Washington State Bar Association and Access to Justice Board to Host Ninth Annual Access to Justice Conference and Annual WSBA Bar Leaders Conference June 11-13 in Yakima

Seattle Washington, June 4, 2004 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced today that the Washington State Access to Justice (ATJ) Board will host its ninth-annual ATJ Conference in conjunction with the WSBA Bar Leaders Conference June 11-13 at the Yakima Convention Center. The conference will bring together an array of leaders and representatives from the ATJ network, including the private bar, the judiciary, court clerks and facilitators, law librarians, law schools, legal services programs, paralegals, pro bono programs, specialized legal services, community services, and the alternative dispute resolution community. Members of the press are welcome to attend. Members of the public wishing to attend should contact Sharlene Steele at 206-727-8262.

ATJ Conference workshops focus on a common goal of ensuring and improving equal access to the civil justice system for low-income people. Topics to be discussed include diversity, technology, criminal records, immigration, community legal resources, disabilities, collaborative law, and farm-worker justice. The conference will also feature a session entitled “Yakima’s Native Son: William O. Douglas, the Supreme Court, and Access to Justice.”

The WSBA Bar Leaders Conference includes a roundtable discussion with the Washington State Supreme Court justices and the WSBA Board of Governors, as well as topics such as professionalism, diversity, and marriage and equality in Washington state.

Other highlights of the event include a Friday evening keynote address by Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; a comical/musical rendition of “Survivor” titled “Survivor: The Justice Challenge” (which will include members of the Washington State Supreme Court); and a presentation by the Washington State Practice of Law Board. The awards luncheon on Saturday will recognize several people who have gone to great lengths to improve the legal system for low-income people. Friday features a lineup of several ATJ network board meetings at the Red Lion Center Hotel. For details about the conference, please refer to the conference program at www.wsba.org/atj/atjblc2004program.pdf.

About the ATJ Board
The ATJ Board was established by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1994 at the request of the WSBA Board of Governors, in response to a growing need to coordinate the access-to-justice efforts throughout the state and ensure continuity and focus. Its mandate is to ensure access to the civil justice system for low- and moderate-income Washington residents. The board consists of nine members nominated by the WSBA Board of Governors and appointed by the Supreme Court. Everett attorney Christine Crowell is the current chair. To learn more about the ATJ Board, visit www.wsba.org/atj.

About the WSBA
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state’s 28,200 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, 23 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division.

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