FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

May 25, 2007 

Contact: Stephanie Perry
Communications Specialist/Website Editor
206-733-5932; stephaniep@wsba.org

WSBA Administrative Law Section Donates Public Records Act Deskbook to County Law Libraries Throughout Washington State

Seattle, Washington, May 25, 2007 — The WSBA Administrative Law Section announced that it will purchase and donate copies of the Public Records Act Deskbook to county law libraries throughout Washington state.

Each year, the Section dedicates a substantial portion of its membership dues revenues to a public-service project that promotes access to administrative justice. The Deskbook was produced over a period of four years by 18 chapter authors and editors, with support from the Attorney General's office, and was completed ahead of schedule.

"As one of its 2007 public-service projects, the Administrative Law Section is very pleased to be able to provide a copy of the new Public Records Act Deskbook to each of Washington's county law libraries," said Administrative Law Section Chair Richard Potter. "A result of countless hours of volunteer work by many Section members and others, the book will be a key useful ongoing resource for the general public as well as the Bar. The Section believes this donation is a tangible, long-lasting way for it to contribute to the improvement of justice in Washington, as it has also been doing with similar donations of its Washington Administrative Practice Manual."

 A joint WSBA/Administrative Law Section announcement and ceremony will be held at the upcoming Access to Justice and Bar Leaders Conference in Wenatchee, on June 1, 2007. The donation will be announced by Section Chair Richard Potter and WSBA President Ellen Conedera Dial. 

"Now requestors, agencies, and courts have a detailed, scholarly resource to answer the complex legal questions that arise under the Act," said Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna in the preface to the Deskbook. "Requestors and agencies can avoid the legal expense of obtaining answers to routine questions about the law by using this deskbook. In fact, assistant attorneys general who represent state agencies will be using it as a guide to assist their clients in handling public records requests."

"You will find in this Deskbook the best thinking of Washington lawyers who are the most knowledgeable about the Public Records Act and how it works," said WSBA President Ellen Dial. "We are grateful to the WSBA Administrative Law Section and the office of the Washington State Attorney General for their collaborative effort to bring this book into print. The decision of the Section to make this work available to every county law library in the state exemplifies the Section's commitment to supporting the work of lawyers across the State to the benefit of us all.  Kudos to the Section, the Attorney General, and each of the individual authors, for their fine work and service to the profession." 
 
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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