FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
July 25, 2005      

Contact Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Bellingham, July 29-30

Seattle, Washington, July 25, 2005 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on July 29 and 30 at the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham. The WSBA's Second District Governor, Mount Vernon attorney Eron Berg, will welcome the Board to Bellingham. The public meeting will be held from 10:00 to noon and from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and from 9:00 to noon on Saturday. It is open to the press and the public.

Joining the Board of Governors for lunch on Friday will be members of the Whatcom County Bar Association. The current president of the Whatcom County Bar is Elizabeth Li, of Bellingham, and the vice-president is Jeff Lustick, also of Bellingham. Highlighting the luncheon will be the presentation of the WSBA Local Hero Award to Bellingham attorney Deborra Garrett. The award will be presented to Ms. Garrett by WSBA President Ronald Ward. As the Board of Governors meets around the state, the WSBA recognizes local lawyers who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities.

On the agenda for the Friday session will be a presentation and debate about Initiative 336, which relates to healthcare quality protection. After hearing an opinion from WSBA General Counsel Robert Welden about whether taking a position on the initiative is consistent with General Rule 12 (GR 12 governs WSBA activities and states the purposes, authorized activities, and unauthorized activities of the WSBA), and an opinion from Board of Governors members Eron Berg and Lonnie Davis, the Board will discuss whether to take a position on this initiative. If the Board decides to take a position, a vote will be taken on whether the WSBA's position is to support or oppose the initiative.

Friday afternoon, there will be a presentation by Washington's minority bar associations, as well as a presentation by the WSBA Court Rules and Procedures Committee. Court Rules and Procedures Committee Chair David Swartling, of Seattle, will present the committee's recommendations to the Board. Approved changes will be forwarded to the Washington State Supreme Court for action. WSBA Director of Lawyer Services Barbara Harper will report on the work of the Lawyer Services Department. The department offers a variety of member services, including the Lawyers' Assistance Program, Law Office Management Assistance Program, Ethics/Professional Responsibility Program, and Alternative Dispute Resolution programs.

On Saturday, WSBA Treasurer Joni Kerr, of Vancouver, will present the 2005-2006 budget, and the Board will vote on its adoption. There will be discussion and action of a proposed court rule addressing insurance disclosure; discussion and possible action of a proposed resolution in support of legislation to add sexual orientation to the Washington Law Against Discrimination; and discussion and action on proposed character and fitness rules. Ethics 2003 Committee Chair Ellen Conedera Dial, who was recently elected as WSBA 2005-2006 president-elect, will report on input received from the Washington State Supreme Court. The Ethics 2003 Committee comprehensively evaluated the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct and proposed changes to the rules.

About the Washington State Bar Association
The Washington State Bar Association is a nonprofit association that operates as an instrumentality of the Washington State Supreme Court. Authorized 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 exam, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. 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 2004-2005 president is Ronald R. Ward, of Seattle, and the 2004-2005 president-elect 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; 24 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.