Small Town and Rural Council
The WSBA Small Town and Rural — STAR — Council is committed to strengthen and support the practice of law in the rural communities throughout Washington state. Members of the STAR Council will work to ensure that the practice of law in rural communities is present, growing, and thriving.
Practitioners in rural communities are few and far between. Additionally, many of these practitioners are nearing retirement without a clear plan of succession for their clients, leaving a void of access to legal representation and counsel. The STAR Council members will guide policy and program development, serve as ambassadors between the WSBA and these communities, explore and advocate for creative and innovative solutions, and regularly assess the legal landscape in rural communities to determine if WSBA policy, advocacy, and program development require further resource for sustainability and improvements. To learn more about the STAR Council's purpose, composition, scope of work, and roles, review the STAR Council Charter.
The formation of the STAR Council is the result of work conducted by the Rural Practice Project.
Page Navigation
On this page you will find information about the STAR Council, upcoming events and offerings, and information about STAR initiatives. Please visit the STAR Resources page for information on past events, CLEs and career support.
Meet the CouncilMeetings | Internship GrantsUpcoming Events |
Meet the STAR Council Members
2024-2025Kari Petrasek, Chair Dan Clark, Board of Governors member Mary Rathbone, Board of Governors member Kathryn Burke, Rural Member Philip Hunsucker, Rural Member Merf Ehman, Qualified Legal Service Provider Member Sean King, Gonzaga Law School Member Travis Pietila, University of Washington Law School Member |
Rusty McGuire, Rural Member Jesse Lamp, Rural Member Thomas Garvey, Young Lawyer Member Allison Foreman, At-large Member Ashley Cummins, Seattle University Law School Member Matthew Dresden, Board of Governors Liaison Staff Liaison: Julianne Unite, julianneu@wsba.org Staff Support: Chelle Gegax, michelleg@wsba.org |
For questions, please email Council Chair Kari Petrasek or staff liaison Julianne Unite.
Meetings
Next Meeting
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Washington State Bar Association that a Small Town and Rural Council will have a special meeting to be held on:
Date: Feb. 19, 2025 │ Time: 12:10 p.m. │ Location: Virtual via Zoom │ Meeting ID: 873 3538 6159 │ Passcode: 595209
The purpose of the meeting is for the council to discuss, deliberate, and take potential final action regarding the following agenda items (no final disposition regarding any matter will occur at the meeting except as indicated on this notice).
Agenda
1. Introductions and Approval of January Meeting Minutes (Gov. Kari Petrasek)2. WSBA Updates (Gov. Petrasek and Julianne Unite)
3. Council Position for Central WA Hybrid Hub Student Updates (Gov. Petrasek, Ashley Cummins)
4. Project Team Updates
a. Job Fair at Gonzaga (Sean King)
b. Summit Project Team (Merf Ehman, Ashley Cummins, Kevin Plachy)
i. Sponsorships
c. Rural grant internships (Ashley Cummins, Sean King, Travis Pietila, Kevin Plachy)
d. Rural Day of Service (Judge Kathryn Burke, Gov. Petrasek, Kevin Plachy)
5. Legal Lunchbox – April 2025 (Ashley Cummins)
6. 2025 DOJ Access to Justice Challenge Discussion cont. (Julianne Unite)
7. Announcements
8. Next Steps/Conclusion
9. Next Meeting: March 26, 2025
10. Adjourn
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be provided upon request. Please email julianneu@wsba.org.
Note: Discussion and action may be taken on any item on the agenda. The time and order of agenda items are subject to change at the discretion of the council chair.
We are now accepting applications for 2025 summer internship grants. The purpose of this internship program is to assist in building a pipeline of rural attorneys who will help narrow the legal services gap in rural communities throughout the state of Washington. Please see the application and instructions form, and employer acknowledgment forms below:
Application Requirements and Instructions form
Private Employer Acknowledgement form
Nonprofit/Government Employer Acknowledgement form
Please note the application deadline is April 13, 2025.
Upcoming Events
Rural Practice: Small Town, Big Opportunities Virtual Hiring Event — April 4, 2025
Legal Lunchbox — April 29, 2025
Rural Practice Summit — June 27, 2025
Rural Day of Service — TBD
