June 2002

Committees, Boards, Panels and Sections: The Lifeblood of the Bar

by Dale L. Carlisle, WSBA President

There are 27 committees, boards and panels, and 24 sections in the WSBA family. Nearly 70 percent of our members belong to one or more sections, and approximately 1,000 of our members belong to committees. The length of service on a committee varies.

Except for administrative support provided by WSBA staff, sections operate independently of the Bar. The WSBA staff supports section officers and executive committees with newsletters, CLE seminars and annual meetings. Sections are financed by their membership dues, and most have reserves that carry over from year to year. Sections provide a vehicle for members to remain current in their practice areas, and to share experiences with other attorneys.

Sections serve members and the public, and are essential to meeting the WSBA's objectives. The WSBA's legislative proposals originate with sections. As well, members may be asked to review other bills introduced in the Legislature. With an all-volunteer force of section members and officers, and the WSBA's legislative staff, major legislative improvements are made each year. Sections that have been extremely active in the last few legislative sessions include Business Law; Real Property, Probate & Trust; Family Law; Elder Law and Taxation Law. Also, the Young Lawyers Division has been quite active.

Examples of legislation originating from sections include revisions to the Uniform Commercial Code, Probate Code, guardianship statutes, family law, and many individual statutes and acts too numerous to mention. This major annual effort receives little recognition from the public or legislators; therefore, I wish to acknowledge in this column that the invaluable work of the sections is a primary reason to continue to encourage and support them. If you do not belong to a section, consider joining one. If you are a section member, thank your officers and executive committees.

Most bar associations in the western states have more than 20 active sections; Texas and California have as many as 40. The WSBA adds about one section every two years as various practice areas expand. At its April meeting, the Board of Governors approved the formation of the Animal Law Section, bringing the total number of WSBA sections to 24.

Committees, boards and panels (hereafter called committees) are supported by the WSBA, both financially and with staff. A primary purpose of committees is to support the Board of Governors (BOG) in achieving the objectives of the WSBA Long-Range Strategic Plan.

About three-quarters of our committees have program functions, such as the Bar Examiners Committee, Legislative Committee, Judicial Recommendation Committee, Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, Bar News Editorial Advisory Board, Disciplinary Board, and Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection Board. With the exception of a small stipend to bar examiners, who write and grade questions for the bar examination, those who serve on these committees are volunteers who receive little or no recognition or thanks. In fact, less than half of committee members are reimbursed for travel and other expenses. Those who receive reimbursements are in "funded" committee positions.

The recent announcement of the availability of Washington case law online (http://www.LegalWA.org) is an example of the dedicated service of the Electronic Communications Committee (EC2) and its former chair Walt Krueger. This committee, which advises the WSBA and the BOG on technology matters of importance and interest to members, worked diligently to achieve the goal of having case law available online at no charge to WSBA members and the public. With the support of the Code Reviser's Office, the Washington State Supreme Court, and the Municipal Research & Services Center, the committee's goal has been achieved at no cost to those who use the service — only one example of what committees do for the WSBA and its members. My congratulations to Mr. Krueger and the EC2 Committee.

Whether the effort is a biannual Bar examination or a special project, we thank past, current and future members of sections and committees for their effort and dedication. These groups are the lifeblood of the WSBA. Your participation and involvement would be valued and appreciated.