Seattle Lawyer Zulema Hinojos-Fall Elected to WSBA Board of Governors

Seattle, Washington, October 5, 2001 — Seattle lawyer Zulema Hinojos-Fall has been elected as an at-large member of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors. Her three-year term expires in September 2004. There are two at-large seats, which were created recently to ensure representation from underrepresented members of the association, with the goal of making the Board of Governors a more diverse body.

Ms. Hinojos-Fall is an administrative law judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She was born in Mexico, moved to the U.S. at age 10, and has traveled, lived and worked extensively in Europe and Asia. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an international customer service trainer for United Airlines. Committed to public service, she has been on the boards of Children's Alliance and the Northwest Women's Law Center, and has volunteered with Leadership Tomorrow, the YWCA Young Women's Leadership Institute, and the University of Washington Professional Mentor Program.

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.

The governance of the WSBA is vested in its 13-person Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district, one from each of the other eight districts, plus two at-large members. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its 28 standing committees; 23 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.