FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2001

CONTACT
Allison Parker
206-733-5932
allisonp@wsba.org

Washington Young Lawyers Division to Host Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference in Yakima

Seattle, Washington, April 16, 2001 — The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) will host the Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference on April 21 at the WestCoast Yakima Center Hotel. The conference will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and it is open to the media.

The theme this year is Choosing a Legal Career, Making a Difference. Volunteer lawyers, judges and law enforcement officers will encourage students to pursue careers in law by exposing them to legal cases. High school students from around the state will participate in interactive workshops with legal professionals. They will be assigned current issues to discuss in small groups, and will develop pro/con arguments to present in mock student council meetings. Conference participants will also work together to develop community action plans specific to their interests.

The Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference was designed to encourage at-risk and minority students to pursue higher education and to consider careers in law. The program emphasizes the importance of community involvement and staying in school. There is no cost to students. Financial support and volunteer services are provided by judges, lawyers, law firms, specialty bar associations and private corporations.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s 26,500 lawyers. Members of the WSBA are automatically members of the YLD for the first five years of practice or until age 36, whichever is later. 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.