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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Washington Residents Receive Compensation from the Washington State Bar Association's Lawyers' Fund for Client ProtectionSeattle, Washington, October 2, 2001 - In fiscal year 2001, the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) made gifts totaling approximately $208,000 to 47 applicants who were the victims of dishonest conduct of 14 lawyers. The misuse of clients' money happens rarely, but when it does, the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection is there to provide some compensation. The fund is financed solely by lawyers – no tax dollars are used. There are approximately 22,500 active lawyers in Washington, and each one makes an annual contribution to the fund. The fund is administered by the WSBA pursuant to rules of the Washington Supreme Court. This year, individual gifts from the fund ranged from a few hundred dollars to $30,000. The majority of these applications concerned unearned fees paid to lawyers who abandoned their practice, or who failed to perform the services for which they were employed, and who failed to refund advanced fees and costs. A small number of the applications involved outright theft or conversion of client funds for the lawyer's own purposes. All of the lawyers involved have been disbarred or suspended, or are deceased. The names of recipients of gifts from the fund are kept confidential, in order to protect their privacy. Following is the list of lawyers who caused the losses compensated by the fund:
Washington was one of the first states in the country to establish a client-protection fund. The WSBA "indemnity fund" was first established in 1960, and in 1994, the Washington Supreme Court established the current Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection at the request of the WSBA. Today, every state in the union maintains a similar fund. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries also maintain such funds. Although common to the legal profession, similar protection and compensation are unknown in most other professions. Since 1960, the WSBA fund has given away more than $1.5 million to the victims of the few dishonest lawyers in this state. The members of the WSBA Board of Governors serve as trustees of the fund. They appoint and oversee the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection Committee, which is composed of 11 lawyers and two nonlawyers. During 2001, Seattle attorney Thomas Dreiling chaired the Committee, and WSBA General Counsel Robert Welden served as counsel, a function he has performed since 1988. A complete copy of the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection 2001 Annual Report and further information about the fund are available on the WSBA Web site at www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/lawyersfund/, or by contacting the WSBA at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA. The mission of the Washington State Bar Association is to promote justice and serve its members and the public. Among the ways the WSBA does this is through the Lawyer's Fund for Client Protection, and by administering and operating the lawyer discipline system on behalf of the Washington Supreme Court. Those who have a complaint against a lawyer and wish to file a grievance or make an application to the fund can contact the WSBA by telephone at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA, or by e-mail at questions@wsba.org. Information about filing a grievance can be found on the WSBA Web site at www.wsba.org/info/operations/odc/grievance.htm. Information about the fund can be found on the WSBA Web site at www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/lawyersfund/. 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.
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