Charles A. Goldmark was founding board member and the second president of the Legal Foundation of Washington who played a singularly important role in the creation of the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account program (IOLTA) which enables low-income people in Washington State access the civil justice system. Since 1984, the IOLTA program has distributed more than $128 million to provide the legal assistance and information necessary for the most vulnerable of our state’s citizens to attain or retain some of the most basic human needs: shelter, food, and freedom from abuse and fear.
After his tragic death, the Legal Foundation of Washington’s Board of Trustees created the Charles A. Goldmark Distinguished Service Award to recognize the providers of civil legal aid whose work furthers the objectives of LFW by making a positive impact on the lives of low-income people.
1987 Charles A. Goldmark, Founder and Board President
1988 Carl Maxey, Spokane attorney
1989 Benton-Franklin Bar Association
1990 Abraham Arditi, for representation of minority cannery workers, and Preston Thorgrimson Landlord/Tenant Project
1991 Peter Greenfield, a long-time legal services attorney
1992 Jack R. Dean, Spokane attorney who helped create The Spokane Bar Pro Bono Program and the Legal Foundation of Washington
1993 Michael Taylor, Reservation Attorney, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
1994 Guadelupe M. Gamboa, Directing Attorney, Farmworker Division, Evergreen Legal Services
1995 Spokane Legal Services, Spokane County Volunteer Lawyers, and University Legal Assistance
1996 Pat Arthur Director, Institutional Legal Services Project
1997 Anthony B.P. Lee, Community Action Director, Fremont Public Association
1998 Hon. Paul A. Bastine, Spokane County Superior Court
1999 Gillian Dutton, Refugee & Immigrant Assistance Project and Staff Attorney, Northwest Justice Project
2000 Gregory R. Dallaire, past Director Evergreen Legal Services
2001 Kenneth A. MacDonald
2002 Judge William L. Dwyer
2003 Russell J. Speidel and Chelan-Douglas County Bar Association
2004 David J. Burman
2005 Ada Shen-Jaffe, legal aid attorney
2006 Washington Supreme Court
2007 Patrick H. McIntyre
2008 John and Mike McKay
2009 Bradley C. Diggs and Washington Appleseed
2010 Steve Fredrickson
2011 King County Bar Association
2012 Justice Gerry L. Alexander (ret.)
2013 Judge Ann Lake Ellington (ret.)
2014 Justice Steven Gonzalez, Professor Robert Chang, Judge Nicole Gaines, Race Justice Task Force
2015 William and Rita Bender, legal aid attorneys
2016 Donald J Horowitz, Mark Hutcheson, J. David Andrews, supporter and founders of Endowment for Equal Justice
2017 Lucy Lee Helm and Paula Boggs, current and past Starbucks General Counsel
2018 Washington State Attorney General’s Office and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
2019 Salvador A. Mungia
2020 Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst
2021 Lembhard G. Howell
2022 Annie Lee
2023 Michele Storms