Smithmoore P. Myers Receives WSBA Award for Professionalism

Seattle, Washington , September 12, 2002 — Spokane lawyer Smithmoore P. Myers will be recognized as the recipient of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Award for Professionalism today in Seattle . This award is given annually to a WSBA member who exemplifies the spirit of professionalism in the practice of law. Professionalism is defined as the pursuit of a learned profession in the spirit of service to the public and in the sharing of values with other members of the profession.

Smithmoore Myers has led a life dedicated to professionalism and civility in the practice of law. He has been a lawyer in private practice, an assistant attorney general, a U.S. attorney, and a federal magistrate. He also mentored countless young lawyers when he twice served as dean of Gonzaga University School of Law.

In his nomination letter, former Gonzaga Law School Dean John Clute wrote: “…It was apparent to me that Dean Myers was an exceptionally accomplished and highly principled man who had a deep respect for the legal profession. Well before we took the bar or our oaths, we knew what would be expected of us as lawyers. This was, in significant measure, due to the example of Smithmoore P. Myers.…His fine intellect, wonderful expressive abilities, and superb legal temperament were complemented by a generous spirit of service and an unwavering personal resolve to do what was right and good in every situation he faced. Those of us who know him best understand that his career decisions were dictated far more by his strong sense of professional responsibility and service than by any personal ambition.”

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.