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Allison Parker
Communications Specialist 
206-733-5932
allisonp@wsba.org 

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Bremerton, October 18-19

Seattle Washington, October 15, 2002 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting October 18-19 at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Bremerton. The meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to noon Saturday. It is open to the press and public.

The Board will vote on a proposal by the Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee to amend Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1. Currently, Washington lawyers are encouraged, but not required, to provide pro bono (voluntary) service, nor are they required to report such service. The proposed amendment would codify the WSBA's current aspirational goal of 30 hours per lawyer per year of pro bono legal service; provide a more refined definition of pro bono and suggest specific ways to fulfill that responsibility; provide voluntary reporting of pro bono hours; and provide recognition of lawyers who contribute at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services per year.

WSBA governor Kenneth H. Davidson will propose a resolution asking Governor Locke and the state Legislature to base appropriations for Medicare drug-treatment funding on realistic assessments of need, thus eliminating drug-treatment waiting lists for Medicare subscribers. The resolution is the result of Davidson's work on the King County Bar Association Drug Policy Project, which also included representatives of the Washington State Medical Association, King County Medical Society, Washington State Pharmacy Association, Washington Society of Addiction Medicine, the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County, and the Municipal League of King County.

Representatives of the Legal Foundation of Washington (LFW) will report on their ability to provide legal-services grants in light of federal and state budget cuts of more than $2 million. The Board of Governors will appoint a representative to the LFW board.

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's 27,300 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 14-person Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large members, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. 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 23 standing committees; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.