FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   
September 14, 2009     

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

Judge Lesley Allan Receives 2009 Outstanding Judge Award

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that Chelan County Superior Court Judge Lesley A. Allan, of Wenatchee, will be honored with the 2009 Outstanding Judge Award. This award is presented for outstanding service to the bench and for special contribution to the legal profession at any level of the court. WSBA President Mark Johnson will present the award at the WSBA Annual Awards Dinner, to be held on September 24, 2009, at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle.

Judge Allan has served as a superior court judge in Chelan County since 1998. For the past four years, she has served as the chair of the Washington State Civil Legal Aid Oversight Committee. The eleven-member Committee was created by the Legislature in 2005 to ensure long-term, bipartisan oversight of the then-newly created Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA). As the first chair, Allan was tasked with establishing the Committee as a respected member of the community of organizations working to support effective delivery of civil legal aid to low-income Washington residents. She also served as the principal liaison between the Committee and the OCLA, building a culture of support and active engagement between the organizations while allowing the two bodies to function independently.

“Judge Lesley Allan does her work without expectation of a reward,” wrote James Bamberger, director of OCLA. “She does it because she cares about the quality of justice dispensed in our state and the importance of seeing that justice is available to all who need it… her more than ten years on the bench provide her with regular first-hand understanding of the unmet needs of poor and vulnerable people, and the consequences they face if they do not receive timely and effective legal help.”

“There are many, many people in Washington’s legal community who work very hard to promote access to justice for all,” said Allan of her award. “I am honored to receive this award for my small role in helping to further the cause of civil legal aid.”

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 33,200 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 Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Mark A. Johnson, of Seattle. 2008-2009 president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma; 2009-2010 president-elect is Steven G. Toole, of Bellevue; and the immediate past-president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. 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 its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division with its many committees.

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