Kari Petrasek Sworn in as President of the Washington State Bar Association
SEATTLE [Sept. 29, 2026] — Long before she was sworn in as president of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA), Kari Petrasek was showing up. Her entire career, she has represented dependent children, including 15 years as a Snohomish County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program attorney; and she has continuously served the WSBA in roles from the Young Lawyers pision to its Board of Governors. Now she brings that experience to the WSBA’s highest volunteer role.
“So much of what makes our legal system work happens quietly: a legal-aid attorney helping a family stay in their home, a volunteer reviewing court rules on a Tuesday night, a solo practitioner who is the only attorney for miles,” Petrasek said. “That work rarely makes headlines, but it’s how we earn, and re-earn, the public’s trust. This year is about protecting that trust, bringing our profession together, and honoring the people who keep this system running.”
Washington Supreme Court Justice Steven C. González administered the oath of office during the September meeting of the WSBA Board of Governors in Spokane. As president, Petrasek leads the Board and will oversee continued work on the associations’ four strategic priority areas: advancing access to justice, guiding ethical and optimal technology use for legal professionals, fostering a legal culture of inclusion and wellness, and enhancing the WSBA’s governance structure. The seventh woman to serve as WSBA president, Petrasek will hold the office through September 2027. Francis Adewale, a Spokane public defender, now serves as immediate past president, and the Board thanked him for his leadership over the past year.
Petrasek will continue her work on the rural attorney shortage, which she has seen firsthand from her home in Eastern Washington. She will also focus on strengthening public confidence in the courts and supporting an independent judiciary and the people who serve in it. And she wants members to know that every voice deserves to be heard, whether in the majority or the minority.
“I’ve been a Mariners season ticket holder for 25 years, so I know something about showing up through the tough seasons,” Petrasek said. “Our profession and our courts are going through one of those seasons right now. You don’t stick with something because every year is a championship year. You stick with it because you believe in it, and I believe in this profession and the people in it.”
Petrasek founded Petrasek Law in Mukilteo in 2015, where she practices juvenile law, estate planning, guardianships, and family law, and has served as a judge pro tempore for Snohomish County Superior Court since 2010. She was elected to the Board of Governors in 2022 and reelected in 2025, serving as treasurer and then president-elect. Her WSBA service began on the Washington Young Lawyers pision Board of Trustees, which she later led as president. A West Seattle native, she earned her law degree at Seattle University School of Law.
“Kari brings the perspective of a solo practitioner, a children’s advocate, and someone who knows rural Washington firsthand,” said WSBA Executive Director Terra Nevitt. “She understands what our members are facing and what it takes to earn the public’s confidence. She also sets the example as a volunteer—Kari shows up for her colleagues and her profession.”
Read more about Petrasek’s vision for the year and her path to the law in a Q&A in the October issue of Washington State Bar News.
President’s Priority: Volunteer Service
Throughout her term, Petrasek will recognize the volunteers, including members and members of the public, who give their time to further the WSBA mission and invite more to join them. Today, more than 1,500 inpiduals serve on WSBA committees, boards, councils, sections, task forces and projects. In 2025, 3,749 legal professionals reported 244,148 hours of pro bono service, providing free legal help to people who couldn’t otherwise afford it. Members with inactive, honorary, or pro bono status are now eligible to serve on most WSBA committees and councils.
Find Your Place to Serve
President Petrasek invites every member to get involved this year:
- Serve now. Open seats include the Council on Public Defense, Court Rules and Procedures Committee, Board of Bar Examiners, Character & Fitness Board, Limited Practice Board, and Washington New Members Committee. Learn more.
- Not sure where you fit? Complete the Volunteer Interest Form and WSBA staff will reach out, or schedule a chat with Manager of Volunteer Engagement Paris Eriksen.
- Nominate a volunteer who inspires you.
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.
