Jerald R. Hamley Receives WSBA Angelo Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service

Seattle , Washington , September 12, 2001 — Ephrata lawyer Jerald R. Hamley will receive the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Angelo Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service today in Seattle . This award is presented annually for significant contributions by a lawyer in government service to the legal profession, the system of justice, and the public.

Jerry Hamley has spent more than 20 years as a lawyer in public service. He has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney and chief prosecutor in Grant County , and now serves as a senior deputy prosecuting attorney in Yakima County . His efforts on behalf of Washington children are extraordinary. He co-founded the North Central Washington affiliate of the National Fatherhood Initiative, bringing together educators, health care providers, faith-based organizations, court staff, and lawyers to raise public awareness of the crisis of absentee fathers. The organization sponsors programs that equip fathers to be more engaged in their children’s lives and parenting classes for men in Grant County . Through his work on boards such as Rotary and United Way , he has supported projects that have helped children and strengthened families.

“He has a mind to improve the lives of children. Jerry has looked beyond the surface and beyond the law to the systems, values and family life that lie at the root of many problems, and seek their solution,” wrote Jeff Kemp, executive director of Families Northwest. “He is humble, inclusive, conscientious and tireless in his efforts to serve children, and to guide government and communities to help dads be involved and responsible.”

The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state’s 26,600 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.