Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!!!

TPCBA Members, ever been told...

“You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it yourself.”?

Perhaps you have found the ‘yellow brick road’ you have been traveling on has been lonely. Would hanging out with a few well-intentioned friends be helpful? Did you get a pair of shiny new red slippers that you can’t wait to show off at a fabulous event?

All of this is to say, if you fit these situations, you really should attend the 29th Annual TPCBA "Wizard of Oz" Convention. This year the Convention will make you say, “Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Tacoma anymore.” Mostly because the event will be held at the famous Skamania Lodge Resort, where you will be enjoying the breathtaking landscapes along the Columbia River. The 2.5 hour drive will take you to an adventure where you will say, “I have been changed for good.”

‘If you only had a brain,’ you are in luck. The list of CLEs, scope of presenters, and the large array of topics will make it very challenging to pick which training to attend. This year we will be having a dual track option, so you can tailor your CLEs to topics/ areas you are interested in or which may impact your area of practice. There are many presentations from ICWA to Depositions to LBGTQIA+ issues plus new perspectives from the Bench. There are many presentations that will specifically impact Criminal, Family Law and the Civil arena. Don’t fret, attendees will not only learn that scarecrows can talk, but that they do have a brain. You may also learn that the ‘sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side”

Feeling a bit cowardly? Axe-throwing or zip lining might help restore your courage. If you are feeling disconnected, warm up that heart with a relaxing spa treatment or dip in the pool/hot tub. Either way, you will have plenty of time and opportunity to regain the strength you need to continue down your ‘yellow brick road’, while connecting to other friends of Dorothy. The Bar Convention is a way all of our members can come together to bridge connections so that none of us have to travel our roads alone. Make new friends or reconnect with old friends. Either way, friendship is the name of the game and in this ‘Wicked’ world, nobody gets left behind.

Get ready to break out those new ruby red slippers when attending our themed Saturday evening dinner. You might win the award for ‘Best Footwear’ at the costume contest. You also could win one of these costume awards: ‘Best Ruby Reflection’,’ Best Dorothy’, ‘Best Friend of Dorothy’, ‘The Oz Award’ – Bring Your Own Idea!, ‘Tour de Fierce’, ‘Best Monochrome to Color’, ‘Outfits That Sing’. One thing is for sure, everyone will win from breaking out in song and dance at the after party. So get ready to ‘ease on down the road’ to this epic Saturday night event.

If you are packing a group of ‘munchkins’ with you to Skamania, the TPCBA Bar Convention Committee has created a separate ‘Kidz Committee’ that is planning specific events so your ‘Lolli Pop Guild’ won’t be left out.

There is bad news... A wicked witch has cast a spell, making this event very limited. This is expected to be a sold-out event! Skamania Lodge was only able to secure us 100 rooms at our discounted rate (that’s 100 rooms Friday and 100 rooms Saturday). This means you need to be quick to reserve your room before someone drops a house on you (and you find yourself left out in October). So don’t delay in reserving your spot. TPCBA is sure all of our attending members will be saying, “There is no place like home” since this convention is sure attendees will appreciate the Tacoma-Pierce County community even more.

Catherine Case is the Immediate Past President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association and Co-Chair of the Bar Convention Committee. She has been a licensed attorney since May 2015 and her practice, Case Legal, PS, focuses on juvenile issues.