FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2006
Contact: Alfredo Tryferis
Communications Specialist
206-733-5932; alfredot@wsba.org
Lewis County Superior Court Judge
H. John Hall Receives WSBA Local Hero Award
Seattle, Wash., May 10, 2006 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that Lewis County Superior Court Judge H. John Hall received the WSBA's Local Hero Award, presented to lawyers who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities. WSBA President S. Brooke Taylor presented the award to Judge Hall at a special meet-and-greet with officers of the Lewis County Bar Association on April 28 at the Shire Restaurant in Chehalis.
Judge Hall was instrumental in getting a drug court established in Lewis County and worked tirelessly to raise money for the court. Thanks to his efforts, the court is securely funded through 2008.
A graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law, Judge Hall was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1967, then spent the next year as an assistant attorney general. He had been in private practice since 1968 when he was elected to the Lewis County Superior Court bench in 1989. A past president of the Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys, Judge Hall is an enthusiastic supporter of many of the charitable events in Lewis County, including the Centralia Providence Hospital Festival of Trees, Centralia High School Dollars for Scholars, the St. Joseph's School annual auction/fundraiser, Lewis County Bar Legal Aid, and many others.
About the WSBA
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 29,800 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; 25 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.
