Community Agreement

CYRAH Community Agreement & Member Policy 

Membership Eligibility 

CYRAH Membership is intended for dependency attorneys who are actively representing youth and children in Washington State and/or attorneys who advise/supervise active dependency attorneys in Washington State. 

CYRAH Membership is not intended for volunteer or paid dependency best interest advocates (i.e., Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), Volunteer Guardians ad Litem (GALs) or paid GALs; attorneys for CASA or GAL programs); attorneys representing the Department of Children, Youth and Families; or State administrators for child representation contracts. 

CYRAH members are permitted to also represent parents in dependency cases as long as they are also actively representing children and youth. 

To determine and confirm eligibility, potential members will:  

  • Agree to share their name, WSBA number, and an affirmation that they actively represent youth and children in Washington State or advise/supervise active dependency attorneys representing youth and children in Washington State.

  • Agree that their access to CYRAH’s resources will be approved upon LCYC’s review of their request for membership. 

If at any point, the member no longer represents any children or youth in Washington State or no longer advises/supervises active dependency attorneys in Washington State, it is their duty to notify LCYC within 10 days and their access will be revoked.

Membership Code of Conduct 

CYRAH members are expected to conduct themselves respectfully and professionally and to uphold the ethical rules of professional conduct. No confidential information protected under RPC 1.6 should be shared on CYRAH’s platform. 

We expect all members to:

  • Lead with respect and understanding 

    • We are a diverse pool of attorneys with varying ideas and viewpoints. We may not always agree. Please give people the benefit of the doubt and be generous.

  • Promote and protect safe space for connection and learning 

    • Be thoughtful when sharing knowledge, either as an initial post or as a response.

  • Be inclusive and value diversity of perspective and experience 

    • CYRAH is a space to foster community when many of us are working independently so that we can build a strong bar of children’s representation attorneys. All should feel welcome to support learning and growth.

  • Acting in bad faith and/or with malicious intent harms our community and will not be tolerated. 

The following behavior will result in suspension and/or permanent removal from CYRAH. 

  • Discriminatory language or actions, including but not limited to expressions of racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism. 

  • Bullying and/or derogatory/disrespectful language.  

  • Plagiarism. 

  • Breaching confidentiality of CYRAH conversations and resources. 

We also ask that members alert CYRAH administrators of any perceived violation of the above code of conduct or potential conflicts of interest by notifying us here.

Confidentiality Agreement 

CYRAH Members understand and agree that by logging on to the CYRAH site with their username and password that they are accessing information that should not be reposted publicly and is intended to inform their representation of dependent children and youth in Washington State. Members also agree that they will not share or grant access to any other person or entity with their individual username and password. The content Members access is for their individual use in their legal practice and should not be duplicated or shared with other individuals or entities.

The exchange of information within the CYRAH community does not create an attorney-client relationship nor does it constitute legal advice. Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) expects that Members will evaluate this information and independently decide how to best represent their clients. We ask that all Members agree to not use client’s names or other identifying information and strictly adhere to RPC 1.6: Confidentiality of Information. 

Resource Library Disclaimer 

LCYC attempts to keep the resource library as current and up-to-date as possible, but as with any secondary resource, it is the responsibility of individual attorneys to ensure that all case law and content pulled from the resource library and used in their cases is accurate.  

The resource library content does not constitute legal advice and any links to resources are not an endorsement from LCYC, nor does LCYC control the content of websites and materials hosted by other organizations.

If any information does not appear to be current or accurate, LCYC would appreciate a head’s up by notifying us here to update the information. 

Commitment to Inclusivity, Equity and Representation  

LCYC is committed to having a diverse staff and board reflective of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage meaningful engagement from people of color, those with lived experience, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. LCYC particularly values lived experience in our practice areas of child welfare, juvenile court, youth and family immigration, and youth homelessness.

General Disclaimer 

LCYC is providing a free service and no individual is entitled to CYRAH Membership. LCYC reserves the right to refuse, suspend or remove membership from any individual at any time for any reason at LCYC staff discretion. 
If any individual has concerns regarding CYRAH Membership eligibility, please contact us at cyrah@lcycwa.org.