J. Richard Manning Begins Term as President-Elect of the Washington State Bar Association

Seattle, Washington, October 5, 2001 — Seattle lawyer J. Richard Manning has begun his term as president-elect of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). Mr. Manning will serve as the 112th president of the WSBA when he assumes the presidency in fall 2002. He previously served a three-year term on the Board of Governors from 1997 to 2000.

Mr. Manning has a general civil and trial practice in business, probate, real estate and construction law. He is particularly recognized as an outstanding mediator and arbitrator, and spends approximately 60 percent of his time in alternative dispute resolution practice. In 1988, Manning was honored by the presidents of the American Bar Association and the American Arbitration Association with a national award for outstanding service.

His career has been one of exceptional service, including numerous leadership roles: president of the King County Bar Association, president of the King County Bar Foundation, chair of the King County Bar Association Law Week Committee, chair of the first statewide Access to Justice Conference, chair of the American Arbitration Association Regional Advisory Counsel, chair of the WSBA Legislative Committee, trustee of the King County Dispute Resolution Center, co-chair of the WSBA Discipline 2001 Task Force, and chair of the WSBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Mr. Manning is a Seattle native who was educated at Seattle University (B.A., 1954) and Gonzaga University (J.D., 1960).

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.