Barbara Vining Receives Washington State Bar Association Angelo Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service

Seattle, Washington, September 15, 2000 — Longview lawyer Barbara Vining was presented with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Angelo Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service at a luncheon held in Spokane today. This award is named in honor of the late Angelo R. Petruss, a senior assistant attorney general who passed away during his term of service on the WSBA Board of Governors. The award is given annually to a lawyer in government service who has made a significant contribution to the legal profession, the system of justice and the public. Ms. Vining received the award for establishing the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum County Legal Aid Program.

When Evergreen Legal Services closed its office in Longview, pro bono efforts were reduced to a few members of the local bar association volunteering at the pro se docket (persons representing themselves) at the courthouse. Recognizing the long-term impact that would have on low-income residents of Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties, Ms. Vining recruited members of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum County Bar Association, the judiciary and members of the community to fill the void in legal services. As a result of her vision, leadership and commitment to equal justice, the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Legal Aid office opened in the spring of 1999.

Ms. Vining was instrumental in finalizing the articles of incorporation, developing policies and procedures, securing a grant from the Legal Aid Foundation of Washington, and hiring a pro bono coordinator. She was elected as the first president of the program and is now serving a second term. As a result of her recruitment efforts, the program now has 30 volunteer lawyers serving the legal needs of low-income persons in these two counties.

In 1999, Ms. Vining received the first Cowlitz-Wahkiakum County Bar Association Volunteer Attorney of the Year award. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Washington. She is a 1986 graduate of Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.

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.