FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2004
CONTACT
Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212
judithb@wsba.org
WSBA Board of Governors Supports Recommendations for Reforms in
Washington’s Indigent-Defense System and State Funding of Indigent Defense
Seattle Washington, May 19, 2004 — At its May 15 meeting, the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors voted unanimously to support the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Criminal Defense calling for significant reforms in Washington’s indigent-defense system and state funding of indigent defense.
The Blue Ribbon Panel on Criminal Defense was formed in May 2003, and was appointed by the WSBA Board of Governors as a first step to address concerns about the quality of indigent-defense services in Washington. Co-chaired by Justice Robert Utter (Ret.) and Seattle attorney Marc Boman, the panel’s 17 appointees include Washington Supreme Court, superior, district, and municipal court judges; private attorneys; public defenders; a county prosecutor; a law professor; and members of the Board of Governors.
As recommended, the WSBA will form a standing Committee on Public Defense Services; actively support an active role for the Washington State Office of Public Defense in providing meaningful oversight; and support the efforts of the Court Funding Task Force and other interested groups in securing adequate funding for accused persons’ right to counsel. (The recommendations can be found on pages 28-29 of the report.)
The complete report can be accessed from the home page of the WSBA website: http://www.wsba.org, or directly at http://www.wsba.org/blueribbonreport.pdf (the 6MB file may take a while to download).
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 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 2003-2004 president is David W. Savage of Pullman. 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; 23 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.
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