FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
April 20, 2006      

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

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Walla Walla, April 21

Seattle, Washington, April 20, 2006 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on April 21 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center in Walla Walla. The public meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Fifth District Governor Michael Pontarolo, of Spokane, will welcome the Board to Walla Walla.

WSBA Treasurer Mark Johnson, of Seattle, will present a revised WSBA investment policy, and the Board will vote on its adoption. WSBA President-elect Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle, who serves as chair of the Facilities Committee, will report to the Board (the WSBA is moving its office in December 2006). Bainbridge Island lawyer James Macpherson, chair of the President and Governor Selection Task Force, will present the task force's recommendations about assuring opportunities for Board service in diverse districts.

The Board will welcome Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) President Dr. Peter Dunbar and WSMA Past-President Dr. Kenneth Isaacs to its meeting. The Board will engage in professional discourse with Dr. Dunbar and Dr. Isaacs. Earlier this year, WSBA President S. Brooke Taylor, Dr. Dunbar, and Dr. Isaacs participated in a group who met with Governor Christine Gregoire to negotiate a patient-safety bill. The resulting bill, HB 2292, was signed by Governor Gregoire on March 6.

Joining the Board of Governors for lunch on Friday will be members of the Walla Walla County Bar Association and members from Columbia County. The current president of the Walla Walla County Bar is Richard Wernette, of Walla Walla. President of the Hells Canyon Bar Association (comprising Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield counties) is Michael Sanders, of Asotin. Highlighting the luncheon will be the presentation of the WSBA Local Hero Award by WSBA President S. Brooke Taylor. As the Board of Governors meets around the state, the WSBA recognizes local lawyers who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.

After lunch, Seattle lawyer David Swartling, chair of the WSBA Court Rules and Procedures Committee, will ask the Board to approve new suggested General Rule (GR) 33, regarding requests for accommodation by persons with disabilities, and to approve an amendment to Rule for Appeal of Decisions of Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (RALJ), which would eliminate any confusion about recoverable costs. If approved by the Board, the rules will be sent to the Washington State Supreme Court for action.

The Board will also address administration of Supreme Court-created boards, and vote whether to propose a rule to the Supreme Court regarding these boards and to execute a memo of understanding with the Access to Justice Board. WSBA Director of Lawyer Services Barbara Harper will report on the work of the Lawyer Services Department, and WSBA Director of Legislative Affairs Gail Stone will provide the Board with a legislative session wrap-up. Judicial Recommendation Committee Chair Anthony Miles, of Seattle, will present recommendations about modifying the structure of the Judicial Recommendation Committee, and the Board will vote whether to do so.

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 2005-2006 president-elect is Ellen Conedera Dial, 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 23 standing committees; 25 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.