FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2007
Contact: Stephanie Perry
Communications Specialist/Website Editor
206-733-5932; stephaniep@wsba.org
G. Geoffrey Gibbs Elected 2nd District Governor
Seattle, Washington, July 20, 2007 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that Everett attorney G. Geoffrey Gibbs has been elected the new governor representing the 2nd District on the WSBA Board of Governors. At the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting in September 2007, Gibbs will begin a three-year term of service, assuming the seat currently held by Eron Berg. As governor of the 2nd District, Geoff Gibbs will represent Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and San Juan counties.
Gibbs is a shareholder in the Everett law firm of Anderson Hunter. His practice is focused primarily on litigation, with an emphasis on family law, probate, and boundary litigation. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Montana State University, his first law degree (J.D.) from the University of Montana, and his second law degree, a Masters of Law in Marine Affairs (LL.M), from the University of Washington. Formerly a senior partner in the Seattle firm of Ogden, Murphy & Wallace, Gibbs moved to Snohomish County in 1989 and resides in Everett.
Gibbs served multiple terms on the WSBA Rules of Professional Conduct Committee. He has served as a Board member of the Snohomish County Bar Association (SCBA) for many years and was its president in 2005-2006. He has also served as the SCBA liaison to the WSBA Board of Governors since 2005. Gibbs has served for many years as a judge pro tem for the Snohomish County Superior Court, Snohomish County District Court, and Everett Municipal Court, and as a Superior Court commissioner pro tem. He actively arbitrates and mediates cases as part of his practice.
In addition to his work, Gibbs is actively involved in fund-raising for the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, Snohomish County Bar Association, Snohomish County Legal Services, and Junior Achievement of Puget Sound. In the past, he has served the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce as a member of the Government Affairs Council .
Gibbs has also served as a Board member of the Ocean Resource and Conservation Association and numerous other civic and charitable organizations.
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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