New Website Makes Legal Info Easier To Find

Lawforwa.org Created by a Partnership of Law and Education Groups

Seattle Washington, August 19, 2005 — A new Washington state website, www.lawforwa.org, provides free public access to the law and legal information. The site offers an easy-to-use search engine and menu which quickly give users a manageable number of legal resources on a wide variety of topics. Users can also directly access the state law and other resources through the site's "quick links."

Lawforwa.org is a public service of the Council on Public Legal Education (CPLE), which is administered by the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). "Access to the law and legal information is critical to civic education and the civic participation of Washington's citizens," according to Judith Billings, CPLE co-chair and former state Superintendent of Public Instruction. "Lawforwa.org makes that access easy and meaningful. You don't need to be a sophisticated computer user to make this work. And you don't get hundreds of results you can't use."

The website is the result of a large, unique partnership. "We have been tremendously fortunate to have great partners like the University of Washington, the Paul G. Allen Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in developing lawforwa.org," says Judge Marlin Appelwick, CPLE co-chair and project leader. "Each of them saw the benefit to the public of having important legal information at their fingertips, free of charge."

The Catalyst Group in the University of Washington's Office and Educational Partnerships and Learning Technologies developed a specialized architecture needed for the website. "We were excited about the potential impact of this project," said Vice Provost Louis Fox. "The technology we developed makes access to the law easier and more efficient. Access via the web means access for people in every corner of the state, not just those near a law library."

The Paul G. Allen Foundation funded the development of the site's legal resources, and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allows the website to remain operational and available to the public. Others partners include the School of Law, Information School, Office of Educational Partnerships and Learning Technologies, and other units at the University of Washington; the Seattle University School of Law; the WSBA; the Washington State Bar Foundation; and the Access to Justice (ATJ) Board.

In addition to providing the public easy access to the law and legal information, lawforwa.org also offers access to government information, civics resources and educational tools for teachers. Additional features are being developed.

The Council on Public Legal Education was created in 2000 to promote public understanding of the law and civic rights and responsibilities. The CPLE's members include judges, lawyers, educators, media representatives and citizens. The CPLE is a standing committee of the ATJ Board.

About the ATJ
The ATJ Board was established by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1994 at the request of the WSBA Board of Governors, in response to a growing need to coordinate the access-to-justice efforts throughout the state and ensure continuity and focus. Its mandate is to ensure equal access to the civil justice system for those facing economic and other significant barriers. To learn more about the ATJ Board, visit www.wsba.org/atj.

About the WSBA
The WSBA 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 Ż 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 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.