Lawyers, Judges and Students Across Washington Participate in Law Week 2001

Seattle, Washington, June 6, 2001 — Over 500 lawyers and 66 judges visited 650 classrooms in almost every Washington county during Law Week 2001, April 30-May 4. Nearly 20,000 students participated in the statewide program to educate them about specific areas of the law, conduct mock trials, and discuss current legal issues.

Law Week is one of many Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) programs designed to increase citizen understanding of the important role that the law plays in their lives. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), the Law Week program in Washington is one of the largest of its kind. The WSBA's Law Week coincides with the American Bar Association's Law Day, celebrated on May 1 across the country. Law Day was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to strengthen the United States' heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law.

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.