Lawyers on Law Day to Send a Message of Unity to Washingtonians
SEATTLE, Wash., April 22, 2025 – In a time of ever-growing divisions across the United States, Washington’s legal community will stand together on Law Day, May 1, 2025, united in their commitment to uphold the Constitution and serve all who need legal help.
“We are feeling very divided as a country,” said Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) President Sunitha Anjilvel, “but that’s not the case when it comes to the legal community and the rule of law. We want to send a message to every Washingtonian about the promise of the Constitution and what we strive to uphold: The same laws apply to everyone, and everyone is treated equally under the law.”
This year’s national Law Day is propitiously themed “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One." Here in Washington we will echo that sentiment with a groundbreaking initiative to empower and motivate legal professionals across the state with multiple coordinated public events, presentations, and trainings. Together we will reaffirm our commitment to the Rule of Law by renewing our oath of attorney, limited practice officer, or limited license legal technician on courthouse steps across Washington. It’s just the beginning of a long-term, community-based ambassadorship in which legal professionals will endeavor to educate their communities on the importance of the rule of law to re-establish trust and confidence in the legal system.
The Rule of Law Ambassador Program will kick off on Law Day with an initial cohort of approximately 12 influential ambassadors who will hold events across the state. The volunteer ambassadors will receive access to a robust ambassador toolkit and training in relevant knowledge and skills, including constitutional law and history, how to form public messaging about the judiciary and legal profession, and best practices for engaging the public as ambassadors.
"The rule of law depends on lawyers being able to represent all interests and challenge government overreach without fear of retribution,” Anjilvel said. “At the end of the day, the State Bar regulates the profession to ensure qualified, competent representation for all interests in Washington. We champion justice. To do that, it is a core tenet of our legal system that lawyers be independent and willing to represent clients of all kinds, especially those who are vulnerable or outside of political favor.”
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.
