The Washoe County Bar Association is pleased to welcome Michael Keane as the new president of the Washoe County Bar Foundation.  Keane is a partner at Woodburn and Wedge and has been active in programs involving senior citizens.  Until this year, the treasurer of the Washoe County Bar Association also served as president of the Foundation.

In 1997, Judge Patrick Flanagan, then Vice President of WCBA, proposed the formation of a separate foundation.  The Board members approved the idea, and WCBF was incorporated in 1998.

Initially, the Foundation took on the funding and work of the Northern Regional Mock Trial as well as offering limited scholarships.

In 2006, Washoe County Public Defender Jeremy Bosler approached WCBA with a copy of California's legal guide for teenagers - offering assistance in funding and contributing to the Guide.  The State Bar of California generously allowed us to use and modify its Guide.  The Foundation added that project and the information-rich Guide has reached some 7,000+ graduating seniors for all Northern Nevada high schools every spring since 2007.  A matching website - nowthatyouare18.org - went online in 2009.  The Guide is also sent to numerous organizations, services and nonprofits serving young adults.

Two years after starting the Guide for teens, the Foundation began work on Nevada Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Aging Nevadans.  Judge Bridget Robb Peck chaired that committee and we distributed several thousand copies of the 16-page Guide throughout Northern Nevada to seniors centers, libraries, government agencies, hospitals and private care facilities.  A matching website - nvseniorlegalguide.org - went live in 2010.

With those projects all working successfully, it is time for WCBF to grow again.  The Foundation hopes to substantially enhance the websites for Now That You Are 18 and Seniors & the Law.  Both sites are currently online versions of the printed Guides, with links.  The potential is much greater - pop-up quizzes, up-to-date news items, short interviews and videos.

Judge Flanagan reminds us that "A Lawyer's greatest gift is their time and advice to those that need it most.  Your involvement in WCBA Foundation activities will make a difference in our community.  Volunteer, contribute or participate and you will make yourself a better lawyer, I guarantee it!"

If you are interested in being part of this work, please contact Christine Cendagorta, Excutive Director at 786-4494 or chris@wcbar.org.  We welcome your thoughts!

The Writ, January 2012, Vol. 34, No. 1