Meyer Local Hero 0112 - WSBA

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Jan 24, 2012 - Washington State Bar Association • 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 ... Meyer was nominated “because of
Washington State Bar Association 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 Seattle, WA 98101-2539

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2012

Contact Stephanie Perry Communications Specialist/Publications Editor 206-733-5932; [email protected]

Jennifer Meyer to Receive WSBA Local Hero Award

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) will present Olympia attorney Jennifer S. Meyer with its Local Hero Award, in recognition of her service to Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services. Meyer was nominated by the Thurston County Bar Association. Also being recognized is Olympia attorney Leslie Owen. The Local Hero Award is presented by the WSBA Board of Governors as it travels around the state to those who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities. The WSBA Board of Governors will meet in Tacoma on Thursday, January 26. WSBA President Stephen R. Crossland will present both awards at a luncheon on January 26 at the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club, attended by members of the Board of Governors and members of the local bench and bar.

Meyer is an assistant attorney general representing the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), where she litigates cases on behalf of Children’s Administration of DSHS and provides advice to Children’s Administration staff on child welfare policy. Previously, she was an assistant attorney general/team leader of the Torts Division from 2002–11.

Meyer has been an active member of the legal community for over a decade. She was a board member of the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Service (TCVLS) for several years before serving as its president in 2011. As TCVLS president, she led the organization through a period of transition, which included the hiring of a new director. She has worked with energy and enthusiasm to increase the number of direct representation cases through TCVLS. She has also been a volunteer attorney at the clinic since 2001, taking on her own direct representation cases. In addition, Meyer has served as a board member and president of the Washington Women Lawyers State Board; she was named its Board Member of the Year in 2004. - more -

Working Together to Champion Justice Washington State Bar Association • 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 / Seattle, WA 98101-2539 • 206-727-8200 / fax: 206-727-8320

Jennifer Meyer to Receive WSBA Local Hero Award, page 2 of 3

In addition to her volunteer work in the legal community, Jennifer is an active volunteer at Pioneer Elementary School and is the current co-chair of the PTA Hospitality Committee. She also volunteers extensively with the Seattle Children’s Hospital Mitochondrial Research Guide to raise funds for muchneeded research.

Meyer was nominated “because of all the things she does to support the community…. all of the volunteering she does, both in the legal and non-legal arena,” says Toni Hood, assistant attorney general of the AGO Licensing and Administrative Law Division. “Jennifer is an extremely positive and energetic person who continually goes above and beyond for our community.”

“I would like to say thank you to Thurston County Bar Association for the recognition,” said Meyer of her award.

Meyer received her undergraduate degree from Sangamon State University, in Springfield, Illinois, and her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law.

About the Washington State Bar Association The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state’s 34,800 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.

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Working Together to Champion Justice Washington State Bar Association • 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 / Seattle, WA 98101-2539 • 206-727-8200 / fax: 206-727-8320

Jennifer Meyer to Receive WSBA Local Hero Award, page 3 of 3

The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Stephen R. Crossland, of Cashmere. The president-elect is Michele G. Radosevich, of Seattle, and the immediate past-president is Steven G. Toole, of Bellevue. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division with its many committees.

The Washington State Bar Association’s mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice. ###

Working Together to Champion Justice Washington State Bar Association • 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 / Seattle, WA 98101-2539 • 206-727-8200 / fax: 206-727-8320