FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2002

CONTACT
Judith Berrett, Director of Communications
206-727-8212
e-mail: judithb@wsba.org

Stephen J. Henderson Receives Thurston County Bar Association’s Bigelow Award

Seattle, Washington, June 20, 2002 — Olympia attorney Stephen J. Henderson was presented with the Thurston County Bar Association’s Bigelow Award at a banquet held in Olympia on May 31. The Bigelow Award, which is the Thurston County Bar Association’s "lawyer of the year award," is given annually in recognition of professionalism and outstanding community service. It is named after pioneer lawyer Daniel R. Bigelow, who served in the Washington Territorial Legislature and was known for his support of voting rights for women. The award was presented by Thurston County Bar Association President James Dixon.

Henderson is currently in his third and final year of service on the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors, the association’s governing body, where he represents lawyers in the third congressional district. He is a former president of the Thurston County Bar Association and was twice voted Boss of the Year by the Legal Secretaries Association. He has also served on the WSBA Disciplinary Board. Community activities include serving a term as president of the West Olympia Rotary Club, and being a piper in the Olympia Highlanders Bagpipe Band.

Henderson has been in private practice in Olympia since 1975. His practice includes workers’ compensation, personal injury, and estate planning.

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.