FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
December 6, 2005     

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

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Bremerton, December 9-10

Seattle, Washington, December 6, 2005 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on December 9 and 10 at the Kitsap Convention Center in Bremerton. Sixth District Governor Salvador Mungia, of Tacoma, will welcome the Board to the Kitsap Peninsula. The public meeting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday. It is open to the press and the public.

Joining the Board of Governors for lunch on Friday will be members of the Kitsap County Bar Association. The current president of the Kitsap County Bar is Ronald E. Anderson. Highlighting the luncheon will be the presentation of the WSBA Local Hero Award to Bremerton attorney John F. Mitchell. The award will be presented to Mr. Mitchell 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.

On the agenda for the Friday session is a discussion of a proposed new Formal Ethics Opinion. (Formal Ethics Opinions, which assist lawyers in interpreting their ethical obligations, are adopted by the WSBA Board of Governors.) The WSBA Rules of Professional Conduct Committee has requested that the Board withdraw Formal Ethics Opinion 186, which addresses the proper handling of advance fee deposits and retainers, and replace it with new Formal Ethics Opinion 198. Initially presented at the October Board of Governors meeting, the matter was tabled to allow further opportunity for various groups to review the proposed opinion and provide feedback, as well as for a group of interested parties to meet, comment, and develop a revised opinion. The revised opinion will be presented and discussed.

Another item continued from the October agenda is consideration of a request from the WSBA Amicus Brief Committee that the WSBA file an amicus (friend of the court) brief in State of Washington v. John Nicholas Athan. This is the case in which the police, posing as lawyers, sent Mr. Athan a letter stating he was eligible for money in a class-action lawsuit over parking tickets, and the saliva found on the envelope Mr. Athan used to respond provided DNA evidence that convicted him of murder in the first degree. Since the October meeting, the WSBA has solicited input from members on this matter.

Also on the agenda is a presentation by Court Rules and Procedures Committee member Roger Wynne and WSBA Assistant General Counsel Douglas Ende. Under discussion will be a proposed new rule, Criminal Rule 4.11, and an amendment to Criminal Rule 4.6, both of which concern recording of witness interviews.

A presentation by Whatcom Public Defender Jon Ostlund, a former WSBA governor who currently serves as co-chair of the WSBA Committee on Public Defense, will bring the Board up to date on the work of this committee. Redmond attorney Joaquin Hernandez, co-chair of the WSBA Committee for Diversity, will give a report about the committee's activities. WSBA Treasurer Mark A. Johnson will update the Board on the WSBA's preparation for its December 2006 office move.

WSBA Director of Regulatory Services Jean McElroy will report on the department's work. Friday's session will conclude with the presentation of the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) Thomas Neville Pro Bono Award to Silverdale attorney Stephen T. King, for his exceptional efforts in helping impoverished clients. WYLD President Noah Davis will present the award to Mr. King.

On Saturday, in preparation for the upcoming legislative session, the WSBA Legislative Committee's recommendations will be presented to the Board for approval. The Council on Public Legal Education, a standing committee of the Access to Justice Board, whose mission is to promote public understanding of the law and civic rights and responsibilities, will request the Board's support for HB 1956. This bill strengthens civics education by mandating that students complete OSPI-approved classroom-based assessments in civics.

About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is an instrumentality of the state exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 29,200 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, 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; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.