September 2001

Changing Venues

The Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL) recently presented awards to 15 Washington lawyers. Richard A. Hansen received the William O. Douglas Award in recognition of his courage and dedication to the practice of criminal law. Mr. Hansen was the founding president of WACDL from 1987 to 1989. L. Daniel Fessler, Neil Fox and Jon C. Komorowski received the President’s Award for distinguished service to the criminal defense bar. The Champion of Justice Award was presented to Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard B. Sanders. The award recognizes individuals who, through legislative, judicial, journalistic or humanitarian pursuits, have staunchly preserved or defended the constitutional rights of Washington residents, and endeavored to ensure justice and due process for those accused of crimes. Certificates of Appreciation were presented to the following members: Jill S. Bernstein, Catherine A. Chaney, Alison K. Chinn, David S. Marshall, Sheryl Gordon McCloud, Mark W. Muenster, Jennifer Shaw, Nancy L. Talner, Brett C. Trowbridge and Robert J. Wayne.

Seattle lawyer Irwin H. Schwartz has been elected president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for the 2001-2002 term. Mr. Schwartz is a past president of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington.

Charles J. "Chuck" Pruitt, a partner in the Portland office of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP, has completed the Oregon Executive MBA program and been awarded an MBA from the University of Oregon. Mr. Pruitt provides legal counsel to clients in Washington and Oregon on general business, corporate, real estate and litigation matters.

Lawrence C. Watters was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in environmental law by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars for 2001-2002 in Norway.

Jerome L. Rubin has been named a fellow in the National College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. The college includes leading lawyers in the practice of labor and employment law, with a select membership of 500 attorneys nationwide. Mr. Rubin is the senior principal in the labor and employment practice group at the Seattle office of Stoel Rives LLP.

J. David Andrews has received an award of honor from Legal Aid for Washington (LAW) Fund for nine years of service to the board of LAW Fund. Mr. Andrews was president from 1996 to 1998.

Charles Bates has been appointed to the board of directors of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra.

Joseph P. Mentor Jr. has been selected by the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) to present a paper and participate in a panel discussion at the AWRA conference "Globalization and Water Management: The Changing Value of Water." Mr. Mentor is the founder of Mentor Law Group in Seattle, a firm focused on water rights, land use and natural resource development, and fish and wildlife concerns.

Seattle lawyer Robert C. Mussehl has been appointed by the chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Dispute Resolution Section to chair a task force to draft new ABA policy concerning mandatory consumer arbitration. The task force will develop a due-process protocol to help level the playing field between consumers and providers of goods or services.

Mike F. Shinn has been inducted into the Willamette University (WU) Athletic Hall of Fame for his contribution to the nationally ranked 1979 WU cross-country team. Mr. Shinn practices real estate, media and communication, probate and estate planning law with the Yakima firm Halverson Applegate PS.

Brian B. DeFoe has joined the Seattle office of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP as an associate, concentrating on corporate finance and securities.

Keith H. Hirokawa has joined the Vancouver Law Office of John S. Karpinski as an associate. His practice emphasizes plaintiff land use and environmental law.

Marc Rosenberg has joined the Seattle firm Lee Smart Cook Martin & Patterson PS as an associate focusing on civil defense litigation.

Aaron E. Kornblum has joined the Seattle firm Graham & Dunn as an associate. He is part of the firm’s banking and financial institutions team.

Gideon D. Caron has left the Vancouver firm Morse & Bratt to become a solo practitioner. He remains of counsel to the firm. Mr. Caron’s practice emphasizes civil litigation.

Charles Bates has been appointed to the board of directors of TransAlta USA and TransAlta Investments LLC. He manages human resources for the U.S. operations of TransAlta, a Calgary-based power generation company.

Ater Wynne LLP has re-appointed Thomas M. Kilbane principal-in-charge of the Seattle office. He has also been re-elected to the firm’s management committee. Mr. Kilbane’s practice focuses on corporate and regulatory issues in industries ranging from oil to high technology.

Michael S. Kelley has joined the Seattle firm Preston Gates & Ellis LLP as a partner, concentrating on state and local tax law. Mr. Kelley is also a faculty member in the UW graduate tax program, where he teaches state and local taxation.

The Seattle office of Bullivant Houser Bailey PLLC has added Charles A. Willmes to the general litigation practice group as an associate. Joseph J. Straus has joined the firm as of counsel, focusing on commercial litigation.

Paul L. Sherfey has been selected chief administrative officer of King County Superior Court. He has served the court since 1984, first as deputy director of judicial administration, then as director of judicial administration and county clerk.

Paul C. Dempsey has joined the Yakima firm Halverson Applegate PS as an associate. His practice includes employment and labor law, water rights, and general corporate issues.

Susan K. McIntosh has joined the Seattle firm Bennett Bigelow & Leedom as an associate. Her practice is focused on litigation in the areas of health-care fraud and abuse, and reimbursement.

Mark Richard Hennings and Paul Nickolauson have joined the Seattle office of Merchant & Gould as associates. Mr. Hennings concentrates on patent prosecution in computer and Internet-related technologies, semiconductors, telecommunications and cryptograpy. Mr. Nickolauson focuses on patent applications in the fields of software, electronics, semiconductor processing, business methods, electronic commerce, digital systems and optics.

The Tacoma office of Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim PLLC has welcomed Gary E. Hood back as a senior associate. Mr. Hood’s practice emphasizes intellectual property counseling and advocacy, as well as criminal law representation.

Kathleen Coble and Alesia M. Holliday (a member of the Florida and Ohio state bars) have joined the Seattle office of Williams, Kastner & Gibbs PLLC as associates. Ms. Coble represents clients in complex litigation matters in federal and state courts, including claims relating to commercial contracts, intellectual property, products liability, insurance coverage, and labor and employment matters. Ms. Holliday’s practice emphasizes personal injury litigation, national class-action defense, and products liability defense litigation. Wayne C. Vavrichek has joined the firm as of counsel. He concentrates on personal injury, insurance coverage, products liability, professional negligence, and environmental and construction issues.

Robert A. Baskerville has left Davis Wright Tremaine to start a solo practice focusing on business law and mediation. Mr. Baskerville was a partner at DWT, where he practiced for 17 years.

Zulema Hinojos-Fall, former deputy King County prosecutor and senior trial attorney at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has been appointed EEOC administrative judge.

Former Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Williams passed away July 25 at age 79 in his hometown of Spokane. Justice Williams served on the Supreme Court from January 1979 to January 1985, becoming chief justice in 1983. Prior to his election to the Court, he served more than 20 years on the Spokane County Superior Court bench from 1958 to 1979.

Justice Williams was raised in Spokane and attended the University of Idaho. An outstanding collegiate boxer, he won the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Boxing Championship prior to WWII. His undergraduate studies were interrupted by the war when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he flew 26 combat missions over Germany as a B-24 pilot. After the war, he resumed his studies at the University of Idaho and then attended Gonzaga University School of Law.

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