Jan Eric Peterson New President of the Washington State Bar Association

Seattle, Washington, October 20, 2000 — Seattle lawyer Jan Eric Peterson has assumed the presidency of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) after having served as President-elect for the last year. His one-year term runs through September 20, 2001. He previously served a three-year term on the Board of Governors from 1992 to 1995.

Mr. Peterson's initiative for the year is "Proud to Be a Lawyer." It is a two-fold program aimed at 1) enhancing WSBA members' pride in the profession, and 2) raising the public's awareness and understanding of the legal profession and justice system. He believes lawyers should be proud of their roles in public service and the administration of justice. Mr. Peterson also believes that public legal education and access to the justice system are critical. "Many people can't afford and can't get access to the system. It's difficult to have respect for a system you can't participate in. Access to justice is a bedrock to a democratic society," he says.

Other goals for the coming year include advancing the WSBA Long-Range Strategic Plan, obtaining increased funding for legal services, and creating a mentorship program for new lawyers. He also looks forward to meaningful Board discussions about the future of the profession in relation to multidisciplinary practice issues and the unauthorized practice of law.

Mr. Peterson has a long history of service to the legal profession. He has chaired the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Implementation Committee, and is on the board of the Legal Foundation of Washington. He served on the Joint Task Force on Discipline of the Washington State Supreme Court and the WSBA; served as President of the Washington Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates; and has participated in numerous committees of the WSBA, King County Bar Association and Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA). Mr. Peterson was President of WSTLA in 1982-83.

A frequent speaker at law seminars, Mr. Peterson has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Washington Law School. In 1999, he was named a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Peterson, along with his partners Chris Young and Fred Zeder, were among the 10 finalists for the 1999 Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Trial Lawyers of the Year Award, and were honored as WSTLA Trial Lawyers of the Year.

A native of Pasco, Washington, Mr. Peterson was educated at Stanford University (B.A., 1966) and the University of Washington Law School (J.D., 1969). For the past 26 years, he has been a partner/shareholder in the Seattle firm of Peterson Young Putra. Before co-founding the firm, he was a legal services staff attorney, and was general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, non-profit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 26,000 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, it administers the bar exam, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.