FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       
September 21, 2005      

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

Starbucks General Counsel Paula E. Boggs Receives WSBA Excellence in Diversity Award

Seattle, Washington, September 21, 2005 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announced today that Starbucks General Counsel Paula E. Boggs received its 2005 Excellence in Diversity Award. The Excellence in Diversity Award is presented to a lawyer, law firm, or law-related group that has made a significant contribution to diversity in the legal profession's employment of ethnic minorities, women, and disabled persons. 2004-2005 WSBA President Ronald R. Ward presented the award to Ms. Boggs at the WSBA's Annual Awards Dinner held September 15 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.
 
Ms. Boggs joined Starbucks as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary in 2002. As head of the Law and Corporate Affairs Department, she is responsible for overseeing all facets of the company's legal matters. Prior to Starbucks, Ms. Boggs served as corporate counsel for Dell Computer Corporation and was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis in Seattle. From 1988 to 1994, she served as assistant U.S. attorney in the western district of Washington state, responsible for prosecuting fraud and regulatory crimes. She is a former U.S. Army officer and has worked as a staff attorney for the White House.
 
Ms. Boggs is an active volunteer in both legal and civic organizations. She serves as a member of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, as chair of the audit and insurance committee of the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees and on its executive and nominations committees. She is also on the boards of LAW Fund, the Seattle Art Museum, Premera Blue Cross, and the Starbucks Foundation.

Ms. Boggs received her undergraduate degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University in 1981 and her law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where she was named the 1998 Alumna of the Year, in recognition of her professional and civic contributions.

Ms. Boggs is well known as a mentor and inspiration to others, and she has a strong commitment to helping young lawyers succeed in their careers. Former WYLD President Sherri Jefferson has described how Ms. Boggs "motivated, mentored, and inspired [her]," further stating: "[T]he goal of increasing racial and ethnic diversity … can be achieved when the commitment is modeled from the top down. Paula does more than merely speak about her commitment to promoting racial and ethnic diversity … she puts her words into action."

About the WSBA
The Washington State Bar Association 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, it 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.