FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
October 25, 2005     

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

WSBA Board of Governors to Meet in Vancouver, October 28-29

Seattle, Washington, October 25, 2005 - The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors will hold its next meeting on October 28 and 29 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. Third District Governor Kristal Wiitala, of Olympia, will welcome the Board to Vancouver. The public meeting will be held from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. 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 Clark County Bar Association. The current president of the Clark County Bar is Robert Vukanovich, of Vancouver. Highlighting the luncheon will be the presentation of the WSBA Local Hero Award to Clark County District Court Judge James P. Swanger. The award will be presented to Judge Swanger by WSBA President S. Brooke Taylor. 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 is a presentation by Everett attorney Julian Dewell, representing the WSBA Amicus Brief Committee, requesting that the WSBA file amicus (friend of the court) briefs in three cases. One case is State of Washington v. John Nicholas Athan. The committee is recommending that the WSBA support the request of Mr. Athan¡¯s attorney that the Washington State Supreme Court grant discretionary review in the case. This is the case in which the police, posing as lawyers, sent Mr. Athan a letter stating he was eligible for money in a class-action lawsuit over parking tickets. The saliva found on the envelope Mr. Athan used to respond provided DNA evidence that convicted him of murder in the first degree. King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng will appear before the Board, speaking in opposition to the WSBA filing an amicus brief in this case.

Seattle attorney Arthur Lachman, appearing on behalf of the WSBA Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, will request that the Board withdraw Formal Ethics Opinion 186. (Formal Ethics Opinions, which assist lawyers in interpreting their ethical obligations, are adopted by the WSBA Board of Governors.) Formal Ethics Opinion 186, issued in 1990, addresses the proper handling of advance fee deposits and retainers. In its place, the Rules of Professional Conduct Committee is recommending that new Formal Ethics Opinion 198, which incorporates recent caselaw, be adopted.

Also on Friday¡¯s agenda are the annual report of the WSBA Office of Disciplinary Counsel, presented by Director of Lawyer Discipline Joy McLean, and appointment of the WSBA treasurer for fiscal year 2005-2006. James Bamberger, director of the Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA), will also address the Board. The OCLA, which opened this past July, is an independent agency of the judicial branch of government, the purpose of which is to provide administration and oversight for civil legal aid services in Washington state.

On Saturday, Governor Douglas Lawrence will present a proposed resolution supporting the establishment of a commission to study regulatory options relating to psychoactive substances. This is part of the work of the King County Bar Association¡¯s Drug Policy Project, which has been working since 2001. In preparation for the upcoming legislative session, WSBA Director of Legislative Affairs Gail Stone will speak to the Board about the roles of the WSBA Legislative Committee, Board of Governors Legislative Committee, and WSBA legislative director. A resolution from the WSBA Committee on Public Defense in support of public-defense funding will also be presented to the Board.

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 ©¤ 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 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.