FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2008

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

Patrick Johnson Receives Washington State Bar Association Local Hero Award

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that it has presented Spokane attorney Patrick Johnson with its Local Hero Award. The Local Hero Award is presented to lawyers who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities. The WSBA Board of Governors met at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane on April 25; the award was presented by WSBA President Stanley Bastian at a reception that night at the Gonzaga Law School attended by members of the WSBA Board of Governors and the Spokane County Bar Association.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Johnson is the elder law prosecutor of the Major Crimes and Special Assault Units of the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office. Johnson prosecutes a broad range of crimes committed against elderly and vulnerable victims, including financial fraud, assaults, and manslaughter cases, and prosecutes assaults committed against health care providers and law enforcement officers. He previously served as an adjunct professor at Park University teaching business law.

After serving an enlistment in the Army from 1989 to 1992, Johnson received his undergraduate degree from Central Washington University, and graduated with honors from Gonzaga University School of Law. Johnson has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney since 1998, and was previously assigned to the Property Unit, Special Assault Unit, Juvenile Unit, and District Court. In addition to his experience as a prosecutor, Johnson also serves in the U.S. Army Reserves as a JAG defense counsel assigned to the 22nd Legal Support Organization, Team 17, in Spokane. He has held this position since May 2001. As a defense counsel in the Army, CPT Johnson deployed for one year to Ft. Knox, Kentucky, where he defended high-profile military cases including murder, child abuse, and drill sergeant abuse of trainees. Johnson has served for a total of 14 years in the Army.

In addition to his work, Johnson makes time to give back to his community. Johnson currently serves on the board of directors for the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE). Johnson is currently a member of the VALU (Vulnerable Adults Links United) group in Spokane, which is committed to advancing elderly issues and combating elder fraud and abuse. A frequent speaker, Johnson will be presenting during two sessions at the upcoming VALU summit in Spokane at Gonzaga Law School, and has previously made presentations for the Elder Law Club and Criminal Law Club at Gonzaga University, the local Rotaract Club, and the Forensic Auditors Conference at SFCC.

He has three sons, ages 6 to 8. His interests include running, swimming, and biking. In 2006, Johnson completed the Ironman Coeur d’Alene and the Coeur d’Alene Marathon, and he has registered for the 2008 Ironman triathlon.

“[Johnson] is seen in the criminal defense community as a prosecutor who is trusted to stand by his word, to be fair and understanding, and compassionate in negotiations while a formidable opponent at trial,” wrote S. Edward Carroll, president of the Spokane County Bar Association.

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, and the immediate past-president 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; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.

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