Washington State Bar Association President-elect Ronald R. Ward and Five New Governors Sworn in at Bar Association Annual Meeting

Seattle Washington, September 18, 2003—The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced that President-elect Ronald R. Ward and five new governors were sworn in at its Annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with its Annual Awards Dinner September 11 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle.

President-elect Ronald R. Ward, the first African-American to serve as president-elect of the WSBA, served as 8th District governor from 2002-2003. Since 1982 he has been a shareholder in the Seattle law firm Levinson Friedman. A former assistant attorney general, he was vice president and seven-term member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA), and co-chair of WSTLA's Seattle Downtown Roundtable. In 1994 President-elect Ward received the Distinguished Service Award at the national convention of the National Bar Association, and in 1995 the WSTLA Special President's Recognition Award. Washington Law & Politics magazine selected him as a Super Lawyer for 2003.

Governor Randolph I. Gordon (8th District) is a principal in the Bellevue law firm Gordon Edmunds Elder PLLC. Known for his dedication and enthusiasm in promoting public service within the profession, Governor Gordon has been a volunteer for the Eastside Legal Assistance Program since its inception, and over the years has worked tirelessly to ensure access to justice. He is an adjunct professor of law at Seattle University Law School. He received the WSBA’s 2001 President’s Award, and WSTLA’s 1998 Public Justice Award and 2001 Professionalism Award.

Governor Mark A. Johnson (7th-West District) is a member of Johnson Flora PLLC. Chair of the WSBA Character and Fitness Committee and a member of the Professional Development Committee, he is also a member of WSTLA, past chair of WSTLA’s Professional Liability Section, and member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Governor Johnson is co-chair of the WSBA’s First Annual Conference on the Law of Lawyering to be held in December. He is a prolific author and frequent lecturer on professional liability and medical malpractice issues.

Governor Kristin G. Olson is a shareholder in the Bellevue law firm of O’Shea Barnard Martin, P.S. She served as a trustee of the East King County Bar Association for several years, becoming president in 1999. From 2000 to 2002, Governor Olson served on the board of trustees of the King County Bar Association. While on the board, she was a liaison to the WSBA. Ms. Olson volunteers for the Eastside Legal Assistance Program and is a member of the board of trustees of ACT Theatre.

Governor Kathleen M. O’Sullivan is an associate in the Seattle office of Perkins Coie LLP. From 1996-1997, she was a law clerk to the Honorable Harold H. Green, and from 1998-1999 a law clerk to the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown. From 1991-1993, Governor O’Sullivan was a history teacher and girls’ ice-hockey coach at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. She is a member of the ABA Litigation Section and a Passages Northwest Board member. Ms. O’Sullivan was a co-recipient of the WSBA 2003 Award of Merit, the WSBA’s highest honor.

Governor Michael J. Pontarolo is a principal in the Spokane and Seattle law firm Delay, Curran, Thompson, Pontarolo & Walker, PS, and an adjunct professor of law at Gonzaga University School of Law. In 1989 he was elected president of the Spokane Bar Association, and he has served on numerous local and state bar committees. Named by Washington Law & Politics as a “Super Lawyer” for 2001, 2002, and 2003, Governor Pontarolo holds the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and was named one of the Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2004.

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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