FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       
January 20, 2009                                                              

Gregg Hirakawa
Deputy Director for External Relations
206-727-8240
greggh@wsba.org

Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212                          
judithb@wsba.org

WSBA Announces YouTube Video Contest Judges; Washington Residents Have Five Months Left to Enter

(SEATTLE) — A panel representing a broad range of culture and society will help select one winner in the Washington State Bar Association's first-ever YouTube video contest entitled "Justice for All: A Northwest Perspective." Would-be filmmakers and television producers have until June 15, 2009, to enter the contest. The contest offers a chance for Washington residents to win in either of two categories: (1) Judged, and (2) People's Choice. A judging panel will select the winner in the Judged category. The People's Choice winner will be selected on the number of hits the posted entry receives on the WSBA YouTube site. The winner in each category will receive $1,000.

• The panel selecting the winner in the judged category will include:
  
  • The Honorable Gerry Alexander – Chief Justice, Washington State Supreme Court
  • Krist Novoselic – Musician and media columnist
  • Barbara Serrano – Managing Editor, Yakima Herald-Republic
  • Elizabeth Shepherd – Director of Children's Programming, Northwest Film Forum

The WSBA is pleased to have individuals with such diverse professional and cultural backgrounds to help to select one entry that best exemplifies the promise of "justice" for individuals throughout this country. 

The contest is open to all Washington residents, young and old, lawyers and non-lawyers. Contestants must create and submit an original video – three minutes in length or less – on the theme of "Justice for All." Entries will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. (PDT) on June 15, 2009. All valid entries will be posted on YouTube. The People's Choice winner will be selected based on the number of hits the posted entry receives on the WSBA YouTube site. 

The contest was created to advance and promote the public's understanding of the rule of law and confidence in the legal system. The WSBA is reaching out to Washington residents of all ages and encouraging them to better understand the importance and value of the justice system in their daily lives.

The WSBA kicked off the YouTube video contest last fall as a fun, creative, and entertaining way to articulate an important principle which affects everyone. Rules and an entry form are available at www.wsba.org/justiceforall.htm. The WSBA will announce the contest winners in September 2009.

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 32,700 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. The president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma, 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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