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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE William H. Gates Sr. Receives 2009 American Bar Association Medal(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) congratulates William H. Gates Sr., co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recipient of the 2009 ABA Medal, the American Bar Association’s highest honor. The ABA Medal recognizes exceptionally distinguished service by a lawyer to the cause of American jurisprudence. The award was presented on August 3 at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in Chicago. Gates grew up in Bremerton, Washington. He served in the United States Army during World War II and attended college and law school at the University of Washington under the G.I. Bill. After starting his legal career in private practice and as the part-time city attorney for Bremerton, Gates co-founded the firm which is now known as K&L Gates, one of the world’s largest law firms. Gates retired from the firm in 1998 after 48 years in the practice of law, and continues his service to the global community in his work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charity. Gates was president of the Seattle-King County Bar Association, the WSBA, and the National Conference of Bar Presidents. He served for 13 years in the policy-making ABA House of Delegates, was a member of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, and was a trustee of the National Center for State Courts. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and will be the keynote speaker at the Washington Fellows of the American Bar Foundation Annual Dinner in Seattle on October 1, 2009. In addition to his practice, Gates was also a dedicated supporter of many causes throughout his career, including access to justice, diversity in the profession, and improving practice skills. In 1989–1990, he served as chair of the Washington State Bar Association Long-Range Planning Committee (known as the “Gates Commission”), which led to the establishment by the Washington State Supreme Court of the Access to Justice Board. Many in the access to justice community credit Gates as the “father” of the Access to Justice Board. He also served on the Seattle Legal Aid Bureau, helped start the Minority Law Student Program at the University of Washington School of Law, and, with then-United States Attorney John McKay, co-chaired Washington state’s inaugural Campaign for Equal Justice in 2005–06. Under their leadership, the Campaign for Equal Justice nearly tripled the number of charitable donors for civil legal aid in its first two years of operation. “It will be a true honor to present the ABA Medal to Bill Gates Sr.,” said ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. “Not only has he been a leader in the legal profession, he also has distinguished himself in the field of philanthropy and found a new career as an author, both pursuits begun after his retirement from the law. He is known as a ‘lawyer’s lawyer’ among his colleagues, a civic force in his native Seattle area, and a benevolent friend to disadvantaged people around the world.” The ABA Medal is given only in years when the ABA Board of Governors determines a nominee has provided exceptional and distinguished service to the law and the legal profession. Previous recipients include Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Justice Anthony Kennedy. About the Washington State Bar Association # # # |