In the days of
Washington Territory, lawyers who had cases set for argument before the State Supreme Court were required to be present at the beginning of the Court term in January.{{cite web On January 19, 1888, a group of these lawyers met in the Supreme Court chambers to form the
Washington Bar Association. This was a voluntary organization and did not include all lawyers admitted to practice; originally it consisted of 35 lawyers, at a cost of $5 a year. In 1890, the name changed to
Washington State Bar Association. In 1930, as more lawyers were admitted to practice, it was proposed that the Bar Association have a paid executive secretary and a paid representative in Olympia when the Legislature was meeting, that it have an official publication, and that it be incorporated. George McCush of Bellingham headed an
Incorporation Committee to draft a Bar Association Act proposal. The committee proposed that the Bar Association be an agency of the state, creating "a complete integrated (i.e., mandatory membership) Bar which is officially organized, self-governed and all inclusive." The annual license fee would be $5. In 1933, after much debate and some redrafting, the legislature enacted the State Bar Act (Ch. 2.48 RCW).{{cite web According to its Bylaws, WSBA will not take positions on issues concerning the politics or social positions of foreign nations; take positions on political or social issues which do not relate to or affect the practice of law or the administration of justice; or support or oppose, in an election, candidates for public office.
Structure Today, a 14-member Board of Governors (BOG), elected geographically, directs the WSBA. There is one governor for each of the 10 districts (except for the 7th District, which is divided into 7th-North and 7th-South), plus three at-large governors (one of whom must be a "young lawyer" as that term is defined under WSBA bylaws). The Board is elected solely by WSBA members, except for the at-large governors who are selected by the Board. Annually, the Board selects a president-elect and elects one of its members as treasurer. It employs an executive director to carry out the purposes and functions of the Bar. The WSBA employs a staff of approximately 150.
Financing WSBA is funded by mandatory license fees imposed upon Washington legal licensees by order of the Washington Supreme Court. At the time of an
American Bar Association 2007 Dues and Mandatory Fees Survey, of the 32 mandatory state bars in the country, Washington's license fees rank near the middle among those states with comparable membership size (e.g., Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia). In 2012, license fees were reduced to $325 as a result of a member referendum, thus placing the WSBA annual fee near the median for all state bar associations, according to the ABA Survey. Based on WSBA bylaws, any member may propose a member referendum to overturn a Board decision through submitting a specified number of signatures in support of the effort. After submitting the required number of signatures, a member referendum was put before the membership to reduce license fees to $325. It passed by a vote of 52% of those who voted, cutting the WSBA budget by 26%. A wave of staff layoffs ensued, as well as budget reductions and changes to programs and services. Washington State provides WSBA employees with paid public retirement. ==Services to lawyers==