parking.  There is also a separate secure entrance for judges into chambers.

In order to actually move the proceedings, the request must first be approved by the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council.  Then we have to have the approval of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM).  Once we have the approvals of the Council and CACM, we need to formally request approval from the Judicial Conference of the U.S (JCUS).  Once JCUS approves, the Judiciary will introduce legislation in Congress to add Mount Vernon as a place of holding court in Western Washington.  Once the change is made to the statute to add Mount Vernon as a place of holding court, we can work on a contract with Skagit County to use the facility for our proceedings.

One important element in considering this request is input from the bar.

We have developed an on-line survey to seek input from the local bar members in Skagit County.   We welcome your input as we explore moving our proceedings to Mount Vernon.  If you are a member of the Washington State Bar Association residing or practicing in Skagit County please complete the survey by clicking the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQHQZBT

Thank you.

Bill McCool
District Court Executive/Clerk of Court
U.S. District Court
Western District of Washington

SKAGIT COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT
Is now accepting applications for 
the position of

COURT COMMISSIONER

Position Title:          Superior Court Commissioner – Full Time

Department:             Superior Court

Report To:                Superior Court Judges

Salary Range:          Annual salary:  $152,268.00

POSITION SUMMARY:

This is a full time (40 hours per week) Court Commissioner position pursuant to RCW 2.24, appointed by the Superior Court Judges.

Please see the Skagit County Web Page (employment opportunities) for additional information.   

APPLICATION:

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and letter of interest to Skagit County Human Resources.  You may submit them electronically to humanresources@co.skagit.wa.us or in person at 1800 Continental Pl, Mt Vernon, Suite 200.  Submissions must be received by 4:30pm on Monday, November 13, 2017.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• May act pursuant to RCW 2.24.040 as directed by the Superior Court Presiding Judge.
  
• Hear and decide Juvenile Dependency, Truancy, At-Risk Youth, Child in Need of Services and Family Law matters. 
  
• Acts as Ex Parte Judicial Officer as directed.
  
• Hear, decide and act in any other Judicial Officer capacity as directed. 
  

QUALIFICATIONS:

The position requires a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited, four-year college or university, a law degree from an ABA accredited law school and five (5) years experience in the practice of law.  An emphasis on Juvenile and Family Law is desirable.  Must be admitted to practice law in the state of Washington.  Must be a citizen of the United States.  Candidates will be expected to pass a criminal background check. 

Additionally, candidates should possess strong interpersonal skills; the ability to build effective relationships with the legal community, the Court and staff; have excellent writing, legal research and analytical and computer skills.  

WORKING CONDITIONS/REQUIREMENTS:

Work is performed primarily in an office or courtroom environment. 

HAZARDS: 

Those present in a normal office environment with occasional exposure to hostile persons and stressful situations.

Contact Lisa Tremblay with any questions at Lisat@co.skagit.wa.us or 360-416-1206.

SAVE THE DATE

The annual Judges and SCBA Holiday Party will be Monday, December 11, 2017.  Details to follow.

NOTICE

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:

• No criminal jury trials should be scheduled the weeks of November 20 or December 25, 2017 per Local Court Rule. If anything has been scheduled, please re-schedule. 
• Per Local Court Rule, if Thursday or Friday is a holiday, there shall be no calendars on those days. 
• Wednesday, November 22 - This will be a regular ½ day out of custody Wednesday motions calendar heard in Superior Court.  Trial confirmations for matters set for trial on November 27 should be placed on this calendar.  
• Monday, December 25 – Court holiday 
• Monday, January 1 – Court holiday

Feel free to email or call Melissa Beaton, Superior Court Manager, with any questions or concerns.  melissab@co.skagit.wa.us

It's time for your nominations for the 2018 SCBA Executive Committee.  Please send your nominations to skagitbar@gmail.com before the Annual Skagit County Bar Meeting scheduled for November 6, 2017.

NOW OPEN: Registration for the State of the Judiciary Dinner, October 9, 2017. 
This event sells out fast and is open only to active SCBA members!  See available tickets live at the event page.

Here is the list of upcoming CLEs offered by SCBA in 2017.  When you renew your membership or sign up to be a member of SCBA in 2017 you will be able to obtain credits for the CLEs offered by the SCBA.

• JAN 9 at 5pm; Max Dales; MARJORIE SIMMONS (Mount Vernon) – QDRO? What QDRO?  (1.25 Gen + .25 Ethics = 1.5 Credit Hrs)
  
• FEB 6 at 12pm; Co-op; CAWOOD BEBOUT (Mount Vernon) – Bankruptcy – What All Attorneys  Should Know
  
• MAR 6 at 5pm; Max Dales; JEFF MILLER (Sedro-Woolley) – Coca Cola, Oreos & Oysters – A 10,000 Ft View of Intellectual Property for General Practice Attorneys
  
• APR 3 at 12pm; Co-op; GREG McLAWSEN (Tacoma) – Recognizing Immigration Issues in Your Practice
  
• MAY 8 at 5 pm; Max Dales; GALE HICKOK (Mount Vernon) - 1031 Exchanges (Joint CLE with Whatcom/Skagit CPAs)
  
• JUN 5 at 12pm; Co-op; CORBIN VOLLUZ (Mount Vernon) - Criminal topic*
  
• SEP 11 at 12pm; Co-op; PHIL BURI (Bellingham) - Ethics topic*
  
• NOV 13 at 5 pm; Max Dales; JAYNE GILBERT (Mount Vernon) - Ethics in Probate
  

* Details to follow

Except where noted, all CLEs are 1 hour / 1 Credit. Ethics credits are as noted on the schedule.

All SCBA members current on dues are eligible for free CLE Credits approved by WSBA. Non-members are welcome to attend but will not receive credit.

If you have questions, or would like to suggest a topic or volunteer to present at a SCBA CLE, please contact SCBA CLE Committee Chair, Wil Harlock at wilharlock@gmail.com or call 360-593-5594.

It's time to renew your membership and commitment to SCBA for 2017.  Current SCBA members can simply renew online.  If you are not currently a member of SCBA, join us NOW for 2017!

Thank You for being such a strong community and for supporting your local Bar Association!

The Skagit County Prosecutor's Family Support Division has new phone numbers.

Office number - 360.416.1161
Fax Number - 360.416.1163