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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Richland, October 22-23Seattle, Washington, October 20, 2004 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting October 22-23, at the Hampton Inn in Richland. Governor Stanley Bastian, who represents members in the 4th District, will welcome the board to Richland. The meeting will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday. It is open to the press and public. At the 2004 WSBA Annual Meeting, held on September 16, a resolution to include Indian law on the Washington State Bar Examination was passed. The Board will take final action by determining whether to approve or authorize the approved resolution. Immediate Past-president of the WSBA Indian Law Section Gabriel Galanda, of Seattle, will speak to the issue. The Board will review the program overview for the new WSBA Leadership Institute (WLI), and vote on approval of the WLI's mission and selection criteria. The WLI will train young lawyers (fellows) for leadership positions in the WSBA and in the legal community. Fellows will be selected with an emphasis on diversity; however, no one meeting the selection criteria will be excluded from consideration. Seattle attorney James Williams, chair of the WSBA Leadership Institute Advisory Board, will speak about the WLI. President of the Washington Young Lawyers Division Steve Marsalis, of Spokane, will report on the Division's activities. Treasurer Joni Kerr, of Vancouver, will brief the Board on financial matters. The Board will consider changes to discovery rules that they have been discussing with the Court Rules and Procedures Committee for several months. Also, WSBA Deputy Director Paula Littlewood will update the Board on the progress of the Professional Development Implementation Committee. On Friday, the Board of Governors will host a luncheon with members of the Benton-Franklin Counties Bar Association. The luncheon provides an opportunity for lawyers and judges to meet informally with members of the Board of Governors and discuss topics of mutual interest or concern, as well as their "likes and dislikes" about the Bar. A highlight will be the honoring of Richland attorney Eugene G. Schuster as a "local hero." The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's 28,400 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 2004-2005 president is Ronald R. Ward of Seattle. 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 24 standing committees; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees. # # # |