2003 Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono Award Recipients Named

Seattle Washington, June 3, 2003 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced today that its 2003 Pro Bono Award will go to the Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA) Volunteer Lawyers Program and the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association (TPCBA) Volunteer Legal Services Program. This year's Pro Bono Award will be presented June 7 by WSBA President J. Richard Manning at Washington's eighth-annual Access to Justice Conference in Wenatchee.

The Pro Bono Award is given annually to lawyers, nonlawyers, law firms or local bar associations for outstanding efforts in providing free legal services to the poor. The Pro Bono award is based not on hours of service or financial contributions, but on cumulative efforts.

Holland McBurns and the SCBA Volunteer Lawyers Program
Accepting the award for the SCBA Volunteer Lawyers Program will be Program Coordinator Holland McBurns.

"The Spokane Volunteer Lawyers Program under the direction of Holland McBurns has adapted to the changing environment affecting the providing of pro bono services for the poor," said SCBA President Laurie F. Connelly. "Holland's energy and leadership enlivened the current programs and she enhanced the credibility of the Volunteer Lawyers Program. She has responded to client needs by systematically adding more clinics and programs to provide services to our clients."

Under McBurns, the SCBA Volunteer Lawyers Program significantly improved its ability to match up indigent clients with attorneys volunteering to take their cases on a pro bono basis. "The majority of cases where people are looking for help are in the family law arena," said Connelly. "While it is difficult to keep going back to the same group of attorneys, Holland is successful in securing direct representation. In a very short time, Holland has solidified the presence of the Spokane County's Volunteer Lawyers Program in the Access-to-Justice community."

Holland McBurns graduated from the University of Washington in 1996 with a B.A. in Women's Issues, and received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Gonzaga University Law School in 2000. While attending law school, she worked for Columbia Legal Services as an intern providing free legal services to low-income residents of Spokane County. She also volunteered for the King County and Kootenai County Public Defender Offices. She has served on various Access-to-Justice committees and the Spokane Legal Service Provider Committee.

Terry McCarthy and the TPCBA Volunteer Legal Services Program
Accepting the award for the TPCBA Volunteer Legal Services Program will be Program Chair Terry McCarthy.

"Three years ago, the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Program was in trouble," said TPCBA President Daniel R. Kyler. "Member participation was down, handling of referrals was almost nonexistent, and the scope of volunteer legal services being provided in Tacoma-Pierce County had declined to the point where abolishing the program was under consideration."

Enter Terry McCarthy. "In a very short time," said Kyler, "Terry led the program's accomplishment of a number of tasks critical to ensuring its survival." According to Kyler, McCarthy was instrumental in locating and persuading Laurie Davenport to join as program director, as well as recruiting and hiring other key staff; he recruited multiple, larger law firms in Tacoma to staff many of the outreach programs that were developed and improved under his leadership; he marshaled support from current and incoming bar leadership, maintained relationships with key funders, reinvigorated local bar fundraising efforts, and identified new services and locations for the program; he invited an ABA peer review of the program to provide suggestions for future growth; and he recruited minority bar members to participate in the committee's work.

A graduate of the University of Washington and Willamette University School of Law, McCarthy is a founding partner of McCarthy, Causseaux and Rourke in Tacoma. In 2002 he received Pierce County's award as the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for his contributions to Access to Justice.

"The bar's accomplishments result from a team effort," said the Legal Foundation of Washington Executive Director Barbara C. Clark. "However, they would not have happened without an extraordinary team leader. Terry McCarthy came up with a plan to turn the program around and, through his perseverance and leadership, let the implementation of the plan."

Tacoma attorney and WSBA Board of Governors member Howard L. Graham, who called McCarthy "a miracle worker," said, "Terry has successfully transformed the Volunteer Legal Services Program into an operation that all of our community is very proud of today. Without Terry's leadership, the Volunteer Legal Services Program would be just a shadow of its current self."

About the WSBA
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. For more information about the WSBA, visit www.wsba.org.

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