October 2003

Welcome to President-elect Ronald R. Ward and the New WSBA Governors

President-elect

Ronald R. Ward served as 8th District governor from 2002-2003. Since 1982 he has been a shareholder in the Seattle law firm Levinson Friedman. A former assistant attorney general, he was vice president and seven-term member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA), and co-chair of WSTLA's Seattle Downtown Roundtable. In 1994, Ward received the Distinguished Service Award, and in 1995, the WSTLA Special President's Recognition Award. Washington Law & Politics magazine selected him a "Super Lawyer" for 2003.

Governors

Randolph I. Gordon (8th District) is a principal in the Bellevue law firm Gordon Edmunds Elder PLLC. Known for his dedication and enthusiasm in promoting public service within the profession, Gordon has been a volunteer for the Eastside Legal Assistance Program since its inception, and over the years has worked tirelessly to ensure access to justice. He is an adjunct professor of law at Seattle University School of Law. He received the WSBA's 2001 President's Award, and WSTLA's 1998 Public Justice Award and 2001 Professionalism Award. 

Mark A. Johnson (7th-West District) is a member of Johnson Flora PLLC. Chair of the WSBA Character and Fitness Committee and a member of the Professional Development Committee, he is also a member of WSTLA, past chair of WSTLA's Professional Liability Section, member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and co-chair of the WSBA's first annual Conference on the Law of Lawyering, to be held in December. He is a prolific author and frequent lecturer on professional liability and medical-malpractice issues.

Kristin G. Olson (1st District) is a shareholder in the Bellevue law firm O'Shea Barnard Martin, PS. She served as a trustee of the East King County Bar Association for several years, becoming president in 1999. While on the board of trustees of the King County Bar Association, she was a liaison to the WSBA. Olson volunteers for the Eastside Legal Assistance Program and is a trustee of ACT Theatre.

Kathleen M. O'Sullivan (at large representing WYLD) is an associate in the Seattle office of Perkins Coie LLP. She was formerly a law clerk to the Honorable Harold H. Green, and a law clerk to the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown. O'Sullivan was also a history teacher and girls' ice-hockey coach at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. She is a member of the ABA Litigation Section and a Passages Northwest board member. O'Sullivan was a co-recipient of the WSBA 2003 Award of Merit.

Michael J. Pontarolo (5th District) is a principal in the Spokane and Seattle law firm Delay, Curran, Thompson, Pontarolo & Walker, PS, and an adjunct professor of law at Gonzaga University School of Law. In 1989, he was elected president of the Spokane County Bar Association, and he has served on numerous local and state bar committees. Named by Washington Law & Politics as a "Super Lawyer" for 2001, 2002, and 2003, Pontarolo holds the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and was named one of the "Best Lawyers in America," 2003-2004.

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