Pete Arkeson seeks seat on Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, proposes statewide CLE revenue plan

Pete Arkeson, a candidate for the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors, said he wants to serve on the board and proposed that sections provide statewide continuing-legal-education seminars to raise revenue and address the association’s financial shortfall.

Arkeson said the Bar is facing financial problems — including a potential dues increase flagged in recent Bar communications — and that more revenue must be found so the association does not “go into bank or fail financially.” He proposed that “20 of the 29 sections each provide a seminar sponsored by the bar broadcast across the whole state at 1 time on a difference on different subjects,” charging attendees a fee similar to other CLE offerings so that “the profits, if I put it together correctly, would solve the financial problems and, next couple of years and provide a ongoing basis to keep operating in the black.”

Arkeson said he has submitted the proposal to the current, past and future presidents of the Washington State Bar Association. He described his background as a University of Detroit law graduate, a former Army officer who relocated to Washington, and a lawyer with experience in large bankruptcy cases and business training. He said those experiences inform his view that the Bar needs new leadership to take decisive action on major issues.

The transcript did not specify whether Bar leadership has responded to Arkeson’s proposal, nor did it specify any timeline or next procedural steps for his candidacy or for implementing the seminar plan. Arkeson concluded by asking listeners to vote for him.