We have an informative and practical meeting planned.  We have two of the leading experts on the Public Records Act, Michele Earl-Hubbard and Toby Nixon, who will be teaching us how to write requests for public documents and help our groups produce requests.  

You won't want to miss this one!  Watch for details and location in our emails.  Bring your ideas and your laptops.  I promise we will have lights at this Bellevue location! 😂

Space is limited so please register. This meeting is free for General members and a suggested $5.00 donation is requested at the door for Associate (unpaid members) and nonmembers.

We are working on a zoom link for those that are unable to attend in person.

Michele Earl-Hubbard is the President of Allied Law Group in Seattle, WA, and the current Vice President of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. Michele has been litigating public records (PRA) matters, and helping clients make effective requests, since 1996.  She has brought and won many of the landmark cases in Washington State related to the PRA including

• Bellevue John Does v. Bellevue School District enforcing rights of access to records of misconduct by public school teachers,
• O’Neill v. Shoreline confirming the right to metadata and original versions of records in their native electronic form,
• Associated Press v. Washington State Legislature confirming State Senators and Representatives are subject to the PRA the same as every other state and local official, and
• Nissen v. Pierce County confirming text and email messages of officials and public employees on personal devices or personal accounts are public records when sent or received within their scope of employment.

Michele is also the mother of three daughters who have gone, or are still going, through the public school system, and has helped many parents over the years access records to monitor their child’s School District. She is also the 2024 Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for First Amendment Law for the Seattle metropolitan area. More information about her law firm and her practice can be found at www.alliedlawgroup.com

Toby Nixon is President Emeritus of Washington Coalition for Open Government, a statewide non-partisan non-profit organization that advocates for the right of the public to know what their government is doing. He previously served as president of WCOG for 13 years, and on their board of directors for 15 years. He’s been inducted into the “State Open Government Hall of Fame” by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Society of Professional Journalists. Toby previously served as State Representative for the 45th District, and was ranking Republican member of the House committee that oversees Washington’s open government laws. He has presented PRA training to dozens of groups and town hall meetings across the state. He recently left Microsoft after 30 years, concluding a 48-year career in the computer industry, but denies he’s “retired”. He currently serves as a member of the Kirkland City Council, and is seeking re-election to a fourth term.