Pullman Lawyer David W. Savage Sworn in as 113th President of the Washington State Bar Association

Seattle Washington, September 16, 2003 — Pullman lawyer and Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) President-elect David W. Savage was sworn in September 11 as the WSBA's 113th president. The ceremony took place at the WSBA's Annual Awards Dinner, held in conjunction with its Annual Business Meeting at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Chief Justice Gerry Alexander swore in the new president.

Mr. Savage is a shareholder and president of the Pullman firm Irwin, Myklebust, Savage Brown (www.imsblaw.com), a seven-lawyer firm practicing in estate planning and probate, business, personal injury, family, and criminal law, which he joined in 1973. A member of the WSBA since 1973, he is admitted to practice in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and appears in the courts of all three. He has served on a number of Idaho State Bar boards and committees.

A member and past chair of the WSBA Court Rules Committee and Litigation Section, Mr. Savage has served as a hearing officer for the WSBA Disciplinary Board. In 1995, Governor Mike Lowry appointed him to the Walsh Commission to study and recommend procedures for judicial-election reform. Locally, Mr. Savage has been active in the Pullman United Way, Pullman High School Mentor Program, and the Pullman Chamber of Commerce.

While many of the tasks facing Mr. Savage involve moving forward with projects already underway as part of the WSBA's long-range plan, including an ongoing study of the student loan crisis and implementation of the Professional Development Committee's recommendations for improving the professional development of new lawyers, he will pursue an initiative to enhance diversity at all levels of Bar governance and in all Bar activities. He and the Bar Association will strive to ensure that the Bar Association better reflects the diverse constituencies in Washington. He recognizes that the issue will not be resolved overnight, "but we have to start, be serious and focused, and keep at it," he said.

Savage will also launch several initiatives to enhance member services including one designed to make low-cost legal research services available to attorneys across the state.

He has also stated his commitment and renewed the WSBA's commitment to seeking stable and adequate funding for the State's judiciary. He will continue the Bar Association's ongoing effort to ensure that all citizens of the state have equal access to the civil legal system.

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 current president is David W. Savage of Pullman, and the president-elect is Ronald R. Ward of Seattle. 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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