Washington State Bar Association Council on Public Legal Education Seeking Nominations for Public Legal Education Award

Seattle, Washington, October 8, 2003—The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced that the Council on Public Legal Education (CPLE) is accepting nominations for the 2003 Flame of Democracy Award, given annually to an individual, organization, or program in Washington state that has made a significant contribution to increasing the public’s understanding of law, the justice system, or government.

First presented in 2002 to the late journalist Richard W. Larsen, a founding member of the CPLE, the award was established to highlight the important educational work being done by teachers, lawyers, the media, and a variety of advocacy and community organizations. These efforts range from school-based programs for youth to cable-television shows for seniors to workshops for the general public.
Nominations are due by November 1, 2003, and should be made in the form of a letter describing the nominee’s contribution to public legal education in Washington state. Self-nominations are encouraged. Letters should be mailed to:

PLE Award Nominations Committee
c/o Pam Inglesby
Washington State Bar Association
2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 400
Seattle, WA 98121-2330

Email submissions are also acceptable, and may be sent to pami@wsba.org.

About the Council on Public Legal Education
Created in 2000, the Council on Public Legal Education is currently housed at the WSBA. Its 30-plus members include lawyers, judges, educators, elected officials, journalists, and community representatives. The council’s mission is to ensure that the people of Washington have the knowledge they need to participate effectively in the justice system and government. The council is pursuing this mission by creating, coordinating, and encouraging many kinds of legal-education programs ranging from a media resource guide to teacher-training workshops to a comprehensive law-related website for the general public. The council is co-chaired by Judge Marlin J. Appelwick, Court of Appeals, and Judith Billings, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction. More information about the council may be found at www.plecouncil.org.

About the Washington State Bar Association
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state’s 27,600 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.

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 president is David W. Savage of Pullman. The board meets every six weeks at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the WSBA is carried out through its 23 standing committees, 24 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division.

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