Membership Information

TO JOIN WACDL: Sign up online, print an application form, or call us at 206-623-1302.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES

WACDL MEMBER BENEFITS

Get the Information You Need to Represent Your Clients

• WACDL’s member-only email discussion groups give you access to a network of experienced trial and appellate counsel ready to help you analyze legal issues, find experts, and get information about local courts.  You choose the discussions you want to be a part of: state, federal, DUI, and/or post-conviction practice.
• Our brief bank includes hundreds of trial and appellate briefs, motions, articles, and other material on defense issues.  Nearly all of this material can be downloaded at no charge, 24 hours a day, from the member-only section of our website.
• WACDL’s CLE programs are planned by and for criminal defense lawyers. They feature top state and national speakers, and focus on trial skills and nuts & bolts issues.  Because prosecutors are not allowed to attend our seminars, our faculty is able to focus on defense issues and strategies.  As a member, you pay a reduced rate to attend.
• WACDL keeps you informed about changes in the law.  We publish an annual report on new state law, and include links to the new laws on our website.
• WACDL publishes state case law and DUI practice email newsletters — a free service available only to members.
• Our membership magazine, Washington Criminal Defense, features practical and provocative articles — written by and for defense lawyers — on new developments in criminal law and procedure, along with tips on innovative trial tactics.

Connect with the Defense Bar

• Need information about a local court, or looking for someone to refer a case to? Use our membership directory — in the member-only section of our website — to search for WACDL members by name, city, or criminal defense practice area.
• Meet and share information with the best defense lawyers in the state.  Build relationships with defense lawyers across the state through our email discussion groups and by attending seminars, our annual conference, or other events.  Nearly all of our committees and task forces meet by conference call, to allow members in all parts of the state to participate. 

Practical and Timely Assistance

• WACDL’s Strike Force is ready to assist WACDL members who are being harassed for their vigorous defense of clients.  WACDL Strike Force provides consultation and, in appropriate cases, representation at no charge to WACDL members who are held in contempt, subpoenaed, or otherwise harassed as a result of aggressive and ethical defense tactics.
• Not sure how the RPCs apply in a particular circumstance? WACDL’s Ethics Hotline is made up of fellow defense lawyers who know the ethics rules, who are available to consult with you when you need them.
• Through our mentor program, we match experienced attorneys with members new to criminal defense practice.
• WACDL’s Death Penalty Committee provides support and networking for members handling death penalty cases.  

Advocacy on Issues that Affect Your Practice

• WACDL is a respected voice in Olympia.  Our Legislative Committee, with support from members and a lobbyist, aggressively represents the defense bar's interests in the Washington State Legislature. 
• WACDL’s Amicus Committee provides defense counsel and the judiciary with our expertise on questions affecting the constitutional rights of the accused.
• WACDL advocates for the defense bar.  We’ve worked for — and against — changes in the court rules and RPCs, lobbied local government and courts on issues ranging from funding to court practices, and appointed members to task forces set up by the courts.  Our goal is to make sure that the defense bar is heard on issues related to defense practice.

 
Leadership Opportunities:

• Service on WACDL committees and task forces provides you the opportunity to shape the policies and practices that affect the criminal defense bar, you, and your clients.

Get the Professional Support You Need

• If you're practicing criminal defense, you owe it to yourself and your clients to be a part of WACDL.  WACDL's publications, educational programs, and committees provide the support you need to stay informed about, succeed in, and influence the practice of criminal law.

Ready to Join?

• You can join online — or download a renewal form.
• Call us at 206-623-1302
• Fax a renewal form to us at 206-623-4257

Eligibility: Persons who perform a prosecutorial function or persons employed in the offices of prosecutors, including, but not limited to, United States Attorneys, City Attorneys, District Attorneys or Attorneys General, and any persons employed in law enforcement, including police officers, sheriffs, correctional officers and probation officers are not eligible for membership in the organization.  Further, any person engaged in a full-time judicial function, including any full-time judge, commissioner or referee, is disqualified from membership.