WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Spokane, May 9-10

Seattle Washington, May 7, 2003 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting May 9-10 at the historic Davenport Hotel. Governor Bill Hyslop, who represents members in the 5th District, will welcome the board to Spokane. The meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to noon Saturday. It is open to the press and public.

Joining the board for lunch on Friday will be lawyers from the Spokane area, and judges from county, state and federal courts. The luncheon provides an opportunity for lawyers and judges to meet informally with members of the Board of Governors and discuss topics of mutual interest or concern, as well as their "likes and dislikes" about the Bar. A highlight of the luncheon will be the honoring of a Spokane-area lawyer as the "local hero."

During the board meeting, President J. Richard Manning will report on his participation in ABA (American Bar Association) Day in Washington, an annual event bringing together leaders of state and local bar associations in the nation's capital.

Governor Bryce Dille (9th District), president of the Washington State Bar Foundation, will report on the foundation's long-range plans. The board will make appointments to the Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct; approve nominations to the Practice of Law Board; and appoint three WSBA members to be WSBA representatives to the ABA House of Delegates.

Governor Carl Carlson (7th-Central District), who serves as chair of the WSBA's Long-Range Strategic Planning Committee, will present the proposed 2003-2006 long-range plan and request the board's adoption.

Donald Horowitz, chair of the Access to Justice Technology Bill of Rights Initiative, and Governor Paul Lehto (at-large, representing the Young Lawyers Division) will make a presentation on the Technology Bill of Rights (TBoR). The mission of the TBoR is "to create a body of enforceable fundamental principles to ensure that current and future technology both increases opportunities and eliminates barriers to access to and effective utilization of the justice system, thereby improving the quality of justice for all persons in Washington State." (More information on the TBoR Initiative is available at www.atjtechbillofrights.org.)

Gail Stone, WSBA director of legislative affairs, will give a legislative report. Additionally, the board will appoint members to the WSBA Legislative Committee.

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.  

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