Lisa A. Malpass Receives Washington State Bar Association Local Hero Award │ May 19, 2022
SPOKANE, WA, May 19, 2022 — The Washington State Bar Association presented Lisa Ann Malpass with the Local Hero Award to recognize her dedication to Spokane and the Washington legal community.
The Local Hero Award is given to those who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities. WSBA President Brian Tollefson presented the award during the Board of Governors meeting on May 19, 2022. Malpass was nominated by the Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA).
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Malpass earned a BA in Government and a Master’s in Public Administration from Eastern Washington University, and a JD with honors from Gonzaga University School of Law. Since then, Malpass has been the engine in providing resources and support to the SCBA membership and the Spokane community, with a focus on two initiatives in particular: the Guardian Ad Litem Committee and the Elder Disability Estate Planning Section of the SCBA.
Spokane Superior Court Judge Rachelle Anderson has worked closely with Malpass, noting “Lisa has been a tireless force locally helping to formulate practices and policies in response to the new Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and Other Special Arrangements Act. Lisa’s insight and attention to detail has helped shape our local response to the new law as a way to help non-represented litigants as well as seasoned attorneys as they navigate the new Title 11 territory. Lisa has also been instrumental in the development and presentation of the yearly Title 11 Guardian Ad Litem training [now Title 11 GAL and Court Visitor Training], here in Spokane. . . . We are very fortunate to have Lisa Malpass as part of our Spokane legal community.”
Throughout her career in Spokane, Malpass has dedicated considerable time to volunteering, including as a WSBA delegate to the Certified Professional Guardianship Board, as President of the Washington chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and as President of the Spokane chapter of Washington Women Lawyers. In 2019, Lisa petitioned SCBA leadership to develop what is now known as the Elder Disability Estate Planning (EDEP) Section—no easy task. Thanks to her dedication, EDEP has grown into a thriving, well-accomplished Section. The Section’s President-Elect Danielle Palm added, “Lisa Malpass is an invaluable and highly respected member of our local legal community (and beyond). Her tireless efforts, particularly in the area of guardianship, have had an enormous impact on local and state policies.”
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court and exercises a governmental function authorized by the Court to license and regulate the state’s nearly 40,000 legal professionals, including lawyers, limited practice officers, and limited license legal technicians. The WSBA both regulates legal professionals under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. The WSBA administers the Bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; administers the lawyer discipline system; and provides continuing legal education for legal professionals, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities. The Bar’s mission is to serve the public and its members, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice.
