FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
September 12, 2006     

Contact
Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Seattle, September 14 and 15

Seattle, Washington, September 12, 2006 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on September 14 and 15 at the WSBA office in Seattle. The public meeting will be held from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, and from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Friday. This will be the last Board meeting for the current Board presided over by S. Brooke Taylor, and for the last hour on Friday, the new Board will be seated, with new President Ellen Conedera Dial taking her place at the head of the table.

On Thursday, chair of the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection Committee Sarah Richardson, of Tacoma, will present the Committee¡¦s Annual Report. In fiscal year 2006, the WSBA Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection made gifts totaling approximately $468,695 to 66 applicants who were the victims of dishonest conduct of 26 lawyers. The misuse of clients' money happens rarely, but when it does, the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection is there to provide compensation. The Fund, which is financed solely by lawyers, is administered by the WSBA pursuant to rules of the Washington State Supreme Court.

Also on the agenda is a presentation by the Legal Foundation of Washington of their annual report. Dedicated to equal justice for low-income persons, the Legal Foundation of Washington was created at the direction of the Washington State Supreme Court to administer the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program in Washington state. The Legal Foundation of Washington is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees; the current board president is Hon. Michael Schwab, of Yakima. The Board of Trustees will be joining the Board of Governors for lunch on Thursday.

James Macpherson, chair of the President and Governor Selection Task Force, will present the Task Force's final report and recommendation. Seattle attorney Noah Davis, 2005-06 president of the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD), will present the WYLD annual report. Thursday¡¦s meeting will end with the swearing in of 2006-07 WYLD President John Brangwin, of Wenatchee.

On Thursday evening, the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner and Annual Meeting will be held at the Madison Renaissance Hotel. Twelve awards will be presented, including the Outstanding Elected Official Award to Governor Christine Gregoire. Other award recipients are: Award of Merit, Marc Boman, of Seattle; Professionalism Award, Joy McLean (posthumous); Angelo Petruss Award for Lawyers in Public Service, Penny Allen, of Olympia; Outstanding Judge Award, Hon. D. Gary Steiner, of Tacoma; Courageous Award, Nancy Ivarinen, of Bellingham; Excellence in Diversity Awards, Seattle University School of Law Alternative Admissions Program/Academic Resource Center and its co-founders, Professor David Boerner and Professor Paula Lustbader; Lifetime Service Award, Patrick McIntyre, of Seattle; Community Service Award, Hon. Joel M. Penoyar, of South Bend; and the President¡¦s Award, William Hyslop, of Spokane. Recipient of the 2006 Pro Bono Award, Leonard Feldman, of Seattle, who received his award in June at the annual Access to Justice Conference, will also be recognized.

Friday morning, chair of the WSBA Amicus Brief Committee, Lisa Stone, of Seattle, will inform the Board about a request for an amicus curiae brief. 2006-2007 WSBA President Ellen Conedera Dial, who served as chair of the WSBA Facilities Committee, will update the Board on plans for the WSBA¡¦s office move in December. WSBA Treasurer Mark A. Johnson, who practices in Seattle, will address fiscal matters.

The Board will finalize committee appointments for the 2006-07 year, and will take action on an Accessibility Policy and Accommodation Fund. The Board will also vote on an American Bar Association resolution about immigration, after a presentation by Lisa Seifert, vice chair of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. WSBA Director of Legislative Affairs Gail Stone will present a summary of the Justice in Jeopardy initiative. This initiative, with its four focuses: trial-court operations, civil legal aid, indigent criminal defense, and parents¡¦ representation in dependency cases, is the most direct and cohesive effort ever undertaken to substantially alter and improve the funding of our Washington courts. WSBA Director of Regulatory Services Jean McElroy will also report to the Board.

About the Washington State Bar Association

The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 29,800 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, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. 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 2005-2006 president is S. Brooke Taylor, of Port Angeles, and the 2006-2007 president is Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle. The 2006-2007 president-elect is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. 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; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.

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