Candidates for the 2008-2009 Young Lawyers Division Board of Trustees

Chairperson - vote for one
        Robert A. Hyde

Trustee - vote for four
        Johanna Coolbaugh
        Richard H. Denenny
        Andrew J. Gabel
        Adam G. Hughes
        Sarah C. Johnson
        Cynthia B. Jones
        David C. Martin
        Eric L. Wolf

Lay Trustee - vote for one
        Trent Tsuchikawa

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the King County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division for the 2008-2009 term. To be honest, I am still a little surprised (in a good way, of course) that my peers elected me to a position on the YLD’s Board of Trustees two years ago. I am grateful for your support then and now, and I look forward to serving you during the upcoming term.

Over the next year, I plan to focus on continuing the YLD’s commitment to community service activities, fostering the relationship between the KCBA YLD and WSBA YLD, and increasing outreach between the King County legal community and area law students. I promise to take the work of the YLD seriously, even if I do not take myself too seriously.

Thank you very much for your support.

I am honored to have been nominated to serve on YLD’s Board of Trustees. I am both a new member of the bar and a young lawyer; therefore, I am especially appreciative of the vital role that the YLD plays in our community.

As an associate at a mid-sized firm, I understand the stress of balancing work life with social and home life. Since the beginning of my career, I have learned that I can turn to the members of the YLD for support and guidance, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve others who are facing similar challenges.

One of my primary goals is to increase the participation of members in YLD’s charitable and social programs. As a frequent volunteer for the Wills for Heroes program, I see the ever-growing need for pro bono work in all facets of the law. Many new lawyers feel as though they are not qualified or don’t have enough time to participate in YLD’s programs, and I will strive to change that attitude through outreach and promotion.

One of my other goals is to increase the opportunity for young lawyers to meet with and learn from members of the judiciary. While I served as an extern for the U.S. District Court, I discovered the importance of knowing and respecting those who serve on the bench. I am excited to work with the Board to assist our members in this regard.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I am pleased to have been nominated for the YLD Board of Trustees. As a Trustee, I would focus my energies on helping the YLD provide professional development opportunities and increasing young lawyers’ involvement in the KCBA.

As the King County legal community continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important for young lawyers to engage with each other and to develop a sense of community. As a Trustee, I would work to help the YLD create professional development opportunities for young lawyers. This could include, for example, practical training in the “soft skills” of being a successful lawyer. As a Trustee, I would also seek to broaden the networking and training opportunities for young lawyers who do not have a traditional practice. By better recognizing the broad experiences and skills of the young lawyers in our community, I believe we will be better able to come together as a community and successfully face future challenges.

I also support YLD’s community service goals. I have been actively involved in many pro bono matters throughout my career and believe direct interaction with underrepresented community members through pro bono legal services can be one of the most fulfilling parts of legal practice. In addition, pro bono work plays a vital role in ensuring legal services are available to all members of the community. As a Trustee, I would seek to make meaningful volunteer opportunities more readily available and encourage YLD members to participate.

Thank you for your consideration.

I am honored to be nominated to the KCBA YLD Board of Trustees. While I have overcome many obstacles in my journey to becoming a member of the bar, now that I am a practicing young lawyer I see that the biggest obstacle facing me is just that: I am a young lawyer. With that in mind I submit my intent to run for a seat on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Trustees.

I feel truly blessed and humbled to be a part of the legal profession. As a recent member of the bar, I am eager to become involved in the legal community. I will bring enthusiasm, organizational skills, and leadership to the Board and will work hard to help accomplish YLD’s many worthwhile goals.

Several of those goals, such as the KCBA YLD commitment to programs like the Neighborhood Legal Clinics, provide vital services to the community. Programs like this require strong leadership and commitment and if elected to the Board, I will do my very best to reach out to other young attorneys to help strengthen the YLD.

Thank you for your support.

I am honored to be nominated for the King County Bar Association’s YLD Board of Trustees. Thank you for your consideration. If elected, I will dedicate myself to making a difference in the lives of our KCBA young attorneys, and thereby, the thousands of lives they affect throughout King County.

The KCBA’s success in the future depends on the level of involvement of our young attorneys today. To this end, an inspired approach to encouraging participation in YLD events is crucial. I believe we should carefully appraise the YLD’s current community and professional development programs through the perspective of young attorneys. By collaborating with the other members of the Board, I would focus on enhancing our YLD programs as necessary and dedicate our efforts to marketing them aggressively. The more attorneys we inspire to become active, the more individuals we can help in the community. At the same time, our young attorneys will benefit both professionally and personally through invaluable experience, increased confidence, and expanded contacts – all of which enable us to succeed professionally together.

I believe that my perspective as a fifth year associate with significant litigation experience will enable me to make an immediate positive impact on the YLD and, in turn, the community. I look forward to the opportunity to serve. Thank you again for your consideration.

Please feel free to view my bio at www.millernash.com/showbio.aspx?Show=249.

I am honored to be nominated for the King County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Board of Trustees.

As young lawyers in a growing and changing legal market, we face unique challenges. As work pressures increase, we have to find new and creative ways to ensure work/life balance while still advancing professionally and obtaining the experiences necessary to progress as attorneys. This is of particular interest to me both as a parent and as a mid-level associate at a law firm. As a member of MAMAS (Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle), I have seen the value of community networks designed to support attorneys facing shared challenges. The YLD is a similar resource for young lawyers striving to advance their careers and to develop relationships with and learn from their peers. I believe that my experiences and ideas can help ensure that the YLD provides a community for young lawyers to think creatively about issues uniquely of importance to us.

Historically, the YLD has done an excellent job of bringing young lawyers together, and I think there is room for our active membership to grow. I believe that I can make valuable contributions to increasing the participation levels of our membership by fostering the development of more events – including educational and networking opportunities – that will both attract new participants and reinvigorate our existing membership.

I welcome the opportunity to serve on the YLD Board of Trustees. Thank you for your consideration.

I am delighted to be nominated for the Young Lawyers Division Board of Trustees. The nomination affords a meaningful opportunity to be involved in my community. I have been exposed to the rich and diverse community of young lawyers here in King County and across the state of Washington in my role as associate editor of DeNovo, the official publication of Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. I would welcome the opportunity to serve this rich and diverse community if elected to the YLD Board. It would be my goal to assist in efforts to carry on the Board’s first-rate work.

Of particular interest to me, aside from the many programs created and promulgated by the YLD Board, is the opportunity to continue developing networking opportunities for the young lawyers in our state. My path has been blessed with tremendous mentors who have stressed the importance of networking. These mentors have generously given of their time and taught me by example the significance of serving and giving back to the community. My career began with a clerkship for a judge who stressed the value of community service and now my career path finds me in private practice at a firm that supports and encourages that service to the community. If elected, I would relish the opportunity to continue the Board’s work to create meaningful networking opportunities to the young lawyers for which it serves.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my coworkers asked me if he could nominate me to run as a trustee for the KCBA YLD. Actually, he said I had no choice but to agree, and he neglected to mention that a personal statement was required. I’ll be honest -- it’s a struggle for me to write one. After all, I can’t discuss my distinguished record of service to the community because, quite frankly, it doesn’t exist. It’s also difficult to write about my goals for the YLD when, until recently, I wasn’t exactly sure what the YLD did.

My first exposure to the YLD was at the winter social in January. I was impressed by the sense of community on display, and I felt fortunate to live in a place where so many people are dedicated to guiding young lawyers through the first years of their careers. But as a local law school graduate, I was surprised at how few people I recognized at the event. That’s a shame because I’m certain many of my peers would enjoy being involved in the YLD’s programs, whether it’s working for one of the neighborhood legal clinics or simply networking with other members of the bar.

If selected as a trustee, I look forward to raising awareness of the opportunities the YLD offers and continuing the excellent work of the Board. I’m excited to be nominated, and I appreciate your consideration.

I am honored to have been nominated for the KCBA Young Lawyer’s Division Board of Trustees. As a law student of Seattle University School of Law, I learned the importance of public interest work in our community and beyond. I began that commitment to service as a founding member and Secretary of the S.U. Law chapter of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now American Association for Justice).

I have made this commitment to service a practice in my own work. I chose to work as a sole practitioner upon passing the bar, so that I could accept the kind of cases that, in my conscience, reflect these values. I am also an active and charitable member of several animal and human welfare organizations.

If elected, I will strive to continue the important work of the YLD in any way I can. I will also continue to assist other young lawyers in their solo endeavors. I welcome the opportunity to serve as a Trustee. Thank you for your consideration.

I am extremely excited about the potential to continue my service as a board member to the KCBA Young Lawyers Division. The YLD provides an immeasurable service to the legal profession and the community as a whole. For the past two years, I have served as the Treasurer and Lay Member to the Board of Trustees, and it has been a privilege and an honor. In addition to my involvement with the Board of Trustees, I am a member of the YLD Community Involvement Committee. With this committee, I have taken an active role in planning several of our volunteer and fund raising activities, such as the Habitat for Humanity summer project, Salvation Army Toy ‘N Joy toy distribution, and the KCBA YLD Fun Run at Seward Park.

My educational background includes a Business Finance and Information Systems degree from the University of Washington. Presently, I am a Managing Consultant with Navigant Consulting, Inc., providing litigation and consulting services to several law firms and government agencies around the area.

I am running for the Lay Member position as I am not a lawyer. However, with my educational background and professional experience, I am confident that I can continue to add a valuable layer of diversity to the Board. As a board member, I will continue to advance the goals of the YLD and, in particular, bring focus to volunteerism and continued support of the services provided through the KCBA, such as the Neighborhood Legal Clinics. I appreciate your consideration.