Open Letter to the TPCBA

Dear TPCBA Membership,

On March 12, 2024, through TPCBA Executive Director Kit Kasner, I sent the letter below to the TPBCA Board of Trustees. Since the presentation of the letter to the Board of Trustees, I have been informed amendments to the by-laws will be voted on at the June 18 Board of Trustees meeting. If anyone has any comments for the board to consider, please feel free to email them to nick@campichelaw.com or to Kit Kasner, director@tpcba.com.

Open Letter to the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Board of Trustees:

Call to Action: We must make the Washington Women Lawyers Liaison and Pierce County Minority Bar Association Liaison voting members of the Board

As International Women’s Day and February’s Black History Month have passed us by, I find it necessary to address a critical issue in our legal community. I am making an earnest appeal to the Board of Trustees of the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association to extend voting privileges to two crucial liaison members of our Association’s Board of Trustees – the Pierce County Washington Women Lawyers Liaison and the Pierce County Minority Bar Association Liaison.

As a former representative of the Board, serving as Trustee from 2017-2019 and 2022-2024, I did not take the opportunity to bring about this change. I do not have an excuse; I saw this as a problem, and I failed to act. I simply allowed for the status quo to continue. For this I apologize to the members that voted for me. This cannot be done with administrative adjustments but may be done with simple amendments to the Association’s Bylaws.

This demand is to ensure that all of our stakeholders have not only a place at the table, but a voice to be heard. This is also a deeply personal demand, made in honor of my grandmother, a woman who has left an indelible mark on my life and career. She was a trailblazer, a woman of remarkable strength and determination who chose to challenge social norms both in and outside the medical community during the mid-20th century. In 1945, she earned a Bachelor of Science and then graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1949, completing her residency at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

My grandmother is only one of the numerous women in my life who has had an impact on me. It is with this spirit that I propose a change to the Board. It is a long overdue step, but a significant one, towards recognizing the influence and contribution of women and minorities in the legal community, much as my grandmother did in the medical field.

I urge the Board to consider this appeal and take a step towards inclusivity and equality. Let us honor the spirit of International Women’s Day and Black History Month not just in words, but in our actions. Together, we can ensure that our organization truly reflects the diverse community we serve.

Sincerely,
Nicholas R. Andrews Attorney at Law