How to Utilize the Washington State Bar Association’s “Lawyer Directory”
Shopping for an attorney can be confusing. Many people get referrals from friends, while others rely on their own research. Either way can lead you to a good selection of attorneys from which to choose. However, an important part of your research process should involve consulting the Washington State Bar Association’s “Lawyer Directory.”
The Washington State Bar Association is the governing organization for all attorneys licensed to practice law in Washington. It approves applications for people to take the bar exam. It scores bar examinations. It approves people to be admitted to practice law in Washington. It also includes a disciplinary component that reviews complaints against lawyers and assesses penalties and sanctions for disciplinary infractions.
The Lawyer Directory can be found here. Every lawyer licensed in the state of Washington is listed in this directory. Because we are required to report a change of address within 10 days of moving, the information you find should be accurate.
To locate an attorney using the Lawyer Directory, you can either search geographically or by name. Be sure to check the box to “Include Similar Sounding Names” if you aren’t sure how to spell the attorney’s name. It is only necessary that you fill in the last name. You don’t have to fill in the other fields, although, if it is a common last name, you may want to fill in the first and last name.
If you searched for one specific attorney, that person’s page should show up. If you searched more generally, you will get a list of attorneys and can select one from the list to learn more information.
When you get onto a specific attorney’s page, it will give you a lot of information; their bar number, admittance date, member status, contact information, law firm name, etc. Bar numbers are issued in accordance with the date the attorney is admitted to practice in Washington. The higher the bar number, the newer the attorney. However, attorneys who are admitted in another state and are subsequently admitted in Washington will have a high bar number, even though they practiced in another state previously. The “Admit Date” is the date on which the attorney was admitted to practice in Washington. The “Member Status” shows whether the attorney is currently licensed to practice law in Washington, is retired, or suspended or disbarred. Only attorneys who are in “active” status are permitted to represent clients. NEVER hire an attorney who is not listed as being in “active” status!
The “Practice Information” section of the page will tell you the name of the attorney’s law firm, the law firm size, the areas of law in which they practice, and whether they speak languages other than English.
The “Liability Insurance” section is very important. “Liability Insurance” is the same thing as “legal malpractice insurance.” The purpose of this type of insurance coverage is to compensate clients who are harmed if the lawyer makes a mistake. You should ALWAYS check this before hiring any attorney. Attorneys in Washington are NOT required to carry legal malpractice insurance. However, they are required to disclose whether or not they have insurance. At the end of each calendar year, attorneys are required to renew their license to practice law and have to certify under oath whether or not they have insurance. Unfortunately, they are not required to disclose how much insurance they have. Attorneys who work for the government (prosecutors, assistant attorney generals, etc.) don’t carry malpractice insurance. However, all attorneys who represent private clients SHOULD carry malpractice insurance, in my opinion. If the lawyer you research does not have malpractice insurance, do not hire that person! There is a hyperlink in this section that goes into more detail about legal malpractice insurance and things for you to consider.
The “Disciplinary History” section is also important. All attorneys in Washington are responsible for knowing and complying with the Rules of Professional Conduct. If they do not, they are subject to disciplinary action by the Bar Association and may even be disbarred and prohibited from practicing law. There are varying degrees of sanctions that range from disbarment down to an “admonition.” The sanction imposed generally depends on the severity of the conduct and the harm caused. Sanctions become a permanent record against that attorney. If the attorney you research has been disciplined, there will be a notice in this section indicating when they were sanctioned, the specific sanction, and the reason. There may also be a link to the documents containing details about the sanction and the reason therefore. Although some sanctions may be relatively harmless (things that happened long ago and that were situational), you should exercise extreme caution in hiring an attorney who has been sanctioned. Unfortunately, not all attorneys who should be sanctioned have been, but this at least gives you a start so that you can be a more informed consumer.
Finally, when you interview an attorney, don’t be shy about asking them questions about their credentials, experience, liability insurance, and disciplinary history. After all, hiring an attorney to represent you is an important decision!
