New President Sworn In

by WSBA
William D. Pickett was sworn in as President of the Washington State Bar Association at a special meeting of the Board of Governors on Monday, March 19, 2018.

The official swearing in was performed via telephone by Hon. Chris Lanese of Thurston County Superior Court.

Formerly president-elect, Pickett assumed the office of president after former President Brad Furlong resigned on March 17, 2018, due to medical issues. Pickett will complete Furlong's term in September, then begin is own year-long term as president. He was first elected to the Board of Governors in September 2015.

He is a solo practitioner in central Washington, where he focuses his practice on trial advocacy in personal-injury and wrongful-death matters, civil rights and police misconduct, and medical malpractice. He is a frequent guest speaker on trial advocacy, police misconduct, and medical negligence issues. He is licensed to practice law in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.

Pickett serves as an adjunct faculty member in the LL.M. Trial Advocacy Degree Program for Temple University School of Law. He is a member of the National Police Accountability Project, which monitors law enforcement misconduct across the country.

Born and raised in Yakima, Pickett received his B.A. degree in society and justice from the University of Washington in 1994, and his law degree in 1997 from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He later earned an LL.M. degree in trial advocacy in 2007 from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. In addition, he is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer’s College in Dubois, Wyoming.