FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2001
CONTACT
Allison Parker
206-733-5932
allisonp@wsba.org
Kennewick Lawyer Francois X. Forgette
Receives WSBA Board of Governors Award for Professionalism
Seattle, Washington, September 13, 2001 — Kennewick lawyer Francois X. Forgette will receive the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors Award for Professionalism today in Seattle. The Award for Professionalism is given to a WSBA member who exemplifies the spirit of professionalism in the practice of law. Professionalism is defined as the pursuit of a learned profession in the spirit of service to the public and in the sharing of values with other members of the profession.
Mr. Forgette is a partner in the firm of Rettig, Osborne, Forgette, O'Donnell, Iller & Adamson LLP, which he joined in 1977. He has been active in numerous Tri-City civic groups, including the Mid-Columbia Education Alliance, a business/education partnership. He founded the Adopt-a-Disk Program, now part of the Alliance, in 1994. The program is a continuing partnership between local businesses and education that provides technology funding for computer software and peripherals to every elementary school in the Tri-City area. Mr. Forgette is the administrator of the program and serves on the executive committee of the Alliance.
Mr. Forgette is a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of TRIDEC, the economic development entity for the greater Tri-City area, and he previously served as volunteer legal counsel for TRIDEC. He is a past president and current member of the Tri-Cities Cancer Center Board of Directors, and is the past president of the Tri-City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tri-Cities Estate Planning Council. Earlier this year, the Rotary Clubs of the Tri-Cities honored Mr. Forgette as Tri-Citian of the Year for his service to the community.
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's 26,500 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.
