By Karen Sutherland
Spring, finally, is here this month. March may not have any legal holidays, but the anticipation of drier and warmer weather is a gift in itself. The primulas (primroses) are blooming, the daffodils are budding and I can hardly wait to spend some time in my yard without sinking in mud.
New Firm Owners
This is the time of year when firms announce promotions to partner, member, shareholder or other firm ownership status. After waiting many years, these individuals are ready to read the contents of those envelopes marked “confidential,” attend partner meetings and learn the secret handshake . . . , and inevitably be disappointed that it is all so mundane once you try it for a month or two. Welcome anyway, folks:
Kevin Lederman has become a partner with Cowan & Miller, P.S. As a result, the firm is changing its name to the Law Offices of Cowan, Miller & Lederman. Lederman’s practice focuses on immigration law.
Brian McLean has become a co-owner of Leahy.ps.
Christine Tobin has become a partner at Bush Strout & Kornfeld. Tobin’s practice focuses on commercial bankruptcy.
vJames Jackson has become a member of Reed, Longyear, Malnati, Ahrens & West, PLLC.
David Byers has been elected shareholder at Graham & Dunn. He is a member of the firm’s hospitality, beverage and franchise team, focusing on litigation. J.J. Leary Jr., Pat Franke and Marc Droppert of Leary Franke Droppert have also joined Graham & Dunn as shareholders. Leary will co-chair a new business services department; Franke will head up a new emerging companies practice group; and Droppert will be joining Graham & Dunn’s board of directors.
Douglas Greenswag and Gregory Wesner have become partners at Preston Gates & Ellis LLP. Their practice focuses on intellectual property. Preston Gates & Ellis also named several other new partners in its Seattle office: Warren Clemans, who practices corporate law; Mark Filipini, who works in the firm’s labor, employment and benefits practice; Kevin Gruben, who practices corporate law; David Linehan, an intellectual property litigator; Tisha Pagalilauan, who represents public and private clients on environmental and regulatory issues; Stephanie Wright Pickett, who practices employment law; and Robert Starin, who practices tax law.
Jillian Barron has become a shareholder at Sebris Busto James. Barron will continue to represent employers in labor and employment law matters and to act as a neutral investigator and mediator.
Foster Pepper recently announced several new members: Laura McClellan, Robert Perez and Carllene Placide. McClellan practices real estate law; Perez’s practice focuses on business law; and Placide practices employment law.
Sevilla Claydon has been promoted to owner at Garvey Schubert Barer. Her practice focuses on labor and employment law.
Gregory Hendershott has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP’s Bellevue office as a partner. He was formerly with Dorsey & Whitney.
John Bender, Lance Losey and Paul Meier have been named members of Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC. Bender focuses on securities and financial services litigation; Losey chairs the firm’s estate planning and probate practice group; and Meier is a member of the firm’s business and real estate practices groups.
Associate News
Lee Kuo and Bio Park have joined my absolute favorite law firm, Ogden Murphy Wallace, P.L.L.C., as associates. Both were summer associates with the firm. Kuo’s practice focuses on corporate law and healthcare; Park’s practice focuses on municipal law.
Bernadette Bulacan and Tim Giacometti of Leary Franke Droppert have joined Graham & Dunn PC as associate attorneys.
Stephan Fjelstad has joined Leahy.ps as associate counsel.
Sarah Bird has become an associate attorney at Van Siclen, Stocks, and Firkins in Auburn.
M. Owen Gabrielson has joined Graham & Dunn’s financial services team as an associate.
Jesse Rodman has joined the estate planning and probate practice group of Short Cressman & Burgess as an associate.
Of Counsel Additions
Susan Johnson has joined Graham & Dunn PC as of counsel. She has experience in liquor licensing and general business law.
Laura Hoexter has joined Helsell Fetterman as of counsel. Her practice focuses on wills, trusts and estates.
David Gee has re-joined Garvey Schubert Barer’s Seattle office as of counsel. His practice emphasizes the healthcare industry and regulatory compliance.
Michael Garner has become of counsel with Stokes Lawrence, P.S. Garner’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions.
Other Attorney News
Ron Mattson has moved from Renton to downtown Seattle to join Wechsler Becker in the Columbia Center building.
Carolyn Pohlman is leaving the practice of law to move to Cairo, Egypt to teach English to Arabic speakers. She was formerly with the Seattle office of Safeco Legal and the Office of the City Attorney of Seattle. Pohlman points out that in Cairo, there is absolutely no possibility of 24 consecutive days of rain.
Honors and Awards
Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Withey Coluccio recently received the Alvin Anderson Award for its leadership and efforts in the No I-330 campaign.
The GLBT Bar Association of Washington, a/k/a QLaw, is sponsoring its first annual banquet on April 19 at the W Hotel in Seattle. The Association is working on establishing a scholarship program for law students and one of the nation’s first legal clinics to serve the
25 to 40 percent of homeless youth that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. If you are interested in attending, e-mail glbtbar@yahoo.com.
Garvey Schubert Barer recently announced that Ronald Knox, Anne Preston and Mark Rowley have been elected to serve as the 2006 management committee of the firm’s Seattle office.
The Seattle University School of Law recently won first and fifth places in the American Bar Association’s Northwest Regional Negotiation Com-petition in Missoula, Mont. 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.
