By Karen Sutherland
I certainly hope that April showers bring May flowers because I am writing this in April and it's pouring. I have high hopes for a warm, spring-like May (and a decent Mariners win/loss ratio), although after experiencing 28 springs in Seattle, I should know better.
I suppose I should write something here about Crime and Punishment in light of this month's theme, but I don't really have a lot of experience in that area, and it seems kind of counter to this column's mission. I suppose I could add a section to Bar Talk focusing on attorneys' crimes and punishment, but I think I'll stick to writing about more positive attorney endeavors.
Partner News
David Domansky has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as a partner in its Seattle office. Domansky, who has practiced law for 15 years, will continue to serve the energy industry and represent independent power producers, industrial users and government entities. He was previously a partner with Preston Gates & Ellis.
Gary Sparling has become a shareholder at Soha & Lang, P.S. and will continue his practice focusing on insurance coverage issues.
Associate Additions
Ginger Edwards has joined Oseran Hahn Spring and Watts, P.S. as an associate. She practices in the areas of civil litigation and commercial transactions.
Liam McCann, Laura Kleisle, Elizabeth Thompson and Adam Collins have joined Soha & Lang, P.S. as associate attorneys. McCann's practice focuses on asbestos defense. Kleisle and Collins will focus their practices on insurance coverage. Thompson's practice emphasizes insurance coverage and medical malpractice defense.
Of-Counsel News
Mary DeYoung, formerly a partner with Reed McClure, has joined Soha & Lang, P.S. as of counsel. She will continue to practice in the areas of insurance coverage, bad faith, insurance guaranty fund law and appellate litigation.
Nancy McCoid, formerly of counsel with Merrick, Hofstedt & Lindsey, has also joined Soha & Lang, P.S. as of counsel. Her practice will continue to focus on insurance coverage and medical malpractice defense.
William Hickman has become of counsel to Reed McClure after 37 years of lawyering. He will limit his work to consulting on civil appeals, conducting arbitrations, acting as an expert witness and writing the Law Letter.
Bernel Goldberg has become of counsel in Garvey Schubert Barer's Seattle office, where he practices in the areas of business, international law, and global customs and trade. He was an attorney in Israel for eight years and is co-founder of the Washington Israel Business Council.
Other Attorney News
Tyna Ek, formerly a shareholder at Merrick, Hofstedt & Lindsey, P.S., has joined Soha & Lang, where she will continue her practice in insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation, professional negligence, and her work for Washington public schools.
Merrick, Hofstedt & Lindsey has moved to a new location on Western Avenue, just north of downtown Seattle.
Honors, Awards and Events
The University of Washington Alumni Association holds its Alumni Recognition Banquet on May 4 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Gregory Gorder, Class of 1985, is receiving the 2006 Service Recognition Award. Distinguished Alumni Awards went to the Honorable Robert Bryan, Class of 1958; Jonathan Bridge, Class of 1976; and Scott Lukins, Class of 1954.
The UW Law School Alumni Golf Tournament will take place on May 20 with registration bright and early at 6:45 a.m. and a 7 a.m. shotgun start at the Jackson Golf Course. The Alumni Association is encouraging people to play, even if they are not golfers. Advance registration is required, which can be done online at www.law.washington.edu/alumni. Sponsorship opportunities also are available. You don't even have to be an alumnus to participate.
On May 13, the fourth annual Woodstick event will take place at Qwest Field Events Center where they will attempt to break the Guinness world record for the most drummers playing simultaneously, which was set at the 2004 or 2005 event, depending on which part of the press release you read. Woodstick has raised more than $40,000, with proceeds being used to fund Seattle school music programs and homeless services. Drummers from the band Heart and others will be on hand to inspire and lead the proceedings. For more information about Woodstick, check out www.bennettdrums.com/woodstick2006/woodstick2006.html.
On May 18, at the Premier Club in Sodo, Lawyerpalooza will be holding its fourth annual Seattle Law Firm Battle of the Bands. Six bands are scheduled to appear from nearly a dozen law firms and offices in Seattle. Each will play a 20-minute set. A panel of celebrity judges with input from the audience will pick the best band to be awarded the coveted "Golden Palooza" award. In the last three years, Lawyerpalooza has raised more than $60,000 for Seattle elementary schools music programs. There also will be musicians from local elementary and middle schools and a silent auction. For news about Lawyerpalooza, see www.lawyerpalooza.com.
Catherine Gelband, a former corporate finance attorney, was recently appointed as member at large of the Girl Scouts Ð Totem Council Board of Directors. She will be responsible for assisting in policy making, financial management and strategic planning efforts. Gelband is in her third year as the assistant director at Pacific Crest School in Seattle. She practiced law for 14 years before that.
Guidelines
Based on my mail, it seems about time for a reminder about what does and doesn't get published in Bar Talk. By way of background, the general idea behind Bar Talk is to publish information about lawyers who practice or live in King County when any of the following events occur: landing a new job; receiving a promotion; appointment or election to a board or corporate office; receiving an award from a nonprofit, trade group or a governmental or educational institution; or doing something that seems uncharacteristic of lawyers, such as writing a novel, producing a play, riding a unicycle around the world, etc. We also run items about events that benefit nonprofits that have a connection to the legal community.
Bar Talk is written five or six weeks before publication, depending on my schedule. If you write to me about something that occurred more than a month before you send it, the item probably will not run in the column because it will be old news by the time it appears. Bar Talk does not include CLE information; notices that a lawyer was recognized by another publication (such as being a Superlawyer or my appearance on the cover of the March 2006 Washington CEO magazine); or announcements that a lawyer has written something about a legal topic.
Bar Talk is not a substitute for advertising. We don't publish notices verbatim unless I am in a hurry, and we may add comments that were not in your notice. Also, the decision about whether to run something or not is up to the editor and me, which means your item may not run or that we may deviate from these guidelines. To send in items for this column, please see the contact information in italics at the end of the column.
I realize that reviewing Bar Talk guidelines is not a particularly interesting way to end a column, so the first person who e-mails me to tell me they read this far will receive one free ticket to a Seattle Mariners game, located in the area behind the home-plate screen. The only catch is you may have to sit by me.
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 Fifth Ave., 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.
