September 2000

Changing Venues

Honors and Awards

The Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (WSTLA) has named Jack Connelly, Jr. Washington Trial Lawyer of the Year for his work on behalf of injured crime victims. Connelly has spent his 18-year career with the Tacoma firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell Malanca Peterson & Daheim. Maria Diamond, who practices with the Seattle firm of Levinson, Friedman, Vhugen, Duggan & Bland PS, has been elected WSTLA president. The Seattle firm of Bendich, Stobaugh and Strong received WSTLA’s Public Justice Award for the work of lawyers Judith Bendich, David Stobaugh and Stephen Strong. The trio exposed a payrolling scheme that denied contract workers standard job benefits enjoyed by other full-time employees. John Budlong received WSTLA’s President’s Award for his work on behalf of consumers bilked by an insurance claims adjuster scheme. Seattle lawyer Christopher Eagan was presented with WSTLA’s Professionalism Award for his work on behalf of injured workers.

The Spokane County Bar Association recently presented the following pro bono service awards: Attorney of the Year, Peter Lineberger; Attorney of the Year/Special Recognition, Jan Drye; Young Attorney of the Year, Kathryn McKinley; Family Law Advice Clinic Attorney of the Year, Ellen F. Gephart; Bankruptcy Attorney of the Year, Mary Ellen Gaffney-Brown; Social Security Administration Attorney of the Year, Lynn Watts; Marathon Hours Award, John Zeimantz.

The National Law Journal has named Seattle lawyer Steve Berman among the 100 most influential lawyers in America.

Richard C. Tallman, of Seattle, has been appointed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He succeeds Circuit Judge Betty Fletcher who took senior status. Judge Tallman will maintain his chambers in Seattle. Bankruptcy Judge Samuel J. Steiner has been reappointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington.

The Asian American Bar Association Legal Resource Center in Seattle was awarded a grant from the American Bar Association (ABA) Immigration Pro Bono Development and Bar Activation Project. The grant was part of a nationwide effort by the ABA to increase private bar legal assistance to immigrants, refugees and newcomers.

Seattle lawyer Robert C. Mussehl has been elected chair-elect of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. Mr. Mussehl and his partner, Morris Rosenberg, have signed a pledge with the ABA to make every reasonable effort to resolve conflicts and disputes through alternative dispute resolution practices such as mediation, negotiation and arbitration. Irwin L. Treiger has been elected to the ABA Board of Governors as a section representative. He is a partner in the Seattle firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, and focuses his practice on estate planning, federal income tax, and financial and real estate planning. He is a past-chair of the WSBA Taxation Law Section.

Rongwei Cai has been elected president of the Washington State China Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Cai is a lawyer with the Seattle firm of Riddell Williams PS.

The District and Municipal Court Judges Association recently elected the following officers: president, Judge Michael P. Roewe, Lewis County District Court; president-elect, Judge Susan Owens, Clallam County District Court; past-president, Judge Janis Whitener-Moberg, Grant County District Court; vice-president, Judge Christopher Culp, Okanogan County District Court; secretary/treasurer, Judge Dirk A. Marler, Yakima County District Court; trustee, Commissioner Virginia Rockwood, Spokane County District Court; trustee, Judge Holly A. Hollenbeck, Benton County District Court; trustee, Judge James Docter, Bremerton Municipal Court.

Lisa Groeneveld-Meijer and Desiree Hosannah have joined the Northwest Justice Project Coordinated Legal Education, Advice and Referral (CLEAR) system. Ms. Groeneveld-Meijer is a member of the Washington, Maine and New Hampshire state bar associations, and Ms. Hosannah is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Carol K. Haugen has joined the Spokane firm of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP as of counsel. Prior to joining the firm, she was general counsel of Itronix Corporation. Ms. Haugen brings considerable experience in acquisitions and mergers, and in the high-tech industry. William A. Buckholdt has become an associate with the firm. His practice emphasizes taxation, estate planning and retirement/deferred compensation.

Graham & Dunn PC and Smith Smart PLLC have combined their practices, now known as Graham & Dunn PC. As a result, new shareholders are Douglas J. Smart, David Hancock and Walter S. Tabler. Joyce S. Swensen, J. Dimmitt Smith and Paul J. Battaglia joined the firm as of counsel. Graham & Dunn PC recently added four new lawyers to their ranks. James H. Simon joined as shareholder and a member of the labor and employment team. His practice focuses on labor, employment and immigration law. Of Counsel Randall H. Moeller is a member of the intellectual property team, advising clients on advertising relations, domain name issues, and liability related to Internet commerce. New associate Michael A. Raskasky is on the banking and financial institutions team, bringing experience with business organizations, corporate transactions, banking and securities. Michael C. Williams is a new associate on the technology ventures and e-commerce team. His practice emphasizes technology licensing, new venture formation, corporate finance, intellectual property and Internet law.

Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC recently added Shelley McKinley to the business and intellectual property practice groups as an associate. She concentrates her practice on intellectual property due diligence, transfer and assignment counseling; venture capital financings, mergers, acquisitions, and public offerings of emerging and established companies.

Taro Kusunose has joined Betts, Patterson & Mines PS as an associate. His practice will focus on business transactions, corporate law and commercial litigation on behalf of Japanese businesses in the Pacific Northwest.

The Honorable Philip J. Thompson has joined the Spokane firm of Keefe, King & Bowman PS as of counsel. He engages in mediation, arbitration and client counseling. Judge Thompson formerly served as corporate counsel to Gonzaga University. Jennifer M. Larson has joined the firm as an associate.

Joseph C. Calmes has been named shareholder in the Bellevue firm of Hanson Baker Ludlow Drumheller PS. He brings over 25 years’ experience to the firm in the areas of construction and surety law, real property law, and commercial dispute avoidance and resolution.

Tony Hazapis has been named executive director of the King County Dispute Resolution Center, a nonprofit community-based organization providing free and low-cost conciliation and mediation services to King County residents. Prior to his appointment, he served as a board member, volunteer conciliator, and co-chair of the board’s planning committee.

Joann Francis, formerly a partner at Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC, has been named Northwest regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. She will oversee the agency’s lending, business development and counseling programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

Leslie R. Bottimore has joined Lutz Law Offices PS as an associate. Her practice focuses on family law and estate planning.

A dozen business and litigation lawyers formerly of Reed McClure have joined the Seattle office of Miller Nash LLP. They are Cynthia Alderete-Medjo, Stuart Allen, Steven L. Burgon, Kent Caputo, Geoffrey Groshong, Vanessa Lee, C. Dean Little, Greg E. Montgomery, R. Thomas Olson, Mary S. Peterson, Guy Towle and Robert J. Walerius.

Eric S. (Rick) Carlson has joined Peterson Russell Cofano PLLC as a partner. Mr. Carlson’s practice in the Bellevue firm will focus on corporate and commercial finance, startup business planning, venture capital, and securities and corporate law.

Barry G. Pea will succeed Scott G. Hallquist as senior vice-president, general counsel and secretary of Immunex Corporation. In his new role, Mr. Pea will be an executive officer of Immunex. Mr. Hallquist will focus his efforts on the company’s alliance management initiatives, including potential product and technology acquisitions.

Applied Discovery, Inc. recently added two litigation attorneys to the ranks. Virginia Llewellyn, formerly of Bullivant Houser Bailey, joined the company as manager for the newly formed client solutions group. David Wilner, a former partner in the Seattle office of Cozen and O’Connor, will manage the business development and sales group.

Ogden Murphy Wallace has added Carrie Montgomery and J. Todd Tracy to its business department. Ms. Montgomery recently completed a clerkship at the Washington State Court of Appeals Division II, and practices general business law. Mr. Tracy focuses his practice on representing creditors, debtors and trustees in bankruptcy cases. Prior to joining the firm, he practiced with Reed McClure.

Seattle lawyer Harvey Poll died July 10 from diabetes. He was 61 years old. Mr. Poll lived with diabetes for 55 years and received a kidney transplant from his brother, Melvyn, nearly 23 years ago. A self-proclaimed "pioneer environmentalist," he spent part of the 1960s as president of Clean Air for Washington and was a founding board member of the Washington Environmental Council. Mr. Poll sat on the board of directors of the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency for 13 years. He also served on the Seattle Parks Board for 12 years and was parks commissioner for two years.

Burton C. Waldo, a Seattle insurance-defense lawyer, died of pneumonia on June 20 at the age of 79. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Law, he joined Keller Rohrback in 1950, and was managing partner in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Burton was an outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing. As a student, one of his summer jobs was clerking in Eddie Bauer’s sport shop. He also helped Bauer test salmon bait in Lake Union. Mr. Burton was active in local politics, working on campaigns for Dan Evans, Joel Pritchard and U.S. Senator Slade Gorton.

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