Ronald R. Ward to Serve as Washington State Bar Association President-Elect

Seattle Washington, June 11, 2004 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced today that Seattle lawyer Ronald R. Ward has been elected to serve as WSBA president-elect in 2003-2004. Ward will serve as WSBA president in 2004-2005. Ward's election June 6 at the WSBA's Board of Governors meeting in Wenatchee made history, for when Ward begins his term as the 114th president of the WSBA in September 2004, he will be he first African-American to serve as president of the WSBA.

"I was absolutely elated," said Ward, when asked about his reaction to the election. "It's a long way from the projects in San Francisco to the presidency of the Washington State Bar—and it's a tribute to what our country is all about." The oldest of 10 children, Ward was born in Sacramento and grew up in the Hunters Point housing project in San Francisco. "We were 12 people living in about 1,000 square feet," he said. "To this day I think I'm still a little claustrophobic."

Ward earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Since 1982 he has been a shareholder in the Seattle law firm of Levinson Friedman, and is currently serving on the WSBA Board of Governors representing the 8th Congressional District. A former assistant attorney general, he is licensed to practice law in California and Washington. He was vice-president and a seven-term member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers' Association (WSTLA), and co-chair of WSTLA's Seattle Downtown Roundtable. In 1994 he received the Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by Anheuser-Busch Companies, at the National convention of the National Bar Association. In 1995 he received the WSTLA Special President's Recognition Award.

Ward has a clear vision for his presidency. "I want to be a symbol of community and a conduit for bringing us together," he said. "I really believe that what we're talking about is the welfare of the Washington State Bar Association. In times of crisis, people look to lawyers as leaders, and I want to do the best job I can for the Bar.

"I also want to be an example to children and young people of color, because it can make the difference between life and death for them. One reason I am here today is that as a child I saw a photo of Willy Brown, who later became Speaker of the California Assembly and is now Mayor of San Francisco. He inspired me to become a lawyer." Ward volunteers his time as a reading tutor and teaching assistant for first and second graders at Hawthorne School in Seattle, and serves on the Parent Board, the Annual Giving Steering Committee, and the Long-Range Planning Committee for Holy Names Academy in Seattle.

These days Ward is "furiously busy." Besides his law practice, his Board of Governors duties, and his volunteer efforts, he is chair of the Judicial Recommendations Review Committee; a member of the Budget and Audit Committee, the Discipline Committee, and the Diversity Committee; and liaison for the Business Law Section, the Character and Fitness Section, the Professional Development Task Force, and the Student Loan Crisis Task Force. He is also a frequent lecturer and seminar chair, most recently chairing trial advocacy seminars in Paris, Barcelona, and Florence.

"I am very proud of Ron Ward," said American Bar Association President Dennis Archer, "and for what he will do for the profession in the nation and for lawyers of color in Washington state."

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. The WSBA is governed by an elected president, president-elect, and a 14-member Board of Governors— three from the seventh District (King County), one from each of the remaining eight congressional districts, and three at-large members (one representing the Young Lawyers Division). The Board sets WSBA policy and speaks for the Association. It meets every six weeks at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit www.wsba.org.