President Stanley A. Bastian

Wenatchee attorney Stanley A. Bastian is serving as 2007-2008 WSBA president. Mr. Bastian was confirmed by the Board at their June 9 meeting in Yakima. He assumed the office of president in September 2007 for a one-year term.  He previously served on the WSBA Board of Governors, representing District 4 from 2004 to 2006.

Mr. Bastian is a shareholder in the Wenatchee firm of Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward P.S., which he joined in 1988. His practice focuses on civil litigation, employment law, labor negotiations, and municipal defense.

Mr. Bastian was admitted to the Washington Bar soon after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law in 1983, and then to the Oregon Bar in 1988. From 1984 to 1985, he served as the law clerk for Washington State Court of Appeals Judge Ward Williams, and from 1985 to 1988 as an assistant city attorney in the criminal division of the Seattle City Attorney's Office.

Mr. Bastian's community involvement includes serving as president of the United Way of Chelan and Douglas County from 1997 to 1998 and president of the Chelan-Douglas County Bar Association from 2004 to 2005. From 1992 to 2004, Mr. Bastian was a board member of Legal Aid for Washington (LAW) Fund, a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring the promise of equal justice for residents of Washington state regardless of income level. He also conducts continuing-legal-education courses and has contributed articles to the Wenatchee Business Journal.

Mr. Bastian says continuity is important and plans to focus his presidency on existing projects, such as the award-winning WSBA Leadership Institute and the Justice in Jeopardy legislative proposals designed to increase funding for access-to-justice issues.  He also looks forward to working with the new WSBA executive director.

"Serving as president of the WSBA will be the opportunity of a lifetime," says Mr. Bastian. "The WSBA is one of the premier state bar associations in the country, blessed with strong leadership and professional management. I look forward to my term, and the opportunity to continue this tradition of excellence."

Mr. Bastian lives with his wife, Chelan County District Court Judge Alicia Nakata, and their two teenage daughters, Audrey and Elenore.

A Message From Stanley A. Bastian

Dear President Taylor and Governors:

I have decided to seek election to the office of WSBA President-Elect, and this letter is submitted to provide the Governors with some information which may be useful when they make their selection in June.  My decision to seek election was not easily made.  The once in a lifetime opportunity to serve as President is accompanied by the challenge of balancing my law practice and family responsibilities, both of which are very important to me.  Fortunately, I have the enthusiastic support of both my family and law partners and so I think the proper balance can be found. 

I will bring a unique perspective to the office of President because my 23 year legal career includes a variety of different jobs.  I have practiced law in both western and eastern Washington, and my career has included both government service and private practice.  I have worked as a law clerk for the Court of Appeals (Judge Ward Williams), a public defender for the City of Renton, and a prosecutor for the City of Seattle.  Most of my career has been as a partner at Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward, P.S., the largest law firm in North Central Washington. 

Although I have lived in Wenatchee since 1988, I was actually born in Seattle and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland.  I attended college at the University of Oregon and graduated with a history degree in 1980.  One of my most rewarding college experiences was during my junior year when I attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on an exchange program.  This allowed me to visit the east coast and for the first time experience a part of the county very different from Oregon.  I then attended law school at the University of Washington and graduated in 1983. 

My law practice at Jeffers, Danielson is litigation focused and the primary issues which I handle involve employment law, labor law and police liability.  Most of my clients are counties in eastern Washington, which tend not to have large civil departments.  My wife, Alicia Nakata, is also a lawyer and for the past 12 years she has served as a Chelan County District Court Judge.  We have two daughters, Audrey (15) and Elenore (13).  When not at work, my wife and I spend most of our time at soccer matches, swim meets or dance recitals. 

My service with the Board of Governors has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career.  It has also provided me with an opportunity to become familiar with the current issues, unfinished projects, and future challenges of the WSBA.  I don't have a new initiative to propose at this time, and it is uncertain whether one will be developed.  Instead, I think continuity is important and the WSBA should stay focused on existing projects.  Therefore, one of my primary goals as President will be to concentrate my efforts on growing or completing existing projects and initiatives such as: the Leadership Institute, the Justice in Jeopardy legislative proposals, increasing both federal and state funding for access to justice issues, and the "four corners of freedom" initiative recently started by President Taylor.  There are also several Task Forces currently at work and I believe their efforts should be supported and completed. 

Presidents Ron Ward and Brooke Taylor began a tradition of visiting as many specialty and local bar associations as possible and presenting Local Hero awards to deserving attorneys and judges.  I believe this practice should be continued.    Although, it will probably be impossible to accept every invitation, I will attempt to visit a variety of local, specialty, and minority bar associations during my term as President.  These personal visits by the WSBA officers and staff serve two important purposes.  First, they help increase communication with members by highlighting the services and benefits offered by the WSBA.  Second, my hope is that the visits help encourage more members to participate in WSBA programs, sections and leadership.  The WSBA is always in need of new member volunteers to contribute their time, effort and ideas.   

Diversity is and will continue to be an important issue for the WSBA and the legal profession as a whole.  Although we have made great strides in this area over the past few years, we have more work to do.  Diversity is a journey, not a destination.  It requires effort, sensitivity and most of all, communication.  The WSBA Board of Governors has been a leader on this issue and that effort will continue if I am elected President. 

Finally, I also believe that serving as the WSBA President will be a fun and rewarding experience, and I hope that the Governors choose to give me the opportunity. 

Sincerely,     
STANLEY A. BASTIAN