FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
November 20, 2006       

Contact: Stephanie Perry
Communications Specialist/Website Editor
206-733-5932; stephaniep@wsba.org 

Seattle Attorney David East Receives 2006 WSBA Young Lawyers Division Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award

Seattle, Washington, November 20, 2006 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced that Seattle attorney David East received the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) 2006 Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award for demonstrating initiative and leadership in public service. Named to honor the memory of Thomas Neville, a Western Washington attorney murdered in his office by the estranged husband of a pro bono family law client, this award recognizes the young lawyer in this state who has generously committed his or her time and efforts to provide legal services for the public good. The award was presented to Mr. East on September 28 by Mark O'Halloran, president-elect of WYLD.

Mr. East is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and currently works as an associate for McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren. He has served as an investigative intern for the Public Defender Association, a staff assistant for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, a law clerk for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, and pro bono attorney for the Court-Appointed Special Advocate Program (CASA). Prior to joining McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren, Mr. East was an associate at Perkins Coie from 2001-2005.

Through his service as the Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Public Service/Pro Bono Committee chair from 2003 to the present, Mr. East has organized two immigration law clinics and a program that teaches high school students about the jury system. He has contributed many pro bono hours to the Seattle University School of Law's Access to Justice Institute as a volunteer attorney and mentor to law students and novice pro bono attorneys. During the school year, he also serves as a Big Brother. In 2005, Mr. East was named a "Rising Star" by Washington Law & Politics magazine.

"David's engaging manner, self-confidence, maturity, and social ease with diverse people make him an ideal pro bono attorney for our volunteers who come to us from all walks of life," wrote Janet Harris, pro bono coordinator for the Dependency CASA Program.

About the WYLD

The WYLD provides programs and services of special interest to young lawyers, the public, and those denied access to the justice system. In particular, the WYLD sponsors continuing legal-education seminars of interest to young lawyers; publishes De Novo, a bimonthly publication serving young lawyers; sponsors programs that benefit high-school students, including the YMCA Mock Trial Competition; as well as a variety of seminars addressing issues facing young lawyers.

Any active member of the WSBA is a member of the WYLD until December 31 of the year in which the member attains the age of 36 or until December 31 of the fifth year in which the member has been admitted to practice in any state, whichever is later.

About the Washington State Bar Association

The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 29,900 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.
 
The governance of the WSBA is vested in its 14-person Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large members, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The 2006-2007 president is Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle. The 2006-2007 president-elect is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee, and the immediate past-president is S. Brooke Taylor, of Port Angeles. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through 23 standing committees; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.

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