Seattle Washington, January 23, 2003 — Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary E. Fairhurst has received the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Local Hero Award. The award was presented by WSBA President Dick Manning at a recpetion in Olympia last week. As the Board of Governors meets around the state, the Bar recognizes local lawyers who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.

In January 2003, Mary Fairhurst became a member of the Washington State Supreme Court. She began her legal career in the Supreme Court as a judicial clerk, working with Chief Justice William H. Williams in 1984, and Justice William C. Goodloe until 1986. She then served 16 years as an assistant attorney general. Justice Fairhurst served as WSBA president in 1997-1998, and on the Board of Governors from 1993 to 1996. She is a past president of Washington Women Lawyers, and the organization gave her its Passing the Torch Award in 1998.

Justice Fairhurst is active in her community, working for children and youth. She served two years on the Girl Scouts Board of the Pacific Peak Council. She raised money and awareness for the YMCA Youth and Government program, and helped create the Lawyers and Students Engaged in Resolution (LASER) Program. Justice Fairhurst planned and facilitated a youth violence summit, and organized and moderated conferences dealing with sex offenders in the community.

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.