Shaun T. Greer Receives Outstanding Young Lawyer APEX Award │ Sept. 27, 2019
Pioneering Spokane Lawyer Engages Young Lawyers and Builds Community Connections
SEATTLE [Sept. 27, 2019] — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) presented Shaun T. Greer the 2019 Outstanding Young Lawyer APEX Award. This award recognizes an attorney who has made significant contributions to the professional community, especially the community of young lawyers, within their initial years of practice. Recipients must be active WSBA members within five years of admission to any bar association or less than 36 years of age. WSBA President William D. Pickett presented the award at the annual WSBA APEX (Acknowledging Professional Excellence) Awards Dinner on Sept. 26 at the Sheraton Seattle.
Growing up in a disenfranchised neighborhood of Spokane, Greer went on to graduate cum laude and earn both his J.D. and a Business Law Certificate. In only a few years since being admitted to practice law in Washington, Greer has already left a lasting impact on the legal profession through his leadership and commitment to helping others. Almost immediately after passing the bar, he joined the Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA) and became president of the Young Lawyers Division. His contributions to that division helped make it one of the most active of its kind in the state.
“Shaun is the type of new attorney that our community and bar association needs, and he exemplifies the best parts of it,” Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michelle “Shelley” Szambelan said.
Greer helped establish the SCBA’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Asexual (LGBTA) Law Section, and he serves as the only Eastern Washington member of the QLaw Association Board of Trustees. He has additionally served as the vice president of Meals on Wheels Spokane and is a volunteer for the Spokane Guild’s School Annual Community Day Penny Drive.
He was instrumental in advocating for local legislation to protect safe leave for families, and played a key role in creating productive dialogues and better relationships between police officials and Spokane’s marginalized communities. In 2018, Greer was named one of the city’s “20 Under 40” by a local magazine that recognizes young professionals.
“Shaun is thoughtful, professional, driven, and generous,” said Spokane-based attorney Emily K. Arneson. “The Spokane community is fortunate to have such a passionate and forward-thinking leader.”
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.
