December 2002

Changing Venues

Eleven Washington lawyers from Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2003-2004 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. They are: Stanton Phillip Beck, Christopher P. Cline, Michael D. Dwyer, Charles R. Ekberg, D. Wayne Gittinger, Anne W. Glazer, Michael E. Morgan, Charles W. Riley Jr., James L. Robart, Mark A. Rossi and Gary P. Tober.

Washington lawyers from Foster Pepper & Shefelman included in The Best Lawyers in America are: Brad Berg, Jack Cullen, Bob Diercks, Gary Fluhrer, Dillon E. Jackson, Dick Keefe, Mike Kuntz, Judy Runstad, Lee R. Voorhees Jr. and J. Tayloe Washburn. Lawyers from Foster Pepper & Shefelman have also been named "Rising Stars" by Washington Law & Politics magazine. They are: Krista J. Ayers, Joseph A. Brogan, Richard P. Chamberlain, Edward A. Harley, Bradley W. Hoff, Sarah K. Johnson, Jeffrey S. Miller, Alice M. Ostdiek, Thomas J. Parkes and Jennifer L. Scully.

Dean D. DeChaine, R. Thomas Olson, Jeffrey C. Thede and Robert J. Walerius of Miller Nash LLP have been included in The Best Lawyers in America.

Former WSBA President Paul L. Stritmatter has been elected president of the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation. The foundation is the nonprofit parent organization of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, a national public-interest law firm dedicated to using trial lawyers' skills and resources to advance the public good.

The Washington state chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association has elected new officers. They are: Carol L. Edward, chair; Davis C. Bae, vice-chair; Cletus M. Weber, secretary; Diane M. Butler, treasurer; and Laurie B. Bernbaum, membership chair.

Stuart C. Allen has been elected to the board of directors of Seattle Goodwill. Mr. Allen is a partner in the Seattle office of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP.

Steven F. Hill has been named president of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra board of directors. Mr. Hill is an associate with Miller Nash LLP.

Adrienne E. Quinn has received the Housing Development Consortium's Pedestal Award for significant contributions to affordable housing. A land use lawyer for Buck & Gordon, Ms. Quinn serves as president of the board of directors for Plymouth Housing Group.

James F. Williams has been named to the Puget Sound Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list. He was the only lawyer to be named to the list, which recognizes young leaders in the business community.

Kristi L. Helgeson has been elected president of Washington Women Lawyers. As president, she is responsible for the organization's business and activities, serves as the primary representative to the public, and chairs the board and executive committee.

Kittitas County Prosecuting Attorney Greg L. Zempel has been elected president of the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO). He has served on the WACO board of trustees since 1996.

Seattle lawyer Terence J. Scanlan has been selected to serve on the board of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.

Mark L. Lorbiecki has been elected secretary of the Washington State Patent Law Association. He previously served as treasurer of the association.

Fircrest lawyer and Army Reserve JAG officer Thomas P. Quinlan has received the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for his service as president of the WYLD. The medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who perform outstanding volunteer service of a sustained nature. He has also received the Army Commendation Medal for his service as the officer in charge of the Legal Liaison Offcer Program. The medal is presented to a member of the U.S. Army who distinguishes himself by heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service.

Merrilee A. MacLean has been elected to a three-year term on the executive committee of the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference. She previously served as a lawyer representative to the conference.

Seattle lawyer Michael J. Longyear has been appointed to the Certified Professional Guardianship Board by the Washington State Supreme Court.

Stanley H. Barer has been designated Distinguished Alumni by the University of Washington School of Law. He is a 1963 graduate of the school, and currently serves as of counsel to the Seattle firm Garvey Schubert & Barer.

Daniel J. Gibbons has joined the Spokane firm Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP as an associate focusing on bankruptcy and business law.

John Tirpak has joined the Unemployment Law Project as supervising attorney. In that capacity, he also serves as visiting attorney for the Access to Justice Institute at Seattle University, working with law students representing clients who have been denied unemployment compensation benefits.

Ruth Sparrow has joined the Olympia firm Owens Davies PS as of counsel. She focuses on affordable housing, tax, business and real estate transactions.

Michael J. Havers has joined Carney Badley Spellman as a shareholder concentrating on commercial law. Nicki D. McCraw has joined the firm as of counsel, concentrating on employment law and litigation.

Duncan McIntosh, Elizabeth Poh and Chris Wion have joined the Seattle firm Mundt MacGregor LLP as associates focusing on business law, immigration and litigation, respectively.

Gretchen Herbison has joined the Seattle office of Bullivant Houser Bailey PC.

Ms. Herbison works with the firm's employment litigation and counseling; life,health and disability; and insurance practice groups.

Katherine L. Mason has joined the workers' compensation litigation team at the Causey Law Firm in Seattle.

Five first-year associates have joined the Seattle office of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP. Holly A. Harris practices in the areas of environmental law and litigation. Daniel P. Hurley focuses on employment and labor law, and litigation. Susanne P. Kollrack concentrates on technology. Jessie K. Minier focuses on business law. Daniel H. Royalty concentrates on intellectual property litigation.

Linda C. Severin has joined the Seattle office of Garvey Schubert Barer to expand the firm's white-collar criminal defense practice.

Maureen D. Burke has joined the Seattle firm Cairncross & Hempelmann PS as an associate in the litigation and employment law groups. Charles B. Manger has joined the business and corporate transactions group as of counsel.

Deborah K. Espinosa and Steven G. Jones have joined the Seattle firm Marten Law Group PLLC. Ms. Espinosa practices environmental litigation, and advises clients on environmental and natural resource issues. Mr. Jones is an environmental litigator concentrating on clean-air issues, wastewater, stormwater, wetlands, shoreline permits and water rights.

Magnus R. Andersson and Ryan D. McFarland have joined the Bellevue firm Hanson, Baker, Ludlow and Drumheller PS. Mr. Andersson is an associate focusing on real estate and eminent-domain litigation. Mr. McFarland concentrates on real estate, eminent-domain and general business matters.

Roy J. Koegen has joined the Spokane office of Lukins & Annis PS to chair the firm's new municipal finance practice.

Julia A. Bahner has joined the Seattle office of Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP as an associate concentrating on bankruptcy, creditor rights, and commercial litigation. Andrew F. Rigel has joined the firm as an associate in the litigation group. Karin E. Valaas has joined the firm as an associate in the employment group.

J. Britton Gourley has joined Short Cressman & Burgess as of counsel. He focuses on general representation of privately held and emerging businesses.

Dianne K. Rudman has joined the Spokane firm Dunn & Black PS as an associate concentrating on employment, and construction law and litigation.

Paige D. Haley has joined the Tacoma and Federal Way firm Lutz Law Offices as an associate focusing on family law.

Cristian M. DeFrancia has joined the Seattle firm Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson as an associate concentrating on business law.

Francis X. Olding has joined the Seattle office of Betts Patterson & Mines PS as an associate in the litigation group.

Kirsten J. Pederson and Bryn Peterson have joined the Yakima firm Halverson Applegate as associates.

Robert Irwin Deutscher died September 5 following a brief illness. He was 59. Mr. Deutscher practiced law in Tacoma for more than 30 years, and was known for his work in the areas of tort law and medical malpractice. He was a contributor to ABC's 20/20, served on the board of the Seattle Symphony and Tacoma Philharmonic, and was a member of the Taskforce for Creation of a Heart Center at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Memorials may be made to the University of Washington Medical Center Heart Transplant Program (UW Dept. of Surgery, Box 356410, Seattle, WA  98195-6410).

Amy Diane Dewing Merrill died October 17 at age 42, following a heroic fight against breast cancer. She attended Creighton University School of Law and worked as a criminal defense lawyer for 15 years. Prior to her legal career, Ms. Merrill worked as a probation officer.

Linda Marie Scott died September 29 at age 52. Ms. Scott worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation at the time of her death. Before joining DOT, she worked in the legal unit at Seafirst Bank for seven years and clerked for King County Superior Court Judge Nancy Holman for eight years. A long-time Seattle resident, she received her B.S., MBA and J.D. degrees from the University of Washington.

Charles H. Todd died November 6 at age 96. A native of Seattle, Mr. Todd was one of the founders of the firm now known as Davis Wright Tremaine, and he actively practiced law until age 72. He served in the state Senate from 1933 to 1939 and in the state House of Representatives from 1939 to 1941. It was while serving in the Legislature that he began his legal studies. An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Todd enjoyed horses, fly fishing and golf, as well as international travel. He visited 60 countries on six continents.

Retired Snohomish County Superior Court Judge John F. Wilson died October 29 at age 75 of liver cancer. Judge Wilson was appointed to the superior court bench by Governor Dixie Lee Ray in 1978, and retired in 1995. Prior to his appointment, he worked for the state Attorney General's office and was in private practice in Everett. In the 1990s, Judge Wilson was presented with a Distinguished Jurist Award from Gonzaga University. A native New Yorker, Judge Wilson was known for his Irish tenor voice (tinged with a Lower East Side accent), and his sense of humor.

Judge Eugene Allen Wright died September 3 at age 89. Judge Wright practiced with his father in the Seattle firm Wright & Wright before going into active duty in the U.S. Army. He served as a combat intelligence officer and Japanese translator in the South Pacific, and was awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge, and Army Commendation Medal. Judge Wright worked as a judge pro tem in Seattle Municipal Court, and as a King County Superior Court judge. In 1969, President Nixon appointed him to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he served until his death.

Memorials may be made to the Eugene A. Wright Scholarship Fund at the University of Washington School of Law (1100 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle, WA 98105-6617).