FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
April 12, 2007      

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

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Kelso April 13

Seattle, Washington, April 12, 2007 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on April 13 at the Red Lion Hotel in Kelso. Olympia attorney Kristal Wiitala, who represents members in the Third District, will welcome the Board to Kelso. The public meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a break from noon to 1:30 p.m.

WSBA Treasurer Eron Berg, of Sedro Wooley, will address fiscal matters, including reporting on the WSBA's December office move and budget policies. The Board will take vote a proposed court rule that would provide that all persons and entities acting on behalf of the Supreme Court under the Admission to Practice Rules, the Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct, and the Disciplinary Rules for Limited Practice Officers have judicial immunity as the Supreme Court would have if performing the same functions. If recommended, the proposed rule will be forwarded to the Supreme Court for their consideration. The Board will also discuss and vote on a proposed Board of Governors policy about conflict of interest.

The Board will review a recommendation from the WSBA Amicus Brief Committee that the WSBA decline to file an amicus curiae brief in Beal Bank SSB v. Steven and Kay Sarich, et al; the Committee concluded that the case does not present an issue of substantial interest to the WSBA. WSBA Legislative Director Gail Stone will provide the Board with a report of the legislative session to date and review the WSBA's positions on several bills.

The Board will be joined for lunch by members of the Cowlitz County and Lewis County bar associations. Longview attorney Francis "Frank" Randolph is president of the Cowlitz County Bar, and Centralia attorney Kelli Bringolf is president of the Lewis County Bar. A highlight of the luncheon will be the presentation of the Local Hero Award by WSBA President Ellen Conedera Dial. As the Board travels around the state for its meetings, this award is presented to lawyers who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities.

Friday afternoon, there will be a continuation of report by the Committee on Public Defense begun at the last Board of Governors meeting, held in early March. The Committee was established to implement the recommendations of the WSBA Blue Ribbon Panel on Criminal Defense (the Blue Ribbon Panel was appointed by the WSBA Board of Governors in spring 2003 as a first step in addressing concerns about the quality of indigent defense services in Washington). Since its formation in fall 2005, the Committee (whose work has been divided into the following subcommittees: Death Penalty, Education, Juvenile Defense/Representation, Mental Illness and Sex Offender Civil Commitment, Non-legislative Fixes for Enforcement of Standards, Standards, and System Efficiencies and Legislative Changes) has been working diligently on developing recommendations for improving public defense in Washington state. Specifically on the agenda are a report from the Death Penalty Subcommittee and a resolution for a statewide structure for defense services. Additional information about the Committee can be found at http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/committeeonpublicdefense.htm.

The chair of the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, Brush Prairie lawyer Mark Baum, will present some proposed changes to the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Rule. If approved, they will be forwarded to the Supreme Court for consideration.

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 30,900 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 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 president is Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle. The 2006-2007 president-elect is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee, and the immediate past-president is S. Brooke Taylor, of Port Angeles. 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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