The Class of ’75

WSBA members gather to reconnect and celebrate 50 years of service at the Museum of Flight

BY WSBA STAFF

On June 16, Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Stephens addressed the many friends, colleagues, and family members who had come together to celebrate their collective achievement: 50 years as licensed legal professionals.

“The hardest thing I had to do today was sit down to eat my lunch because I’ve had such a good time roaming the room seeing so many friends, mentors, lawyers I have admired since I started my practice,” Stephens said.

The annual event celebrating our 50-year members was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Standing in front of the museum’s many historic airplanes, which span decades of flight, Stephens’ words also reflected on the transitions we move through across the years.

“There’s a point in your career, and it’s impossible to define and it probably enters your life in a sneaky sort of way … when you pivot from being the person who looks up to someone and who was guided by, mentored by someone, to being the person who provides that guidance, the person to whom others look, the person that others say, ‘That was my mentor … ,’” Stephens said. “I have to say that I still find it easier to look up to those who inspired and mentored me than it is to realize all the ways that I’ve paid it forward and have that obligation to pay it forward. And we still do. We still do. Whether you’re retired or still practicing.”

She spoke of the many things that have changed in the law over the past 50 years, as well as the challenges that still remain, like the access-to-justice gap that affects many Washingtonians. Stephens asked everyone in the audience to recall the oath they first took in 1975, the last line of which reads, “I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, or delay unjustly the cause of any person.”

“I think it sells short our ethical obligation as members of the legal community to look at our responsibility in terms of what we should not do,” Stephens said. “And instead, I urge you take this 50th anniversary as an opportunity to … focus on all of the things you should be doing, that are not mandatory but are critically important to the profession.”

There were 206 new WSBA members admitted in 1975. Seventy-six of those members were in attendance at the event. Also in attendance were WSBA President Sunitha Anjilvel, At-Large Governor Jordan Couch, District 2 Governor and Treasurer Kari Petrasek, District 6 Governor Todd Bloom, District 7-North Governor Matthew Dresden, District 7-South Governor Alain Villeneuve, and District 8 Governor Kristina Larry. WSBA staff and members of the WSBA Executive Leadership Team were also there to celebrate, including Chief Disciplinary Counsel Doug Ende, Chief Communications Officer Sara Niegowski, Chief Culture Officer and Human Resources Director Glynnis Klinefelter Sio, and Executive Director Terra Nevitt.

“The Bar has a rich history, and you are all a part of that history,” said WSBA President Anjilvel. “Looking back, one has to appreciate the founders of our great State Bar and their vision for our profession in Washington. With 35 original members in 1890, we can all form mental pictures of what the practice of law was like in those early days of statehood. I imagine you can share colorful stories of how your practice has evolved over the years, and your experience in addressing the remarkable need for legal services in our state. While I have ‘only’ been practicing law for several decades, the one thing we all know is that change is constant, in our society and in our profession. But one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to maintaining a noble profession —one founded on serving the public—a profession we can remain proud of for many years to come.” 

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What Happened in 1975?

IN THE NEWS

• The Vietnam War officially ends with the U.S. exit from Vietnam and the Fall of Saigon.
• Four of the remaining five members of the Watergate Seven are found guilty.
• The price of a gallon of gas is 53 cents.
• The price of a movie ticket is $2.
  

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Microsoft is founded.
• The laser printer is invented.
• The Ford F-150 Truck is introduced.

ARTS & CULTURE

• The most-popular movies include Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
• The Godfather, Part II wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
• The song Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain & Tennille tops the charts.
• Saturday Night Live premieres.

Sports

• HBO puts itself on the map when it broadcasts “The Thrilla in Manila,” boxing championship between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier live from the Philippines.

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Full List of 50-Year Members

The WSBA class of ’75 included 206 members. Below is a list of everyone in that class, including the 76 members who attended the event:

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