FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2006

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

Two WSBA Staff Members Killed in Car Accident

Joy McLean Katherine Johnson

Seattle, Washington, March 10, 2006 — It is with great sadness that the WSBA reports the deaths of staff members Joy B. McLean and Katherine L. Johnson, who were killed in a car accident on Highway 12 near Missoula, Montana, on March 4. The two were on their way to Joy's childhood home in Kooskia, Idaho, when Katherine lost control of the car during a snow storm. Their car veered into oncoming traffic and was broadsided.

Joy, 48, who served as director of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC), which sanctions lawyers found guilty of misconduct, had been at the WSBA since 1995. Katherine, 54, an investigator with the ODC and the Practice of Law Board, had worked at the WSBA for seven years.

Joy and Katherine were highly respected attorneys who worked diligently to uphold the highest standards of the legal profession. Their work with the ODC helped strengthen the public's confidence in the legal profession and, by extension, the justice system itself.

"The combined loss is an incredible intellectual loss, as well as a personal loss for us," said Jan Michels, executive director of the Washington State Bar Association. "Both Joy and Katherine epitomized the work the Bar is doing to elevate the practice of law. Both were individuals of great integrity, dedicated to the legal profession, and firmly committed to protecting the public and serving the citizens of Washington. They will be greatly missed."

Joy began at the WSBA as disciplinary counsel, and in 1998 was promoted to senior disciplinary counsel. She was appointed associate director for the ODC in 1999, and in 2002 was named director. Born in Grangeville, Idaho, she graduated from Boise State University in 1979 and received her law degree from Gonzaga University in 1983. From 1984 to 1985, she was a trial attorney with the law office of Van Bishop in Nampa, Idaho, and from 1985 to 1986, was a law clerk for the Idaho Third District Court in Caldwell. In 1986, she was elected prosecuting attorney for Idaho County in Grangeville and served a three-year term. From 1989 to 1991, she was a managing attorney for Hyatt Legal Services in Federal Way, and from 1991 to 1995 was an associate attorney for Cayce and Associates in Renton.

She is survived by her three brothers, Douglas McLean, Mel McLean, and Cliff McLean, and their families.

Katherine, a native of Seattle, graduated from the University of Washington in 1977 and received her law degree from the University of Puget Sound in 1980. She worked as a solo practitioner from 1981 to 1984, then worked for Hyatt Legal Services until 1990, first as a staff attorney, then as managing attorney and regional partner. From 1990 to 1991, she was a part-time instructor at the National Academy for Paralegal Studies and Edmonds Community College, where she taught courses in family and criminal law. From 1991 to 1999, she was an associate at the Renton law firm of Sampson & Wilson, Inc.

Katherine is survived by her mother, Kay Hayashi, her daughter, Lauren Johnson, and a large extended family.

A Celebration of Life service for Joy and Katherine will be held on Sunday, March 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Yankee Diner in Ballard, 5300 24th Ave. NW, Seattle.

The WSBA will remember Joy and Katherine for their dedication to the legal profession, keen intellect, integrity, hard work, wit, and good humor. They will be greatly missed by WSBA staff, the Board of Governors, and the many volunteer bar leaders who worked with them.

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; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.