FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2008

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

Gail Smith Named 2008 WSBA Pro Bono Award Recipient

(SEATTLE) — The WSBA Board of Governors takes great pleasure in announcing that the recipient of the 2008 WSBA Pro Bono Award is Mount Vernon attorney Gail Smith. The award was presented on June 6 at the Access to Justice/Bar Leaders Conference at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay in Vancouver, Washington. Smith is being honored for his service to his community and his dedication to pro bono services in Washington.

Smith earned his undergraduate degree in Human Biology at Stanford University, and received his law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. He served as staff attorney to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians from 1976–1979, and was the co-director of Seattle Indian Center Legal Services Program from 1979–1981. He is currently a partner at the firm of Jones & Smith in Mount Vernon.

Throughout his career, Smith has been a strong proponent of access to justice and pro bono services. He was president of the Skagit County Bar Association from 2000–2001; has served as co-chair and volunteer attorney with the Skagit County Volunteer Lawyer Program Steering Committee since 1987; and has been involved with the Skagit Valley College Paralegal Advisory Committee since 1989. His activities with the Washington State Bar Association include serving on the Legal Aid Committee, the Legislative Committee, and the Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee.

In addition to his work and pro bono efforts, Smith has been an active and dedicated member of his community. He served as the Padilla Bay Foundation Board of Directors President from 2006–2007, and as a Youth Basketball Coach from 1997–2005.

Previously, Smith was honored with the Skagit County Bar Association Professionalism Award in 2003, and the Skagit County Volunteer Lawyer Program Access to Justice Award in both 2003 and 2006.

"[Smith] is truly an asset to the legal aid community," wrote Skagit County Community Action Agency Program Manager Catherine Brown in her nomination letter. "His support and dedication to delivery of legal assistance and pro bono services continues to expand access to justice for those who need it most."

"I am deeply honored to receive the WSBA Pro Bono Award," said Smith of the award. "I have always been very impressed by the large number of Washington attorneys who give freely of their time and talents and to be selected for this award is very humbling. I applaud the leadership role that the WSBA Board of Governors and the State Supreme Court have taken in promoting pro bono participation. Pro bono representation of indigent persons is, of course, a professional responsibility, but it is more importantly a very fulfilling experience."

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 numerous standing committees; 26 sections; and a Young Lawyers Division, with its many committees.

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