WSBA Board unanimously approves renaming Young Lawyers committee and broadening membership to 'new members'

At a meeting of the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, the board unanimously approved a bylaws amendment to change the Young Lawyers Committee’s name and expand who qualifies for membership. The amendment replaces the phrase “young lawyers” with “new members,” extends the eligibility window from five years to 10 years of admission in Washington, and explicitly includes limited-license legal technicians (LLLTs) and LPOs as part of the new-members definition.

The change is intended to increase inclusivity and member engagement by opening committee participation and related WYLC programs to more entrants to the profession. "We have chosen to remove the age restriction and increase the number of years from 5 to 10 years," Mason, a member of the Washington Young Lawyers Committee, told the board. "That is our proposed definition." Janta Steele, Pierce County representative for the WYLC, said the effort is part of a roughly five-year project "to enhance member engagement, to promote diversity and inclusion and access to justice, and to extend the reach of the WYLC's resources and programs and services to as many members as…