Have you ever started a role knowing you have huge shoes to fill? For the last year, I served alongside our 2022-2023 WSBA President Dan Clark. As I step into the role as the 2023-2024 WSBA president, I feel like a small child trying on their parent’s shoes and clomping awkwardly around the room.
The WSBA membership has been extraordinarily well-served by Dan in his various leadership roles within the organization. Dan is believed to be the longest-serving member of the Board of Governors (ever), the first WSBA Treasurer to be reelected to that role (ever), and the first WSBA president with a speaking disability (ever). Indeed, Dan is believed to be the first state bar association president in the United States with a speaking disability—you guessed it … ever.
Not that Dan let his speaking disability prevent him from expressing his feelings. Dan led the organization with passion, strength, and courage. During his service on the Board of Governors and as president, the WSBA held license fees flat for four straight years and will remain so through 2025. As the price of everything from homes and gasoline to eggs and cereal skyrocketed in recent years, the license fee to practice law in Washington has remained the same throughout Dan’s presidency, his terms as treasurer, and even beyond. During the past three complete fiscal years, the organization accrued a reserve of over $3.9 million dollars. That is a legacy of Dan’s, the Board’s, and WSBA staff’s careful stewardship of member dollars.
Although he took his role as WSBA president very seriously, Dan also brought humor to the position. Dan presided over Board of Governors meetings with an eye toward helping the organization make decisions, but was not above lightening the mood with a humorous comment or two.
Finally, Dan was passionate in his efforts to ensure the organization’s volunteers were recognized and honored for their efforts. He paid careful attention to ensuring that WSBA’s volunteers were thanked for their countless hours of service, often going out of his way to highlight the efforts of individuals who had not been previously recognized.
As I take these first few wobbly steps as your new WSBA president, I’m thankful to Dan for his leadership and service. Put simply: the shoes are huge to fill.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Hunter Abell. WSBA 2023-2024 President Hunter M. Abell was elected to fill an at-large diversity position on the Board of Governors in 2019 and elected by the Board of Governors as president-elect in 2022. Abell is a member at the Seattle office of Williams Kastner. He is originally from Eastern Washington, where he was raised on a ranch in rural Ferry County. A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Abell attended Gonzaga University School of Law and received an LL.M. at Georgetown University Law Center. Before joining Williams Kastner, he served as a JAG officer with the U.S. Navy, and is currently a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Abell previously served as chair of the WSBA Professionalism Committee and Indian Law Section. When not in the office, he enjoys hiking, fishing, and playing with his two young daughters, Libby and Wynsome. He can be reached at habell@williamskastner.com. Note: The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Navy or the Department of Defense.
