The meaning behind the WSBA statement
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Q&A WITH TERRA NEVITT AND FRANCIS ADEWALE
On Jan. 7, Renée Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis. On Jan. 24, Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis. On Jan. 28, WSBA President Francis Adewale and Executive Director Terra Nevitt issued a joint statement calling for unification.
“An escalating cycle of fear, grief, and rage is rippling through communities throughout our state and nation,” they wrote in a statement titled Minneapolis Is a Call to All Legal Professionals to Uphold the Legal System. “And—because the killing and harm of civilians by government authorities is not a new phenomenon—we are outraged anew about those prior tragedies. Legal professionals admitted to practice law have an obligation to ensure accountability under the rule of law.”
Whomever you are, you likely have an opinion—a strong opinion—about these killings and the political climate surrounding them. Their statement is not about swaying your opinion, according to Adewale and Nevitt, but instead it serves as a call for reunification around the thing that binds all legal professionals to each other and ties communities back to the legal system: confidence in the rule of law. What follows is a brief interview in which Adewale and Nevitt explain why they wrote the statement, what they hope to accomplish alongside other Washington legal professionals, and what all legal professionals can do.
Q. Why was it important to speak now as Bar leaders?
Nevitt: That is always a big question because there are tragedies and injustices happening all the time, everywhere, and we could easily try to find justification to speak about each one, especially as we react on a human level. But as leaders of the State Bar, we are not speaking as Terra and Francis. When we issue organizational statements, they must be tied to our mission—to the integrity of the legal profession and the quality of justice in Washington. I would love to have a clear framework like, “if X and Y, then you issue a statement on behalf of the WSBA,” but it’s a complex decision. In the aftermath of the shootings, what struck me was an overwhelming sense from the public that they do not trust that a transparent and just legal process will follow. This is yet another inflection point in what is already a crisis of confidence in our legal system. And this is the serious problem that our Rule of Law Ambassador Program was created to address—so this is a moment where we felt a statement was necessary and absolutely aligned with our core mission at the WSBA and our core responsibilities as legal professionals. We must all be present in our communities fostering trust in the legal system through our words and actions.
Adewale: As lawyers, we look to rules, laws, and policies. So when I was considering what to do here, I looked for guidance from court rules and I took guidance provided by the Board of Governors. Whether the State Bar can speak or not is circumscribed by GR 12.2, which provides purpose and authority for the Bar to do things like promote an effective legal system and to create programs of public information about the legal system. Furthermore, the Board of Governors made it clear that we should be promoting the rule of law. We started the Rule of Law Ambassador Program precisely to be a voice for the legal profession—for the defense of the law. There is nothing political or partisan in the work of the ambassador program or call to action in the statement we just issued. This is a role the Bar Association has always taken very, very seriously, and we have also been meticulous about aligning how and when we speak. I came from a country where confidence in the law is shattered; I came to a country where I believe that there is hope that the law will be respected. We are not issuing a statement because of political beliefs or even an assumption about what should be legal outcomes in Minneapolis. We’re saying that for the sake of the law, for the integrity of the legal system, we all have to protect the integrity of the rule of law.
Q. What reaction would you like Bar members to have when they read this statement?
Adewale: I want our readers to see why defending the rule of law, upholding the integrity of the legal profession, and promoting an effective legal system accessible to all is important. That is why we made this statement.
Nevitt: Fundamentally, the purpose of the statement is to speak to the legal community about what is going on right now and to provide some unity, inspiration, and clarity about the role and responsibility for anyone with a legal license. We all have a special and unique obligation, and the WSBA is going to support that work, that is our role.
Adewale: Like every speech or statement, people are going to agree or disagree. What we want to do as a Bar Association is provide resources to our members so they can go into their communities and provide education—education that is about the legal process and legal rights. If any member wants to call me or write a letter to the editor to Bar News in response, I want to hear those viewpoints. But I also want to hear from those who support the statement. Overall, I want balance, and I want to understand all sides. Not everyone is going to agree with every sentence in the statement, but can we keep talking until we get to agreement about this fundamental value, which is embedded in the oath we take to receive a legal license: We uphold the rule of law and the Constitution.
Nevitt: I am so painfully sincere when I say that I really want the statement to be unifying.
We could have drafted it in any number of ways, and we used a lot of care and intention to solicit different viewpoints and to not draw conclusions about any legal outcomes in Minneapolis. I know that some people will not agree. It is the nature of our society right now to be deeply cynical and skeptical. I wholeheartedly align with Francis—I want to hear from all members; I want to hear all perspectives. Being divided as a legal community is not going to serve anybody and it certainly will not strengthen the public’s trust and confidence in our legal system. Ultimately, I hope my legal colleagues will feel proud about the role that they have and will feel empowered because there is something they can do right now with what they’re feeling about our divided nation.
Q. What is our call to action here?
Nevitt: The call to action is for every legal professional to be informed and to act with the highest level of integrity so they can serve as community leaders. We should understand the legal issues of the day so we are prepared for questions from neighbors and family members. Toward that end, we are developing an ongoing resource to equip legal professionals to be ambassadors, a lunch-and-learn series responsive to the most pressing legal questions of the day. If we are visible and upstanding, we can all play a part in supporting the rule of law. I also think that we should be working to make a legal system that deserves people’s confidence.
Adewale: A call to education, a call for lawyers to go into their communities and educate them about the importance of the rule of law and why it matters. First of all, you have to educate yourself. You have to learn. You have to read up on what is going on. Come to our ambassador trainings. This profession is among the best in the world, in the whole universe—we are privileged. And that privilege should be recognized and used for good purpose. There is a respect and regard for lawyers in the community. When we speak, we have an advantaged position to be able to educate people about peace and order. We have a responsibility to serve as a mouthpiece for that. The Constitution cannot speak for itself. Lawyers speak for the Constitution. The rule of law cannot defend itself. Lawyers defend the rule of law. The primary goal is not to divide us as a legal community; it is to unite us.
Nevitt: We understand in the climate we’re in, everyone’s bringing their own context to the statement, and that’s why we spent so much time poring over the approach, intention, and wording. At the end of the day, it’s not possible to craft a statement that is going to appeal to everyone and still say something worth saying. I really want to emphasize what the attempt here is: Any political belief can be welcomed by the statement. We’re not trying to cast judgment or make claims about what has happened or what should happen. We’re saying that we have a legal system for resolving disputes, for holding people accountable, for protecting people. However you view the issues, hopefully as legal professionals we can all agree that we want the legal system to function well for the people we serve.
Minneapolis Is a Call to All to Uphold the Legal System
A Statement from the WSBA President and Executive Director
Recent events in Minneapolis surrounding federal immigration enforcement have shocked and saddened us. We have seen videos of immigration authorities killing Renée Good and Alex Pretti. We have witnessed violence against people exercising their constitutional rights. We have questioned why people are being arrested and detained without clarity regarding legal processes. An escalating cycle of fear, grief, and rage is rippling through communities throughout our state and nation. And—because the killing and harm of civilians by government authorities is not a new phenomenon—we are outraged anew about those prior tragedies.
Legal professionals admitted to practice law have an obligation to ensure accountability under the rule of law. As a concept, “the rule of law” is so overly invoked that it has become meaningless, at best, or weaponized, at worst. But as legal professionals in Washington, we should be united and clear, no matter our political views: The rule of law means that the same laws apply to everyone, that even government power is bound by the law, and that civil and human rights are guaranteed to all.
The rule of law does not defend itself. Lawyers must. Judges must. Legal professionals must. Whether in Minnesota or Washington or anywhere in the United States, our work is to reinforce the public’s trust in our legal system as the mechanism for peaceful and just resolution of society’s most serious and institutional wrongdoings. That means all accused are innocent until proven guilty and the guilty are held responsible for their crimes. That means that all parties engage in a good-faith effort to preserve and present facts and evidence. That means safeguarding people who are exercising their Constitutional rights.
At a time when trust and confidence in our democratic institutions is badly shaken, we call on legal professionals to stand as leaders in their communities, to build confidence in legal institutions, and to act with the highest level of integrity and courage in upholding the rule of law.
At a time of escalating violence and hostile threats against courts and judicial independence, we call on legal professionals to unite to make it safer for all of us to do our jobs.
WSBA leaders created a Rule of Law Ambassador Program several years ago to support legal professionals in these efforts—to educate about, build trust in, and promote the rule of law; we will continue to use the ambassador program to provide tools so legal professionals can be leaders in their communities. Our Constitution is a promise, a set of ideals and a roadmap, that we must preserve and perfect or it will cease to exist. If legal professionals do not vigorously step up to do this work right now, who will?
This statement is made by the WSBA president and executive director, not on behalf of all individual WSBA members.
About the authorS
Terra Nevitt is the WSBA Executive Director. She can be reached at 206-727-8282 or:
Francis A. Adewale is the 2025-2026 WSBA president. He can be reached at: