GR 12.1

                WASHINGTON STATE BAR ASSOCIATION:  PURPOSES

(a) Purposes:  In General. In general, the Washington State Bar Association
strives to:
  (1) Promote independence of the judiciary and the bar.
  (2) Promote an effective legal system, accessible to all.
  (3) Provide services to its members.
  (4) Foster and maintain high standards of competence, professionalism,
and ethics among its members.
  (5) Foster collegiality among its members and goodwill between the bar
and the public.
  (6) Promote diversity and equality in the courts, the legal profession,
and the bar.
  (7) Administer admissions to the bar and discipline of its members in a
manner that protects the public and respects the rights of the applicant or
member.
  (8) Administer programs of legal education.
  (9) Promote understanding of and respect for our legal system and the
law.
  (10) Operate a well-managed and financially sound association, with a
positive work environment for its employees.
  (11) Serve as a state-wide voice to the public and the branches of
government on matters relating to these purposes and the activities of the
association.
(b) Specific Activities Authorized. In pursuit of these purposes, the
Washington State Bar Association may:
  (1) Sponsor and maintain committees, sections, and divisions whose
activities further these purposes;
  (2) Support the judiciary in maintaining the integrity and fiscal
stability of an independent and effective judicial system;
  (3) Provide periodic reviews and recommendations concerning court rules
and procedures;
  (4) Administer examinations and review applicants' character and fitness
to practice law;
  (5) Inform and advise lawyers regarding their ethical obligations;
  (6) Administer an effective system of discipline of its members,
including receiving and investigating complaints of lawyer misconduct,
taking and recommending appropriate punitive and remedial measures, and
diverting less serious misconduct to alternatives outside the formal
discipline system;
  (7) Maintain a program, pursuant to court rule, requiring members to
submit fee dispute to arbitration;
  (8) Maintain a program for mediation of disputes between members and
their clients and others;
  (9) Maintain a program for lawyer practice assistance;
  (10) Sponsor, conduct, and assist in producing programs and products of
continuing legal education;
  (11) Maintain a system for accrediting programs of continuing legal
education;
  (12) Conduct audits of lawyers' trust accounts;
  (13) Maintain a lawyers' fund for client protection in accordance with
the Admission to Practice Rules;
  (14) Maintain a program for the aid and rehabilitation of impaired
members;
  (15) Disseminate information about bar activities, interests, and
positions;
  (16) Monitor, report on, and advise public officials about matters of
interest to the bar;
  (17) Maintain a legislative presence to inform members of new and
proposed laws and to inform public officials about bar positions and
concerns;
  (18) Encourage public service by members and support programs providing
legal services to those in need;
  (19) Maintain and foster programs of public information and education
about the law and the legal system;
  (20) Provide, sponsor and participate in services to its members;
  (21) Hire and retain employees to facilitate and support its mission,
purposes, and activities, including in the bar's discretion, authorizing
collective bargaining;
  (22) Collect, allocate, invest, and disburse funds so that its mission,
purposes and activities may be effectively and efficiently discharged.
(c) Activities Not Authorized.  The Washington State Bar Association will
not:
  (1) Take positions on issues concerning the politics or social positions
of foreign nations;
  (2) Take positions on political or social issues which do not relate to
or affect the practice of law or the administration of justice;
  (3) Support or oppose, in an election, candidates for public office.

[Adopted effective July 19, 1987; amended effective December 10, 1993;
September 1, 1997; September 1, 2007.]