The WSBA Board of Governors determines the Bar’s general policies and approves its annual budget
The agenda, materials, and video recording from this Board of Governors meeting, as well as past meetings, are online here: www.wsba.org/bog.
Sept. 24-25, 2026
MEETING TAKEAWAYS
Congratulations to Incoming Officers and Governors! The WSBA’s new fiscal year began Oct. 1, and your Bar is in good hands! Our newly sworn-in officers are President Kari Petrasek, President-Elect Nam Nguyen, and Treasurer Alain Villeneuve; governors beginning new terms are Min Kang, District 2; Norma Linda Ureña, District 7N; Qian “Sophie” Ying, District 8; Allison Widney, District 3 (reelected); Todd Bloom, District 6 (reelected); and Tom Ahearne, at-large (reelected).
FY 27 Budget. The Board approved next year’s budget, which includes a planned spenddown of about $1.4 million in the general fund, in alignment with the Board’s reserve-fund safeguards. (Note: The 2027 license fees—including $475 for an active lawyer—were already set last year using the Board’s license fee policy: www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/license-renewal/license-fees/license-fee-policy.)
Local Hero. The WSBA recognized C. “Matt” Andersen as a Local Hero, an honor bestowed by the WSBA president in partnership with county bar associations to recognize colleagues who make noteworthy contributions to their communities. Matt was nominated by the Spokane County Bar Association for his decades of commitment to the legal profession and the administration of justice, both in the courtroom and beyond.
Small Town and Rural (STAR) Council Check-In. STAR Council leaders provided a five-year evaluation of the initiative and reported its recommendation to continue its work with another evaluation slated in five years. The council was established to strengthen and support the practice of law in rural communities throughout Washington. The council’s mission is to ensure that rural legal practice is present, growing, and thriving, and to guide policy and program development that improves access to justice and builds a sustainable pipeline of practitioners. Highlights from the first five years of work include annual summits of rural practitioners, judges, and law students; CLEs regarding rural practice and issues; rural hiring events; and rural internships and grants.
State of Legal Education. Washington law school deans and the Law Clerk Board chair joined the Board for an annual discussion about opportunities and challenges in local legal education. The education leaders discussed innovative new initiatives to expand access to legal education and prepare new lawyers to serve people across Washington.
Sections Viability Review. The WSBA Bylaws trigger a “viability review” whenever a section has fewer than 75 voting members for two consecutive years. Three sections—the Liquor, Cannabis & Psychedelics (LCP) Section, the Animal Law Section, and the Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) Section—triggered such a review this year. The Member Engagement Council (MEC) oversaw the review in close collaboration with section leaders, and the process and results were positive: The section leaders identified actions and the WSBA identified supports/resources to help the sections stabilize and thrive. The Board approved the section-specific viability recommendations.
The Board also:
- Set the 2027 Keller deduction for members at $1.25. Learn more about the deduction at www.wsba.org/for-legal-professionals/license-renewal/keller-deduction.
- Discussed the possibility of rescinding a decision it made in May to change the definition of “approved law schools” that is used to determine applicant eligibility to sit for the bar exam in Washington. The change in the WSBA Admissions Policies expands the definition beyond “ABA-approved” law schools to include law schools that are approved in any other state for bar-exam eligibility and admissions. The Board voted and confirmed its prior policy change.
- Held its annual performance review of the executive director in executive session.
- Held its annual meeting of the Washington State Bar Foundation and approved the 2026-27 Board of Trustees roster. The Washington State Bar Foundation is the fundraising arm of the WSBA.
- Adopted an amendment to the WSBA Admissions Policies to remove the requirement for the WSBA to post a bar-exam pass list; which is consistent with APR 4(b), it is now discretionary, not required, for the WSBA to post a list of names of individuals who pass the bar exam or any other licensing exam.
- Approved a recommendation for a charter for the Court Rules and Procedures Committee, which has until now operated under the authority of its court-established role of reviewing designated sets of Washington court rules on a regular cycle. In addition to memorializing the committee’s current and ongoing work, the charter lays out a process by which the Board would delegate limited authority to the committee to comment on court rules during the Court’s initial screening process.
- Approved the submission—to the Washington Supreme Court—of the Court Rules and Procedures Committee’s suggested rule changes to RAP 16.10, RAP 18.17, and RAP 18.8 to clarify that opening filings in a personal restraint petition are limited to 12,000 words regardless of the form used.
- Established an application fee for the anticipated new admissions pathway (admission by portfolio evaluation), increased the application fee for Rule 9 licensed legal interns, and increased the lawyer application fees for the bar exam and UBE score transfer applications.
- Approved suggested amendments to APR 1(e) changing the definition of active legal experience for Bar admissions purposes. The suggestions will now go to the Washington Supreme Court for consideration.
SAVE THE DATE > The next regular meeting is Jan. 15–16, 2027, in Seattle. To subscribe to the Board Meeting Notification list, email barleaders@wsba.org.