To all practitioners: please take notice of a current email scam running rampant across the country, including Washington. The scam asks for your help in collecting a judgment. They offer you a very large percentage for doing very little work, by accepting payment on the judgment into your trust account, and then the scammers pressure attorneys into disbursing their agreed share of the funds before they are actually collected by the bank.

At least one attorney in Washington, apparently, has fallen victim to this, and is now looking at repaying the bank hundreds of thousands of dollars, and having a discussion with the bar association. Below is a sample email request by the scammers.

Always be very wary of any email from anyone you do not know. Never click on links in an email. If you are very certain of the source of the email, the best policy is to cut and paste links into your browser. Replying to potential scammers or spammers is only likely to increase your exposure.

Warm regards to all,
Mark Baumann
MarkBaumann.com

SAMPLE SCAM:

Dear Counsel.

My name is Linda Cheng. I am a contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex husband(Randy L. Cheng) who resides in your jurisdiction. I am currently on assignment in Japan. We had an out of court agreement for him to pay $350,450.00 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $50,000 since .I am hereby seeking your firm to represent me in collecting the balance from him. He has agreed already to pay me the balance but it is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help me collect payment from my ex-husband or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised.

Sincerely
Linda Cheng.

UPDATE
The WSBA has also sent out an email confirming this problem. Please take great care with any unsolicited email. Also, I got a call from a lawyer in Colorado who had nearly been victimized by the same “Linda Cheng.” -Mark Baumann

The Washington Supreme Court will hear three oral arguments at the Peninsual College in Port Angeles on October 27, 2009.  Below is the case information

[Read more…] about WA Supreme Court in Port Angeles 10/27/09

Dear Members:

1. Mary Brewer is available as an Adoption Guardian at Litem. If you would like her contact information, please let me know or contact the court administrator.

2. Our local Northwest Justice Project office has a staff attorney position open. I am confident Steve Robins would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the position or provide contact information for interested applicants.

3. Commissioner Basden asked that the following information be forwarded:

I have looked carefully at the statues regarding pre and post placement reports in adoptions. For clarification, when a pre placement report is required, proof of the necessary background checks (i.e. fingerprint check with the FBI) will need to be filed with the Court.
Second, even in situations where a step parent is adopting the child, a post placement report needs to be filed. These should be fairly strait-forward, particularly when the parent and step parent have been married for quite a while. However, I think that the statute requires the report regardless of the length of the relationship.
If anyone has general questions, please contact me for clarification.
Commissioner Brent Basden
4. Rick Peterson was the trial attorney who made the correct and timely objection resulting in the Court of Appeals II reversing and dismissing in State v Toth, 9/29/09. (appellate counsel Backlund & Mistry)
5. We will hold elections for both the 2010 bar president and 2011 president elect at the Christmas Party. Mark your calendars now to save the date! December 18, 2009, at the Bushwacker. There will not be a noon bar lunch on that date.
Lastly – sign up for Clallam Legal as soon as possible – you don’t want to miss this great line-up. If you know anyone who hasn’t received notice or a flyer, let me know so we can be sure everyone has the opportunity to take advantage of this great, local, cheap program with 6 CLE credits approved, 2 of which are ethics!
Carol Mortensen, Outgoing President 2009

~ Sponsored by the Clallam Jefferson Counties Pro Bono Lawyers ~
Produced by Cliff Tassie, Carol Mortensen, and Selinda BarkhuisCopies of the registration flyer can be obtained by request from Carol Mortensen, Cliff Tassie or Selinda Barkhuis.

CLALLAM LEGAL II
“Even better than Season One”
Date: Friday, November 6, 2009
Refreshments plus: Door prizes including DVD set of Boston Legal Season Two
Location: Port Angeles City Hall Chambers
321 East Fifth Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362

“It’s an Open and Shut Case”
Topics and Speaker Schedule
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Buffet Breakfast and Refreshments, Registration and Distribution of Course Materials, Introductions by Cliff Tassie
9:00 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. How to sue the Government, Stephen Bulzomi, Messina Bulzomi Christensen, Tacoma, WA
10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. How to read an Insurance Policy, Gary Williams, Quilcene, WA
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Hot Topics in Family Law, Catherine Wright Smith, Edwards Sieh Smith & Goodfriend PS, Seattle, WA
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break and No Host Bar Lunch at SoHo Asian Bistro 134 West Front Street; parking lot on left before restaurant
***Lunch cost is $16.00 per person payable to restaurant***
1:30 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Ethics and Practice challenges for the Small Town Lawyer, Jeff Tolman, Tolman & Kirk, Poulsbo, WA
2:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Traps in the Current Rules of Professional Conduct, Leland Ripley, Duvall, WA
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Back to the Basics, A potpourri, Judge Ken Williams, Clallam County Superior Court

CLE credit approval is pending for 6 CLE credits
(4 general credits and 2 ethics credits).
Pre-registration cost is $150.00**. ($175.00** at the door) All proceeds go to Clallam Jefferson Counties Pro Bono Lawyers.
Portions of Boston Legal Season Two will be shown throughout the seminar.

Send or fax your completed registration form and mail your check to:
Carol Mortensen or Cliff Tassie
111 East 3rd Street 804 South Oak Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362 Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone (360) 452-1112 Phone (360) 457-1139
fax (360) 452-1168 fax (360) 452-1168
Prepayment: $150.00** Day of Seminar: $175.00**
Make checks payable to Clallam Jefferson Counties Pro Bono Lawyers. All proceeds go to support Clallam Jefferson Counties Pro Bono Lawyers.
**The cost for each credit is $20.00. The balance is used to support the program.

Dear Bar Members:
Please confirm as soon as possible your expected attendance at the Friday, September 18, 2009, bar lunch at Soho.  Commissioner Basden will be speaking about new Settlement Conference rules and forms, and updating on new Family Law statutes.

LUNCH: $13.00 payable to Soho Asian Bistro
CLE: $20.00 payable to Pro Bono

Thanks, Carol Mortensen

Clallamcountybar.com would like welcome Robert M. Rosenberg. Robert graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 1977 with a BA in Asian Studies and from the University of Houston College of Law in 1980. Since graduating from law school, he has practiced out of Houston, Texas.

Over the years, he has concentrated his litigation practice to commercial law, including commercial bankruptcy cases, civil rights, Title VII, ERISA, appellate, and both capital and non-capital habeas defense work. In addition to recently being admitted to the Washington State Bar, he is licensed to practice in Texas, in both the state and federal courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. While in Houston, he served on the board of the local chapter of the ACLU, the Texas Human Right Foundation, and was a volunteer attorney for both organizations as well as many non-profit arts organizations. He also served on the State Bar of Texas grievance committee for six years.

Robert recently relocated to Port Angeles with his partner of 10 years, John Diller, a designer at Westport Marine.  He can be reached at 832-816-2955.

Christopher J. Riffle, a new associate with Platt Irwin Law Firm, will take the oath of attorney administered by Judge S. Brooke Taylor on May 18, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. at the Clallam County Superior Court.

All attorneys and staff are invited to attend. Reception following at Platt Irwin Law Firm, 403 S. Peabody, Port Angeles from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.