Hopefully, it will snow a little less in May than it did in April and I will be able to grow something in my garden other than dandelions and holly. Carrots, for example. They are currently sitting in their little seed packets on top of the microwave in my kitchen, waiting for better weather. I hope the radiation isn’t hurting them. Carrots aren’t the only thing that exhibits growth in the spring; law firms do, too. With that somewhat clunky segue, let’s take a look to what showed up in my inbox this month.
New Firm Owners
Roger Wylie has become a partner at Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP, an intellectual property firm. He practices in the medical and mechanical devices practice group in the firm’s Seattle office. He was previously a managing partner of Leydig, Voit & Mayer, Ltd.’s Seattle office. He has patent experience in a variety of mechanical fields and advises clients in a wide range of trademark, copyright, trade secret and other IP-related issues.
Helsell Fetterman recently appointed four new partners: Natalie Beckmann, Michael Harman, Connie Haslam and Laura Hoexter. Beckmann is with the firm’s divorce and family law practice. Her practice includes divorce, legal separation, matters involving children, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, non-marital arrangements, restraining orders and other matters.
Harman practices in the areas of trust and estates, and business succession, and serves as corporate counsel to closely held businesses. Haslam’s practice emphasizes contract and real property disputes. She also is heavily involved in class action litigation and actions against municipalities, and performs real property transactional work. Hoexter is part of the firm’s estate planning and probate department, where she helps high-net-worth clients reserve their wealth and engage in succession planning.
Seth Wilkinson was recently promoted to partner at Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo. Wilkinson is a litigator who advocates on behalf of clients in business disputes and government enforcement actions. Shawn Mercalde was recently named a shareholder at Carney Badley Spellman. Mercalde joined the firm as an associate in 2000. She concentrates her practice in the areas of construction, commercial and construction contracts and litigation, federal and state procurement law, commercial leases, landlord-tenant disputes, collections and creditors’ rights.
Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara, LLP recently named Sherry Davies and Daren Nitz as principals to the firm. Davies’ practice focuses on self-insured and state fund employer advice, workers compensation and industrial insurance. Davies has been with VJG for a year. She was previously a partner at Reinisch, Weier & Mackenzie. Nitz serves as general counsel in the areas of business law, corporate financing and corporate transactions. He joined the firm in 2004 after 14 years practicing elsewhere.
Associate Additions
Nathan Paine has joined Rohde & Van Kampen PLLC as an associate. His practice focuses in the areas of intellectual property and business litigation.
Matt Carvalho has joined Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo as an associate. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation. He also represents clients in government and internal investigations, corporate governance matters and regulatory advocacy.
Sandip Soli has joined the real estate team at Cairncross & Hempelmann, P.S. Soli was formerly with Carney Badley Spellman, P.S. Soli’s practice is primarily in the area of commercial real estate transactions. Additionally, he provides general corporate/business advice in areas including entity formation, asset and stock purchases, transaction documentation and corporate governance.
Bradford Doll recently joined Tupper Mack Brower PLLC as an associate. He practices in the areas of land use, natural resources and environmental litigation.
Other Attorney Moves
Terri Luken has joined the Law Office of Mary Anne Vance, P.S. to support the probate, guardianship and trust practice. Luken was formerly a King County senior deputy prosecuting attorney.
Lynn Cohee recently joined Tupper Mack Brower PLLC as of counsel to practice in the areas of land use, natural resources and environmental litigation, with an emphasis on administrative and judicial appeals.
Carol Morris and Jeff Taraday recently opened an office on Dexter Avenue called Morris & Taraday, P.C. They focus on land use and municipal law, and real estate litigation, especially condemnation cases.
Leaving the Practice
Hall Zanzig Zulauf Claflin McEachern PLLC recently announced the retirement of Jay Zulauf, which made me feel old. I assume he isn’t reading Bar Talk anymore, so if you see him, wish him well.
Honors and Awards
vLane Powell recently received the 2008 Spirit of Caring Award in the Sustaining Supporter Category from United Way of King County. The award is presented for giving at a consistent level for the past five years. Lane Powell was one of three winners in this category.
Michael “Mick” Fleming was recently elected chairman of the board for 2008 for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Puget Sound. He has been a board member there for the past seven years. Fleming is a shareholder at Lane Powell.
Timothy Parker has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Parker is a shareholder with Carney Badley Spellman, P.S.
William Weigand was recently elected as a board member for Family Services, a Seattle area nonprofit committed to helping families and individuals in need. Weigand is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine.
Malcolm Lindquist was recently elected to the American Law Institute. Lindquist chairs Lane Powell’s financial institutions industry group.
Robert Aronson was recently installed as the Betts, Patterson & Mines Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law. This endowed professorship in trial advocacy was established by alumni Frederick V. Betts (class of ’33) and Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S.
John McDowell was named to the Carney Badley Spellman Board of Directors.
Fundraisers
The Northwest Women’s Law Center’s Annual Gala Dinner is scheduled for May 8, which means you might still be able to attend if you read Bar Talk as soon as it arrives in your inbox. It is the NWLC’s 30th anniversary, so the folks over there are pretty excited about it. If you are interested in attending or donating, call 206-682-9552.
Lawyerpalooza held its sixth annual “battle of the bands” contest on April 24 to benefit local elementary school music programs. Bands from Lane Powell, P.C., Perkins Coie, Karr Tuttle Campbell, McNaul Ebel and Groff & Murphy were scheduled to appear, along with smaller ensembles and solos between sets. Morris Can Fly (McNaul Ebel) took first place, followed by No Rules (Karr Tuttle).
The previous paragraph leads me to another digression, which is the timing for getting information into Bar Talk. If you send me an announcement between now and the first weekend in June, it will probably appear in the July Bar Talk because of our publication schedule. If you want something to run sooner than that, contact Chuck Leininger of the Seattle Times Advertising Department at cleininger@seattletimes.com and buy an advertisement because there is more flexibility in the advertising deadlines than there is in the editorial content.
Thanks for reading and have a great month.
Karen Sutherland is the chair of the Employment and Labor Law Practice Group of Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC, and chair of the King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin Committee. Her practice focuses on employment and labor law and complex litigation. She can be reached at 1601 Fifth Ave., Suite 2100, Seattle, WA 98101, by fax at 206-447-0215 or by email at ksutherland@omlaw.com.
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