FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     
February 2, 2005

Contact: Alfredo Tryferis
Communications Specialist
206-733-5932
alfredot@wsba.org

Council on Public Legal Education Celebrates Five Years of Progress

Seattle, Washington, February 2, 2005 — The Washington State Bar Association announced that the Council on Public Legal Education (CPLE), a partnership of education, legal, media, and community groups, will celebrate its five-year anniversary following its February meeting. Representatives of the media are invited to the celebration, which will take place February 4 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Fullers Room of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers, 1400 Sixth Avenue. For more information, contact WSBA Public Legal Education Manager Pam Inglesby at 206-727-8226 or pami@wsba.org.

About the CPLE
The CPLE was created in early 2000 to promote public understanding of the law, and civic rights and responsibilities. The Honorable Marlin Appelwick, state Appellate Court judge and former legislator, and former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Judith Billings have served as the Council's co-chairs since its inception.

Lawforwa.org
One of the CPLE's accomplishments is lawforwa.org, a "gateway" legal information website that will be opened to the public on February 4. Lawforwa.org will provide the people of Washington with an easy-to-use directory of the best web-based information on law and government. While its primary audience is the general public, it will feature special areas for teachers and the media (which are still under development). The website was created as a partnership between the University of Washington, which contributed technical expertise, and the CPLE, which developed the content. Funding has been provided by the Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

CPLE and Youth. One segment of the public the CPLE is especially concerned about is youth, who generally receive little education about the law and government in schools. Working in partnership with the Washington Judges Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other organizations, the CPLE has helped to create several new youth courts in Washington, and has helped existing ones to improve and expand. Youth courts are an alternative to traditional methods of juvenile justice. In youth courts, youth "juries" determine consequences for their peers who have admitted responsibility for minor crimes, traffic infractions, or school rule violations. Both offenders and volunteers in youth courts learn valuable lessons about restorative justice, rights and responsibilities, and how the legal system works first-hand. The CPLE's youth-court efforts are led by member Margaret Fisher, an attorney and nationally recognized expert in law-related education for young people. (For additional information about youth courts, see the National Youth Court Center's website.)

Other CPLE efforts to improve young people's understanding of law and government include:

• Providing K-12 teachers with workshops, lesson plans, and other resources to improve their ability to teach law and government;
• Working with the state Legislature to ensure civics is included in the state's Essential Academic Learning Requirements for public school students;
• Assisting the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction with developing meaningful methods of assessing student learning in Civics; and
• Creating volunteer opportunities for judges and lawyers to help teachers educate youth about the law.
  CPLE and Legislators. In addition to youth, another group the CPLE has targeted for education are legislators, as their understanding of the state and federal constitutions is key to good government. Every two years, the CPLE organizes a "Law School for Legislators," to which all new members of the state Legislature are invited. Topics covered include the separation of powers, judicial independence, statutory interpretation, and the role of the state constitution.

Access to Justice Board
The CPLE is a standing committee of the Access to Justice (ATJ) Board, which is administered by the WSBA. The ATJ Board was established by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1994 at the request of the WSBA Board of Governors, in response to a growing need to coordinate the access-to-justice efforts throughout the state and ensure continuity and focus. The mandate of the ATJ Board is to ensure access to the civil justice system for low- and moderate-income Washington residents. The ATJ Board consists of nine members nominated by the WSBA Board of Governors and appointed by the Supreme Court. Greenbank, WA, attorney Christine E. Crowell is the current chair.

About the Washington State Bar Association
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 28,900 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, it administers the bar exam, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. 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 president is Ronald R. Ward of Seattle. The board meets every six weeks at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the WSBA is carried out through its 23 standing committees, 24 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division.