Washington State Bar Association - History

History

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. Sometimes, they waited for weeks for their cases to be called.

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).