DWT Awarded WSBA Presidential Commendation for Defending Legal Independence
SEATTLE, WA [Sept. 29, 2026] — WSBA President Francis Adewale has awarded Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (DWT) a special Presidential Commendation for the work the firm has done to support the independence of the legal profession on behalf of the state bar.
“The most important thing we have done during my presidency has been to vigorously uphold the rule of law and defend the independence of the judiciary and legal profession,” Adewale said. “So, it is fitting that I end my term by expressing immense gratitude to Davis Wright Tremaine, especially attorneys Caesar Kalinowski IV and Ambika Kumar, for helping us challenge executive orders with potentially chilling effects on the ability of all people to receive the legal representation they need and deserve.”
In March 2025, the WSBA Board of Governors issued a statement in support of an independent legal profession free from government retaliation in response to two executive orders that targeted specific lawyers and law firms based on their representation of certain clients. The WSBA, joined by the Oregon State Bar and State Bar of California, filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit challenging such executive orders. Davis Wright Tremaine generously agreed to represent the state bars in this work on a pro bono basis.
A federal district judge granted a permanent injunction in the case in May 2025, blocking the government from enforcing the executive orders, which she found to be an unconstitutional “attempt to suppress and punish certain viewpoints.” The Justice Department appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where the case is now consolidated with similar challenges and awaits a decision.
Throughout the proceedings, DWT has remained steadfast in ensuring the WSBA’s advocacy—for an independent legal profession free from government retaliation—is well represented.
The WSBA Board of Governors said from the outset: “When the executive branch wields its power to single out lawyers and law firms for representing specific clients, it is an especially dangerous strike against an impartial and independent justice system. The resolve and willingness of legal professionals to challenge government overreach and abuse of authority must not be chilled. Doing so leads to a distressing question: If lawyers and judges are not willing or able to defend liberty and freedom for all people under the law and Constitution, who will?”
“Davis Wright Tremaine has proved it is willing,” President Adewale said of his commendation, “and it’s lawyers like Caesar Kalinowski IV and Ambika Kumar who are safeguarding their colleagues’ ability to represent all Washingtonians, no matter their viewpoints, without fear of retaliation.”
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court and exercises a governmental function authorized by the Court to license and regulate the state’s nearly 40,000 legal professionals, including lawyers, limited practice officers, and limited license legal technicians. The WSBA both regulates legal professionals under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. The WSBA administers the Bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; administers the lawyer discipline system; and provides continuing legal education for legal professionals, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities. The Bar’s mission is to serve the public and its members, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.
