By Karen Sutherland
This month’s theme is diversity, reflecting (among other things) that January is the annual KCBA Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. luncheon. I was going to write a brief lead-in to Bar Talk discussing diversity in society, the workplace and the bar, but after about 15 minutes of dictation, I realized that it is far too broad of a subject to serve as an introduction for this column, so I rewound my tape and started over. I guess I will just stick with wishing you all a “Happy New Year” instead.
New Partners and Members
Larry Martin has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as a partner in its Bellevue office. Martin’s practice focuses on real estate development, land use and public facility projects. In addition to his experience as an attorney, Martin was a principal and co-founder of Milliken Martin LLC, a developer of urban mixed-use projects, and served as CEO and member of the Justen Company LLC, where he provided strategic real estate advice on development projects.
Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland PLLC recently announced that Jo Flannery and Mary Cotter have joined the firm as members of its litigation practice group. Flannery’s primary practice will focus on condominium construction defect litigation, products liability, professional liability and general litigation. Cotter, who was formally with the Washington State Office of Insurance Commissioner in consumer protection and legal affairs, will concentrate on regulatory and administrative law in the insurance industry.
Associate News
Julie Hamilton and Karen Breckenridge have joined Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson P.S. as associates. Hamilton, who spent 10 years in the banking business before becoming an attorney, will focus her practice on business and real estate matters. Breckenridge’s practice will emphasize land use and environmental law.
Ken Davison has joined Karr Tuttle Campbell as an associate. Davison, among other things, has worked in the civil department of the Los Angeles Courthouse and was a staff writer for MAVIN, a national magazine.
Kirsten Daniels and Stacia Hofmann have joined Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S. as associates. Both Daniels and Hofmann practice in the firm’s complex litigation group.
Candice Kim has become an associate with Miller Nash, where she will work in the Seattle office. Kim, who is in the firm’s business department, focuses her practice on business and commercial finance.
Gloria Hong and Douglas Steding have joined Stoel Rives LLP as associates in the firm’s Seattle office. Hong is in the litigation practice group and focuses on general commercial litigation. Steding is in the firm’s resources, development and the environment practice group. He focuses on environmental compliance, with a particular emphasis on MTCA and CERCLA.
Of Counsel and Other Attorney Additions
Michael Kirschner has joined Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson as of counsel. Prior to joining HCMP, he was the vice president of intellectual property at Immunex Corporation and headed up the Seattle-based law department of Amgen, Inc. His practice will encompass patent matters with a special emphasis on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Ruth Walters has joined GeoMark as of counsel. Walters had been with Perkins Coie as a member of the firm’s trademark and copyright group before joining GeoMark.
Lisa Watson Gafken recently joined the Law Office of Mary Anne Vance and Sheila C. Ridgway, P.S. to focus on estate, trust and guardianship matters and to continue the firm’s work under TEDRA. Gafken was previously an assistant attorney general with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Division.
Outside the Law
Dawson Taylor, a tax partner with Cairncross & Hempelmann, P.S., has recorded a studio album, “It Could Happen to You,” featuring original songs and fresh takes on great songs from the archive, all celebrating the glory of romantic love. The CD spotlights Taylor on vocals and guitar and is available at Amazon, CDBaby, Bud’s Jazz Records and Taylor’s web page. When he is not recording music, Taylor practices in the firm’s corporate finance and business transactions and tax practices.
Honors, Awards and Benefits
The previously-mentioned annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon will be Friday, January 13 at Plymouth Congregational Church. If it has not sold out already and you want to attend, call Julie Gardner at the KCBA, 206-267-7013 and have your credit card ready.
Paul Stritmatter was recently named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Washington State Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). The award honors his 35-plus years as a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney.
Jack Cullen has been unanimously elected to the Interlaw Board of Directors. Interlaw is an international association of independent law firms. Cullen is the chair of Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC’s creditors’ rights and bankruptcy group.
The American Board of Trial Advocates has named King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu Judge of the Year. Yu was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench in 2000 and has twice been re-elected.
TVW recently kicked off a campaign to expand access to its legal affairs programming. Numerous luminaries spoke at the kickoff reception, including honorary co-chairs former Gov. John Spellman, Justice Charles Z. Smith (Ret.) and Justice Faith Ireland (Ret.). TVW is dedicated to expanding its partnership with the legal community to insure that all citizens have the chance to witness history as it is decided and to make the decision-making process as transparent as possible. These are the folks that broadcast the hearing regarding the gubernatorial election, and as far as I am concerned, they do a great job of showing the public that real lawyering is vastly different from what they see on most TV shows. As part of its campaign to expand access, TVW is seeking to raise $3 million in private funds, including $50,000 from the legal community. If you or your firm wish to support this effort, contact Caryl Zenker, vice president of marketing and development, at caryl@tvw.org. n
Karen Sutherland is the chair of the Employment and Labor Law Practice Group at Ogden Murphy Wallace, P.L.L.C., and chair of the King County Bar Bulletin Committee. Her practice focuses on employment and labor law and complex litigation. She can be reached at 1601 -- 5th Avenue, Suite 2100, Seattle, WA 98101, by phone at 206-447-7000, by fax at 206-447-0215 or by e-mail at ksutherland@omwlaw.com.
