Bellevue attorney Steven G. Toole will be sworn in as 2010–11 Washington State Bar Association president at the association’s annual meeting and awards dinner Thursday in Seattle.

Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara R. Madsen will swear him in, and outgoing President Salvador A. Mungia will pass the gavel.

Toole received his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1971 and his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1975. He was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1976, and currently has a solo practice, where he focuses on personal injury litigation; since 2000, he has also practiced in the areas of arbitration and mediation.

Toole’s service to the WSBA began more than 15 years ago, when he was elected to the board of governors representing the Eighth Congressional District. He also was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Bar Foundation in 2008.

In 1991, Toole was elected to the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA — now Washington State Association for Justice/WSAJ), and served on its board for 16 years. He was president of that organization from 2002–2003.

Toole is also actively involved in the community. Since 1989, he has volunteered at the Eastside Legal Assistance Program, and he also volunteers with the King County Bar Association Eastside Legal Clinic. Since 1988, he has served on the Lake Washington Technical College Legal Secretary Advisory Committee, both as a member and as chair.

In 2001, he was honored with the WSTLA President’s Award.