Whatcom County Bar Association

Welcome

The Whatcom County Bar Association (WCBA) draws its members from the legal community in and around Bellingham, Washington. WCBA exists to promote the administration of justice, to cultivate goodwill among its members and the community, and to support the continuing education goals of its members.

The Bar Association currently holds meetings the first Wednesday of the Month, once each quarter (March, June, September, and December), featuring keynote speakers, CLEs, and historically social events. For more information, visit the events page, or sign up for our email list below. The meetings are held at Noon at the Bellingham Yacht Club, located at 2625 S Harbor Loop Dr, Bellingham, and Lunch is included for current members.

WCBA meetings are open to anyone interested in the goings-on of our legal community or a particular presentation or speaker. Non-members and guests please bring $20.00 cash or check to cover lunch.

Members of the bar association receive the Whatcom County Bar Journal via email each quarter, containing meeting news, court information, editorials, feature articles, and advertisements. To find out about joining, click here. Members are able to set up a profile so other legal professionals and prospective clients can find contact information and information about their practice areas.

WCBA offers Continuing Legal Education seminars approximately twice per year developed specifically to meet the needs of the local legal community. See the events page for upcoming CLEs.

Bylaws: The existing articles of incorporation with the bylaws drafted in 1983, and revised in 2013, are posted here. WCBA Bylaws Adopted 12.06.23.pdf.

Facebook: Click here to connect to our Facebook Page.

TO REQUEST A LEGAL NOTICE OR ANNOUNCEMENT BE SENT OUT TO OUR EMAIL LIST, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR REQUEST TO WCBAMEMBERSHIP@GMAIL.COM AND COPY OUR CURRENT YEAR'S SECRETARY (EMAIL LISTED BELOW IN THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PROFILES).

2025 Officers:

Please Note - The WCBA does not make referrals to attorneys or provide legal services or advice. Members of the public looking for an attorney should contact the CLEAR hotline at 1-888-201-1014 or use the Washington State Bar Association's Attorney Directory to search by location and/or practice area: https://www.mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1536.

Ian McCurdy, President

Faber Fairchild McCurdy

PO Box 5158 Bellingham, WA 98227

Imccurdy@ffmlawfirm.com

Caroline Whitener, Vice President

Faber Fairchild McCurdy

PO Box 5158 Bellingham, WA 98227

Cwhitener@ffmlawfirm.com

Jacob Holland, Secretary

Hathaway Holland

3811 Consolidation Avenue

Bellingham, WA 98229

Secretary email: WCBAmembership@gmail.com

Jacob@hathawayholland.com

Tiffany Bailey, Treasurer

Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner, PLLC

200 W. Chestnut St.

Bellingham, WA 98225

Treasurer email: Whatcomcountybar@gmail.com

Tiffany@brettlaw.com

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Title

Back

Summer Bar Lunch and Water Law CLE

When
06/05/2024
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Location
Bellingham Yacht Club
Registered
56 registrants

Registration is closed

Join us Wednesday, June 5th at 12pm for our Summer Bar Lunch and Meeting at the Bellingham Yacht Club.

We are excited to announce that we will also be offering a 1 hour Water Law CLE by Attorney James Davenport. See details below.

Free for current WSBA members. $20 for non-members, payable by cash or check.

Agenda:

Bar meeting 12pm - 12:15pm.

CLE 12:15pm - 1:15pm.

Adjourn 1:15pm.

About the CLE:

The Department of Ecology's long-anticipated water right adjudication was filed in Whatcom County Superior Court on May 1. Water lawyer James Davenport will brief the Bar Association on June 5 on the nature of the proceedings, its anticipated organization and timing and the substantive law issues underpinning the matter.

Water Resource Inventory Area # 1 includes all of Whatcom County. This proceeding implicates all of the water in WRIA #1. The Nooksack River is the largest, but all creeks and tributaries, lakes and streams, and the water underground are at issue. The climate is warming. Recovery of endangered salmon species is complicated by declining natural flows and increased water temperatures. The demand for water for agriculture is increasing. Municipal uses are rather well protected. The Hirst case (2016) concerns single-families who rely on groundwater wells. What happens if your clients fail to respond to the Superior Court's summons likely to be issued in June?

James Davenport (Willamette Law 1977) is author of Western Water Rights and the U.S. Supreme Court (McFarland 2020), a past Assistant Attorney General in Washington and Nevada, past chairman of the Legal Committee of the Western States Water Council, past Chief of the Water Division of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and now resident in retirement in Whatcom and Yakima Counties. His May 3 comment in the Salish Current suggests his perspective. MCLE certification of CLE credit for program 2019948 is currently "pending review."