WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Wenatchee, June 8

Seattle, Washington, June 5, 2001 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting June 8 at the WestCoast Wenatchee Center Hotel. The meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, and it is open to the press and public.

Seattle lawyer and Law Week 2001 Chair Ron Bemis will present the Law Week 2001 final report; this year, nearly 600 volunteer lawyers and judges reached almost 20,000 students in 30 counties. The Board is expected to take action on a new oath of admission proposed by Governor Lindsay Thompson (Seattle). WSBA Legislative Liaison Gail Stone will present a report of 2001 legislation of interest to attorneys which was prepared by state Senators Adam Kline and Stephen Johnson.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's 26,500 lawyers. Lawyers must be members of the WSBA in order to practice law in the state. Governors are elected fir three-year terms by members of the Association — there are three governors from the seventh congressional district, and one from each of the other eight districts. The current president of the WSBA is Jan Eric Peterson (Seattle), and the president-elect is Dale Carlisle (Tacoma). Stephen T. Osborne (Kennewick) is the governor representing the fourth district, which includes Wenatchee.

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.