FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

September 4, 2008     

Contact: Stephanie Perry
Communications Specialist/Website Editor
206-733-5932; stephaniep@wsba.org

Lori Rath Receives WSBA Community Service Award

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that Seattle attorney Lori K. Rath will be honored with the 2008 Community Service Award. The Community Service Award honors lawyers and judges who have given generously of their time and talents in service to their communities, and recognizes exceptional non-law-related volunteer work and community service. WSBA President Stan Bastian will present the award at the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner, to be held on September 18, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Seattle Hotel.

Rath received her undergraduate degree in theology and ethics from the University of Iowa, and her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. After clerking for Judge Susan R. Agid at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Rath was an associate attorney for Riddell Williams from 2001 to 2004. Since 2004, she has owned Rath Law & Mediation PLLC, where her practice focuses on estate planning, probate, prenuptial and domestic partnership agreements, and dispute mediation.

Rath is an active and dedicated supporter of CASA Latina, a nonprofit organization that provides employment and educational opportunities to immigrants in Seattle. She has been a member of the CASA Latina Board of Directors for six years, and is currently vice president of the board. She is chair of the board's Human Resources and Fundraising committees, and obtains financial support for the organization's new building as a member of the Capital Campaign Steering Committee. She also serves as a volunteer attorney for the King County Bar Association's Elder Law Clinic and the University of Washington School of Law's Immigrant Families Advocacy Project.

"Perhaps [Rath's] greatest contribution to CASA Latina has been how her commitment to the organization inspires other board members to commit to the organization more deeply," wrote Gloria Coronado, president of the CASA Latina Board of Directors. "Her commitment, time, and patience have benefited CASA Latina tremendously and have helped it to grow into an organization that Latino immigrants can count on to help them in their transition into their adopted community."

About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 32,600 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 2007-2008 president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. The 2007-2008 president-elect is Mark A. Johnson, of Seattle, the immediate past-president is Ellen Conedera Dial, of Seattle, and the 2008-09 president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma. 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 numerous standing committees; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.

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