Sherri L. Jefferson Begins Term as President of Washington Young Lawyers Division

Seattle, Washington, October 25, 2001 — Seattle lawyer Sherri L. Jefferson has assumed the presidency of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD), after serving as president-elect for the past year. Her term expires in September 2002.

Ms. Jefferson, who is corporate counsel for Starbucks, was recently awarded a two-year Young Lawyer Leadership Fellowship from the American Bar Association Litigation Section. She is a past president of the Loren Miller Bar Association, and served on the boards of the National Bar Association and the Seattle chapter of the NAACP. She has also been an active member of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the King County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. Washington Law and Politics honored her for the last two years as a "Rising Star." Ms. Jefferson is a graduate of Howard University (B.B.A. 1989) and Tulane University School of Law (J.D. 1994).

This year, Ms. Jefferson is focusing the YLD on professional development for new lawyers by bridging the gap between law school and the actual practice of law. Specifically, the YLD will host a "Bridging the Gap" conference where new lawyers can participate in low-cost, practical-skills educational seminars.

There are approximately 6,800 young lawyers in the WSBA. WSBA members are automatically a member of the YLD for the first five years of practice or until the end of the year in which they turn 36, whichever is later. In addition to assisting new lawyers with their personal and professional development, the YLD also focuses on community service. Community outreach programs include Law Talk, a video series on legal issues; the Disaster Legal Assistance program for FEMA recipients; and numerous youth programs. The Aspiring Youth Program targets at-risk middle school students during "latch key" hours. The Mentorship/Scholarship Program is aimed at public high schools with the purpose of identifying at-risk youth and pairing them with young lawyer mentors during the summer. Each year, the YLD president and president-elect serve on the board of the YMCA Mock Trial Competition, and actively recruit young lawyers from around the state to serve as team coaches and audience raters for the various regional competitions.

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.