Washington Young Lawyers Receive Awards for Outstanding Service

Seattle, Washington, April 26, 2001 — Sara L. Ainsworth, Cary P. Driskell, Kari D. Kube and the Spokane County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will receive awards from the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) on April 28. The awards will be presented at a luncheon as part of the WYLD midyear conference in Ocean Shores.

Sara L. Ainsworth (Seattle) will receive the Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award for her commitment to the provision of pro bono services. This award was named in memory of Thomas Neville, a Washington lawyer murdered by the estranged husband of a pro bono client. It recognizes a young lawyer who has generously committed his/her time to provided legal services for the public good. Ms. Ainsworth is the full-time public service counsel with the Seattle firm Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC. In addition to educating other lawyers about legal services, she devotes her entire caseload to helping low-income clients and domestic abuse victims access the legal system.

Cary P. Driskell (Spokane) will receive the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, which honors a young lawyer who has made a valuable contribution to the legal community. Mr. Driskell is a principal with the Spokane firm Trunkenbolz Rohr Driskell PLLC. For the last two years, he has chaired the WYLD Aspiring Youth Program which was created to reach out to at-risk middle school students during the "latch key" hours. The program combines education, sports and inspirational speakers. He served as President of the Spokane County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and was instrumental in bringing the Young Lawyers Judicial Theater to Spokane County. Mr. Driskell also helps coordinate a new lawyer orientation in Spokane.

The Professionalism Award will be presented to Kari D. Kube (Wenatchee). This award honors a young lawyer who has enhanced the profession through extraordinarily noble and honorable practice of law. Just four years out of law school, Ms. Kube was promoted to partner in the Wenatchee firm Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward PS. She is a member of the WSBA Law Week Committee, and coordinates Law Week activities for Chelan and Douglas counties. As a result of her work with Law Week last year, she received the Chelan-Douglas County Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Award. Ms. Kube is active in pro bono and community service.

The Outstanding Affiliate Organization Award will be presented to Steven Marsalis (Spokane) on behalf of the Spokane County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. The award recognizes a WYLD affiliate that has provided legal services, public service and community outreach, and/or has made significant contributions in the development and training of young lawyers. With at least 25 active members, the Spokane affiliate coordinates public service programs including the Aspiring Youth Program, and the Greater Access and Assistance Program. They also sponsor several continuing legal education courses each year.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's 26,500 lawyers. Any active member of the WSBA is also a member of the Washington Young Lawyers Division until December 31 of the year in which he or she turns 36, or until December 31 of the fifth year in which he or she has been admitted to practice, 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.