Seattle Attorney Mari L. Horita Receives Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Professionalism Award

Seattle Washington, October 9, 2003—The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced that Seattle attorney Mari L. Horita received the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) Professionalism Award for her commitment to community service, her strong support of the arts, and her active advocacy in the Asian American community. The award was presented October 8 at the Seattle law offices of Preston Gates Ellis LLP.

Mari Horita is an associate in the Real Estate Department at Preston Gates Ellis; her practice includes advising and representing clients in retail and commercial leases, acquisitions and sales of commercial property, and eminent-domain proceedings. She received a B.A., cum laude, from Pomona College, in 1990, a J.D. in 1994 from the University of Washington School of Law, and in 1999 an M.A. in nonprofit leadership from Seattle University. She is a member of the King County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Washington State Bar Association, and is on the faculty of the Corporate Council for the Arts/Artsfund Board Leadership Training Program. In addition, she is Workplace Giving Committee co-chair for the Corporate Council for the Arts/Artsfund; a board member of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce, Japan America Society of Washington State, and the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce; and a founding board member of the Densho Project, an organization dedicated to preserving the memories of the Japanese American internment, and the Vina Musica String Quartet.

“Seldom have I witnessed a young attorney so able to convince not just her peers but also business owners, partners, and civic leaders to contribute to worthy causes,” said James F. Tune, Stoel Rives Managing Partner. “Her charm and persistence serve the community and her clients extremely well.”

Peter F. Donnelly, president and CEO of Artsfund Corporate Council for the Arts, said, “I have consistently been impressed with Mari’s commitment and effectiveness as a volunteer leader. She has an uncanny ability to match resources to community needs in many other ways.”

About the Washington Young Lawyers Division
The WYLD provides programs and services of special interest to young lawyers, to the public, and to those denied access to the justice system. In particular, the WYLD sponsors Continuing Legal Education seminars of interest to young lawyers; publishes De Novo, a quarterly publication serving young lawyers; sponsors programs that benefit high school students, including the YMCA Mock Trial Competition; and sponsors seminars addressing questions facing young lawyers as they balance professional and personal lives. Any active member of the WSBA is a member of the WYLD until December 31 of the year in which the member attains the age of 36 or until the December 31 of the fifth year in which the member has been admitted to practice in any state, whichever is later.

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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