May 2007
The WSBA Leadership Institute: A Continuing Legacy
by Ronald J. Knox and Joslyn K.N. Donlin
The essence of the WSBA Leadership Institute lies in the dedication of 12 outstanding young attorneys committing time and effort to learn from senior attorneys and other professionals those leadership skills that will enable them to become better lawyers, advocates, and leaders of the Bar. With the assistance of an extraordinary faculty composed of some of the best attorneys, judges, and legal educators in the state, the Institute has moved the Bar forward by creating a strong legacy of leadership that will form the foundation of the Bar’s continued success. The Leadership Institute’s focus on inclusiveness and diversity hopes to ensure that the Washington State Bar Association of the future will better reflect the various communities and constituencies that its members serve.
In the Leadership Institute’s third year of existence, a new class of lawyers eager to expand their horizons on leadership and law-practice skills will endeavor to continue the legacy of the WSBA’s future and the future of the legal profession. Through the continued support and commitment for the Leadership Institute and programs like it, these diverse and underrepresented lawyers will be able to pick up the baton and move the Bar forward toward greater access to justice, enhanced benefits to our members, and more prominent and effective leadership in our communities.
Background and Mission
The WSBA Leadership Institute was conceived by former WSBA President Ronald R. Ward. In discussions with past Bar President David Savage and other WSBA leaders, Ron was convinced that for the Bar to continue to grow and remain a relevant organization for its members and the various constituencies and communities it serves, it needed to recruit and train “many lawyers, particularly lawyers of color, women, and those from traditionally under-represented groups, for leadership positions and to [have them] be made aware of opportunities for skill development, professional growth, and leadership training that are available through the WSBA.” In conjunction with this belief and the Bar’s strategic goal to “promote diversity, equality, and cultural competence in the courts, legal profession, and the bar,” the WSBA Leadership Institute was created and the inaugural class was begun in February 2005.
Core Curriculum, Program Benefits, and Commitments
The Leadership Institute’s mission is to develop and enhance the leadership skills of attorneys from diverse backgrounds in an experiential, individualized, collaborative, and mentorship learning environment. The Institute’s focus is on lawyers of color, women, and traditionally underrepresented lawyers who have been practicing between three and 10 years. The goal is to prepare these lawyers for leadership positions in the WSBA, other legal organizations, and their communities. Funding for the Leadership Institute comes from the WSBA, grants, and in-kind contributions received from lawyers and law firms throughout the state.
One of the objectives of the Leadership Institute is to institutionalize this experiential and collaborative instruction model of leadership training. The program emphasizes professional training, the development of skills and techniques, curriculum modules, and learning strategies not typically found in law-school classrooms. The Leadership Institute participants, called “fellows,” benefit from the latest trends in professional leadership development; exposure to the legislative and judicial systems; interaction with high-level state and local officials and judges; and opportunities to meet high-profile practicing attorneys from the private and public sectors. There are also opportunities to interact with other newly admitted and diverse attorneys from all over the state. For example, through a grant from the LexisNexis Martindale Hubble, attorneys from Yakima, Bellingham, Spokane, and the Okanogan will be able to interact and learn from each other, as we expand the reach, influence, and benefits of the Bar. We strengthen it and the lawyers that are its core.
The benefits received by the fellows selected for the program come with a two-year commitment to use the skills that they have learned to advance the programs of the state or their local bar associations. Their active involvement in the Bar after graduation from the program is critical to the program’s success and is a fundamental element of the initial concept for the program.
Recruitment, Selection, and Faculty
The Leadership Institute recognizes that many lawyers — particularly those from diverse backgrounds and other underrepresented groups — have not been traditionally recruited for leadership positions or made aware of opportunities for leadership training and professional development available through the WSBA. To be considered for the program, applicants must: 1) complete an application, with cover letter, résumé, and three references; 2) be an active WSBA member; 3) have practiced law in a U.S. jurisdiction for three to 10 years; 4) be nominated by his/her employer, or if self-employed, by another individual; and 5) provide evidence of interest in community and WSBA activities. Applications for the 2008 WSBA Leadership Institute will be available June 1, 2007, and will be due in September 2007.
Applications received are reviewed by the WSBA Leadership Institute Advisory Board for merit and potential to be successful in the program. The Advisory Board is extremely fortunate to have in its membership WSBA President Ellen Conedera Dial (ex-officio), and an extraordinary array of lawyers, judges, and legal educators reflecting virtually every size and type of practice in the state. The following board members serve a term of one to three years with the Institute:
Marcine Anderson — King County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney; WSBA Board of Governors
Hon. Monica Benton — U.S. Federal Court
Noah C. Davis — In Pacta PLLC; past president, WSBA Young Lawyers Division
Ellen Conedera Dial — Perkins Coie LLP; WSBA president
Lisa Dickinson — Murphy, Bantz & Bury, P.S.
Anthony Gipe — Scheer & Zehnder, L.L.P.
Hon. Zulema Hinojos-Fall — U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Hon. Richard A. Jones — King County Superior Court
Kenneth H. Kato — Court of Appeals/Division III, Retired
Ronald J. Knox — Garvey Schubert Barer
Elizabeth Li — past president, Whatcom County Bar Association
Hon. Ricardo S. Martinez — United States District Court
Marijean E. Moschetto — Moschetto & Koplin, Inc., P.S.; past president, Eastside Legal Assistance Program
Hon. Susan J. Owens — Washington State Supreme Court
David W. Savage — Irwin Myklebust Savage & Brown, P.S.; past president, WSBA
Ronald Ward — Jones & Ward, PLLC; past president, WSBA
James Williams — Perkins Coie LLP; ABA House of Delegates
Hon. Mary Yu — King County Superior Court
Finally, over the last three years the Leadership Institute has been fortunate to secure attorneys and educators of the highest quality to teach each incoming class the fundamentals and intricacies of leadership. The list of faculty is truly a “who’s who” in the Bar, including Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst, defense attorney Jeffery Robinson, law firm managing partner Sheryl Willert, and U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez. These faculty and many others give of their time and experiences in order to make the Institute a success. They are passing the baton to the participants of the program to ensure a strong and vibrant future for the legal profession in this state.
Bar members should all be very proud of the Leadership Institute and its mission to grow and develop our leaders of tomorrow — its legacy a stronger Washington State Bar. As a result of two national awards, the 2005 ABA Partnership Award and the 2006 LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell Fellowship Award, the WSBA Leadership Institute has been the model for establishing new leadership institutes in Arizona and New York. Additionally, other states, such as Oregon and Texas, have begun the process of study and development leading to the adoption of similar institutes.
You are encouraged to reach out to diverse and underrepresented attorneys in your firms and organizations and to encourage them to apply for a position in the 2008 WSBA Leadership Institute class. We ask you all to take a hand in forging our future as a strong and inclusive Bar Association.
Ronald J. Knox is chair of the WSBA Leadership Institute Advisory Board and practices at Garvey Schubert Barer. Joslyn K.N. Donlin is WSBA diversity advocate.
