October 2003
Into the 21st Century: Honoring Our Obligation to All Members
by David Savage, WSBA President
I am honored and delighted to serve as the 113th President of the Washington State Bar Association, the first Pullman lawyer to so serve.
Though I have served with a variety of Bar committees and sections, it never occurred to me that I might have the privilege to serve in this office. I now find that I am fortunate enough to help provide leadership to the Bar Association during a time when its governance structure is undergoing dramatic change that is of tremendous significance to our membership. As you may recall, two at-large positions were added to the Board of Governors in 2000 through the adoption of Article III, Section M, of the bylaws. These seats are intended to bring to the board "lawyers whose membership is or may be historically underrepresented in governance, or who represent some of the diverse elements of the public of the State of Washington, to the end that the Board of Governors will be a more diverse and representative body than the results of the election of Governors based solely on congressional districts may allow. Underrepresentation and diversity may be based on the discretionary determination of the Board of Governors . . . to include, but not be limited to, age, race, sex, geography, areas and types of practice, and years of membership . . . ."
Following addition of the at-large seats, the bylaws were amended to add a seat for the Young Lawyers Division.
The benefit of these changes has been dramatic. While my election to the board marks the first time an eastern Washington lawyer from outside Spokane, Yakima, Chelan, or Benton counties has served, this notable geographic improvement is, in my estimation, eclipsed by the fact that we have now begun to achieve some progress in ethnic and gender diversity.
Elected to the board's at-large seat was Zulema Hinojos-Fall. Governor Hinojos-Fall, an administrative law judge with the Equal Opportunity Commission, brings a fresh perspective to the board's work and has crafted much of the board's current initiative to reach out to the minority and specialty bars which so enrich the legal fabric of our state.
Upon my selection as president-elect, the board elected Governor Fawn R. Sharp to the vacant seat. Governor Sharp, who now begins her second year on the board, is lead counsel for the Quinault Indian Nation. This bright and high-energy woman found time to interview with the board for the seat in the fall of 2002 while she led the Sovereignty Run to Washington, D.C., on behalf of all Native Americans. Governor Sharp serves on the board's Long-Range Planning Committee, as well as others.
Departing the Young Lawyers seat on the Board of Governors this fall, Governor Paul R. Lehto of Everett has provided a depth of intellectual introspection and visionary thinking that belies his youth. Governor Lehto is followed by Governor Kathleen M. O'Sullivan, of the Seattle office of Perkins Coie. Though her term on the board is just beginning, Governor O'Sullivan's accomplishments for the Bar are already substantial. Together with David J. Burman and Nicholas P. Gellert, her colleagues at Perkins Coie, she successfully defended the Legal Foundation of Washington in the potentially devastating challenge to Washington's IOLTA program, an accomplishment for which they were awarded the WSBA's Award of Merit. Maureen A. Hart, senior assistant attorney general, represented the Washington State Supreme Court in this critical lawsuit and also received this same award for her outstanding legal work.
Cognizant of the obvious benefits of these enhancements to its composition, the Board of Governors is considering whether to add a lay member to its group. This task was launched by Past-President J. Richard Manning, a lawyer whose many years of service have not dampened his enthusiasm for the future and his conviction that we need to adapt to meet it. This study group is chaired by Governor Howard L. Graham, of Tacoma, who devotes much of his practice to the interests of disabled persons. There is much to be considered, and the conclusion is unclear. But, as this project reveals, the Board of Governors has begun to institutionalize the need to constantly re-examine and reconstitute itself in order that it might better serve our members, the judiciary, the other branches of government, and, ultimately, the public.
Robert M. Boggs, of Yakima, who represents the Fourth District, devotes much of his practice in the defense of Yakima school districts. It is said on the board that when Governor Boggs speaks, one should listen, since he does so infrequently but with wisdom. He is a senior member of the Budget and Audit Committee.
Andrea Brenneke, of Seattle's MacDonald, Hoague and Bayless, begins her second year on the Board of Governors. Governor Brenneke, an employment law attorney, brings energy, vision, and a commitment to diversity to the board. She played a central role last year in developing working guidelines for the Judicial Recommendation Committee.
Governor Carl J. Carlson, beginning his third year on the board, is a successful Seattle small-firm practitioner who practices in securities, and trust and estates litigation. Governor Carlson is respected and valued by the board for his thorough issue analysis and unflagging commitment. This year he leads the board's important Long-Range Planning Committee.
Bryce H. Dille, a Puyallup lawyer in his third year as a governor, will serve as the Bar's treasurer this year. Governor Dille brings to the treasurer's position two years of diligent service on the board's important Budget and Audit Committee. The board values his service as an open-minded watchdog of our members' resources.
Joni R. Kerr, of Vancouver, governor for the Third District, is a solo practitioner who, like Governor Boggs, principally devotes her professional energies to representing public-school districts. Kerr, president of the Washington Women Lawyers from 1998 to 1999 and formerly a liaison to the board for that group, begins her second year this fall and will serve as a member of the Budget and Audit Committee, among other important assignments.
Jon E. Ostlund, the Whatcom County public defender, serving his third year on the board, is a passionate, accomplished, and vigilant advocate for the rights of the accused and the disenfranchised. Among his many tasks this year will be his service as board liaison to the blue-ribbon Panel on Criminal Defense, co-chaired by retired Justice Robert F. Utter and Marc A. Boman of Perkins Coie, Seattle.
New to the board this year is Mark A. Johnson, who serves as governor for the Seventh-West District. Governor Johnson, of Seattle, who focuses on medical and legal malpractice litigation, has already contributed much to the work of the Bar in his many years of service on the Character and Fitness Committee. Governor Johnson is the driving force behind the initiative to develop and codify as court rules standards to guide the work of this important committee.
Beginning her first year, Kristin G. Olson succeeds to the First District seat. A capable civil litigator, Governor Olson is no stranger to the Board of Governors, having previously served as a liaison from the King County Bar Association, of which she served as president in 1999. She also served as a trustee for the King County Bar Association from 2000 to 2002. She will serve as trustee on the Washington State Bar Foundation Board until 2005, and on the WSBA Long-Range Planning Committee, among other assignments.
I am joined this year by my longtime eastern Washington colleague Michael J. Pontarolo, who begins his first year as governor from the Fifth District. Practicing workers' compensation litigation, Mike is a member of the Delay, Curran, Thompson, Pontarolo & Walker firm of Spokane, which has a long and distinguished record of contribution to the work of the Bar. Among his tasks, he will serve on the board's Discipline Committee.
Governor Randolph I. Gordon, a longtime WSTLA liaison to the board, will represent the members of the Eighth District. Governor Gordon, who also serves on the adjunct faculty of Seattle University School of Law, has a special interest and expertise in assuring the Bar's continued good relationship with the law schools within the state.
President-elect Ronald R. Ward, a successful personal-injury practitioner and former assistant attorney general, joins me in serving you. With Ron's election, the Bar will be led for the first time by a person of color. Together, Ron and I will work in partnership with the board to do our best to serve you well.
As we move into the 21st century, this association must become more diverse and inclusive if it is to have meaning or consequence to its members. Pursuing and enhancing the Bar's commitment and obligation to reach out to all of its members will be the centerpiece of my short one-year term as your president.
Dave Savage may be reached at savage@imsblaw.com or 509-332-3502.
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