FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2007
Contact: Stephanie Perry
Communications Specialist/Website Editor
206-733-5932; stephaniep@wsba.org
WSBA Board of Governors Elects Brenda Williams At-Large Governor
Seattle, Washington, July 20, 2007 — The WSBA is pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has elected Brenda Williams as the new governor-at-large. At the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting in September 2007, Ms. Williams will assume the seat currently held by Marcine Anderson, for a three-year term.
Brenda Williams received a bachelor’s degree in political science, master of public administration, and her law degree, from the University of Washington. Since joining the Bar in 1998, Williams has been a public defender in King County Superior Court and Seattle Municipal Court, representing indigent clients in areas including adult felonies, misdemeanors, juveniles, dependencies, and special offender commitments. She also managed the Defender Association’s Legal Intern program for six months, where she trained law students and guided them through their first criminal trials before juries. She has also served as a part-time instructor for the University of Washington’s paralegal certificate program and pro tem Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings.
In addition, Brenda Williams was a co-founder of the National Latina/o Law Student Conference, now in its eleventh year, and she has served as a Latina/o Bar Association of Washington board member from 2004-2005 and as its president in 2005 and 2006. She served on the WSBA Civil Rights Committee from 2003-2004; served on the WSBA Court Rules and Procedures Committee from 2005-2007; and currently serves on the WSBA Bar Examiners Committee for the 2007-2010 term.
“Brenda Williams is a well-respected role model and mentor for many in the Latina/Latino community and beyond,” said Justice Barbara A. Madsen in her letter of recommendation. “Her commitment to the mission of her association [is] obvious, as [is] her commitment to improving the legal system for those without a voice…. She is bright, energetic, committed, and highly regarded by many who have worked with her, including me.”
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 30,600 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 2006-2007 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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