FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2002

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

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Stevenson, May 10-11

Seattle, Washington, May 8, 2002 —The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting May 10-11 at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson. The meeting will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday and 9:00 a.m. to noon Saturday, and is open to the press and public.

Representatives of the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) will be on hand to present their annual report. The report includes highlights of public-service programs sponsored by the WYLD. The Aspiring Youth Project is aimed at middle school students during the "latch key" hours, and includes education, sports and inspirational speakers. The Mentorship/Scholarship program pairs at-risk high-school students with young lawyer mentors during the summer. At the end of a five-week program, students write a final paper and outstanding students are awarded college scholarships. The Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference was designed for at-risk youth and minority students. Students who attend are encouraged to pursue a legal career and to make a difference by taking an active leadership role in their community and student government. Volunteer lawyers in the FEMA Disaster Legal Assistance Program render legal advice to victims of any natural disaster in Washington. The Greater Access and Assistance Project is designed to help ensure that the working poor receive legal assistance.

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.

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 its 28 standing committees; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.