FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       
May 10, 2006

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

WSBA Young Lawyers Division to Host Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference

Seattle, Washington, May 10, 2006 — The WSBA Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) will host a Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference on May 13 at the Yakima Convention Center.

The mission of the conference is to encourage students — particularly those from minority backgrounds and who are at risk— to pursue a legal career and take active leadership roles in their communities. The conference emphasizes the importance of staying in school and being an active member of society.
 
At the conference, students participate in a variety of interactive workshops where they discuss case studies relating to criminal- and family-law issues, as well as issues that impact youth, and work together to develop action plans they can implement on their own. The workshops will be led by approximately 25 volunteer attorneys, judges, and community leaders, who will serve as mentors and role models.

Ronald R. Ward, the 2004-2005 WSBA president and keynote speaker at last year's conference, had this to say about his experience: "Without a doubt, participation in the WYLD Pre-Law Student Leadership Conference, particularly addressing and interacting with the youth, was one of the most gratifying activities of my term on the WSBA Board of Governors and as president. As a lawyer, it is a part of enhancing our profession for the future, giving back to our community, and helping to prepare the next generation."

This year's keynote speaker is Seattle attorney J.D. Smith, the 2003-2004 WYLD president and a senior associate in the Seattle office of Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim LLP.

This is the fifth year that the conference has been held. Past conferences have been successful and well attended, and this year's should prove to be no exception, as the WYLD expects to host nearly 100 of the best and brightest from around the state.
 
About the Washington Young Lawyers Division
The WYLD provides programs and services of special interest to young lawyers, the public, and those denied access to the justice system. In particular, the WYLD sponsors continuing legal-education seminars of interest to young lawyers; publishes De Novo, a bimonthly publication serving young lawyers; sponsors programs that benefit high-school students, including the YMCA Mock Trial Competition; as well as a variety of seminars addressing issues facing young lawyers.

Any active member of the WSBA is a member of the WYLD until December 31 of the year in which the member attains the age of 36 or until December 31 of the fifth year in which the member has been admitted to practice in any state, whichever is later.

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