Seattle Washington, January 15, 2003 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) World Peace Through Law Section will present the Ralph Bunche Award to Gonzaga University law professor Father Robert J. Araujo, S.J. at a luncheon on January 24. The award luncheon will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle from noon to 2:00 p.m.

The Ralph Bunche Award honors a person who has made a significant contribution to world peace through law. Father Araujo is an advisor to the Holy See, and is a member of its delegation to the United Nations Preparatory Committee and Diplomatic Conference for the Establishment of the International Criminal Court. At the luncheon, he will speak about the International Criminal Court.

Sponsored by the WSBA World Peace Through Law Section, the United Nations Association of Seattle, and the Council on Public Legal Education, the Ralph Bunche Award Luncheon follows a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar titled Today’s Challenges to World Peace. The seminar begins at 10:00 a.m., and offers lawyers 1.5 CLE credits. For registration information, contact the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-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.

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 Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through 23 standing committees; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.