FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2008
Contact: Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org
Washington State Bar Association to Add Bar Exam in Spokane in 2010
(SEATTLE) — At its March 7, 2008, meeting in Tacoma, the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Board of Governors voted to add a bar exam in Spokane, beginning in summer 2010. “I am delighted that the WSBA will be reaching out to our future members east of the mountains by holding the summer bar exam in Spokane, as well as the Seattle area,” said WSBA President Stanley Bastian. “The WSBA has conducted extensive research into the costs, logistics, and staffing needs of holding a Spokane bar exam, and while it will not be without challenges, we believe this is an excellent way to serve the legal community in eastern Washington.”
Gonzaga University School of Law Dean Earl Martin expressed his pleasure and appreciation. “Since I arrived at Gonzaga in July 2005, I have been a strong proponent of the WSBA holding a Spokane bar exam, for the benefit of Gonzaga graduates and others in eastern Washington. I am very pleased that the State Bar recognizes the value of coming to Spokane. Holding a summer bar exam in Spokane concurrently with the exam held in Bellevue will make taking the bar exam more accessible, more affordable, and less stressful for many future members of the Bar. I applaud the WSBA Board of Governors for taking this action.”
The bar exam is given twice a year – in February and July. According to WSBA Director of Regulatory Services Jean McElroy, over the past 10 years, an average of nearly 1,400 people take the bar exam annually. The summer exam is the most popular, with an average of approximately 890 sitting for the summer exam. For extensive information about the bar exam, see the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/bar_exam_app_info.htm.
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 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 president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. The 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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