Russell J. Speidel Receives Washington State Bar Association President's Award

Seattle, Washington, September 15, 2000 — Wenatchee lawyer Russell J. Speidel was presented with the Washington State Bar Association President's Award at a luncheon held in Spokane today. The President's Award is given annually in recognition of special accomplishment or service to the WSBA during the term of the current president. Mr. Speidel received the award from President Richard C. Eymann for his enthusiastic and inspirational leadership in creating the Law Week 2000 program, and for serving as chair of the Law Week 2000 Committee. He shares the award with Caitilin Newman Velazaquez who served as a volunteer statewide coordinator for the program.

Mr. Speidel was the driving force behind Law Day activities in Chelan and Douglas Counties in 1999. Successful programs were in place in other counties as well, but there had never been an attempt to coordinate the program at the state level. At that time, he recognized the potential for a statewide program in which lawyers and judges made classroom visits to discuss specific aspects of the law. He approached the WSBA Board of Governor's and with their approval, formed the Law Week 2000 Committee. As a result of Mr. Speidel's enthusiasm and dedication, nearly 400 lawyers, 40 judges and more than 6,000 students in 14 Washington counties participated in Law Week 2000.

A native of Wenatchee, Mr. Speidel is a graduate of Stanford University and Willamette University College of Law. He also holds a Master's Degree in the Laws of Taxation from Boston University.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Washington State Bar Association, the Bar of Massachusetts and the Bar of New Hampshire. Mr. Speidel focuses his practice on trusts and estates, taxation, real estate, public charity foundations and family business succession planning. He served as president of the North Central Washington Estate Planning Council in 1992-93, and is a former member of the Wenatchee School Board. He is active in the Wenatchee Rotary Club and the Salvation Army Advisory Board.

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.