October 2005

Reaching Out: S. Brooke Taylor Is Sworn In as WSBA President

by Alfredo Tryferis

On September 15, 2005, S. Brooke Taylor was sworn in as the WSBA's 115th president by Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry L. Alexander. The event took place during the WSBA's Annual Awards Dinner held at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. A full house of dapper luminaries from the Washington legal and business communities witnessed the swearing-in.

Taylor's presidency is the culmination of dedicated service to the WSBA and the Washington legal community. He was elected to the Board of Governors in 2000 and served a two-year term. He served as WSBA treasurer from 2001-2002, and since 2001, Taylor has been chairman of the WSBA Facilities Committee. He was the 2003-2004 WSBA liaison to the District and Municipal Court Judges' Association, and founder and co-chairman of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA) Super Seminar. He is also a frequent WSTLA seminar presenter.

Born and raised in Port Angeles, Taylor has practiced law there since his admission to the Bar in 1968. He earned a degree in political science from Stanford University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

In 1970, the ambitious 27-year-old was elected prosecuting attorney for Clallam County. He later went into private practice as an owner and partner in the law firm of Taylor & Taylor. In 1991, the two oldest law firms in Clallam County merged to form Platt Irwin Taylor, where he is now an owner and partner. His practice focuses on plaintiffs' personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning, and probate. The firm has offices in Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend.

Taylor is well known for his commitment to serving the people of the North Olympic Peninsula. His community honored him in 1999 by naming him Clallam County "Citizen of the Year." Taylor's community involvement includes serving as member and director of the Port Angeles Kiwanis Club, director and president of the Clallam County Family YMCA (which honored him with its National Distinguished Service Award), director of the G.M. Lauridsen Foundation, director and president of the Clallam County Community Mental Health Center, member and director of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and director and president of the Peninsula College Foundation.

Throughout his WSBA leadership experience, Taylor has focused on issues of diversity. He was instrumental in bringing about what the Board of Governors called the "Diversity Amendment" to the WSBA Bylaws, leading to the creation of three governor at-large positions. So influential was he in the amendment's passage that the language finally adopted was dubbed "the Taylor draft," due to Taylor's efforts to make the definition of diversity as inclusive as possible.

"Brooke has consistently evidenced a deep commitment to the needs of the membership now and well into the future," wrote WSBA President-elect Ellen Conedera Dial. "Brooke is a leader and a fine steward of the goals, aspirations, and practical needs of the profession."

As president, Taylor plans on building on his accomplishments as past governor and influential committee member. "While expanding the Board of Governors has been a very important step, it is not enough," he says. "Bar leaders must continue to reach out to all segments of our membership to inform regarding the WSBA services and programs available to them, and to involve our members in governance at all levels." Indeed, Taylor says reaching out to a diverse constituency will be a theme of his presidency. "We must continue a special effort to reach out to those elements of our profession who have traditionally been unrepresented, and our profession will be the stronger for it."