Just think, only another year of campaigning until the presidential elections! I can hardly wait until it’s over. If you have ever considered getting rid of your TV, now would probably be a good time to do it. That way, you can miss all of those political advertisements that, according to the recent Washington Supreme Court opinion, do not need to be truthful. I realize that it is important to protect constitutional rights and that the politicians and their supporters have a constitutional right to run the ads, but that does not mean we have to watch them.
New Partners
Matthew Macario has joined Michael & Alexander, PLLC as a partner. Macario was previously a partner at Lane Powell PC. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation.
Helen Hsu has become a partner of Olympic Law Group, PLLP. The firm focuses on business, real estate and employment litigation, family law, personal injury law and appeals.
Associate Additions
McKinley Irvin has added Shiva Eliza Tayebi as an associate. Tayebi formerly worked in New York and New Jersey as a contract attorney. According to the press release, “her background includes being barred in New York, New Jersey and Washington.”
Shelby Hopkins and Serin Ngai have become associates of Olympic Law Group, PLLP. Hopkins was formerly with Janet A. George, Inc, P.S.
Abigail Robinson has joined Michael & Alexander, PLLC as an associate. Her practice focuses on employment law.
Erin Howshar has joined McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren, PLLC as an associate. Howshar was formerly with Smyth & Mason. Her practice will continue to emphasize transactional and litigation matters.
Candace Minerich has joined Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S. as an associate in the firm’s Complex Litigation Practice Group, concentrating on product defect and insurance defense.
Other Attorney Additions
Rachel Dobrow Stone has joined Davis Wright Tremaine’s Seattle office where her practice focuses on advising healthcare entities on regulatory, compliance and transactional matters. Dobrow Stone was formerly with Miller Nash LLP.
Judicial News
King County Superior Court Judge Richard Jones has become U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones. Judge Jones has been on the King County Superior Court bench since 1994 and has received many awards for his work, including the 2004 Judge of the Year award from your very own King County Bar Association.
Bruce Heller of Garvey Schubert Barer has been appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire to the King County Superior Court. He fills the newly created 52nd judge position. Heller’s practice at Garvey Schubert Barer focused on labor and employment law. In addition to his litigation practice, he negotiated collective bargaining agreements, conducted workplace investigations and advised clients on a wide variety of legal compliance issues.
Susan Craighead, a commissioner with Division I of the Court of Appeals, has been appointed by Gov. Gregoire to the King County Superior Court. Craighead will fill the position vacated by Judge Michael Spearman. Craighead, a commissioner since 2002, previously was a staff attorney for the Seattle-King County Public Defender Association.
Outside of Private Practice
Shelley Kostrinsky has become the assistant vice provost for academic personnel for the University of Washington. She was formerly an assistant attorney general at the University of Washington Division office.
The Honorable Michael Spearman, formerly a King County Superior Court judge, has joined Judicial Dispute Resolution, LLC. His work there will focus on mediations and arbitrations.
Moni Law of the Law Offices of Moni T. Law recently completed the Female Faces of War movie project in conjunction with a Seattle filmmaker. It debuted at the King County Washington Women Lawyers “Women and the War in Iraq” program last month. The movie focuses on women affected by the war in Iraq, told through several women with different backgrounds and perspectives on the war. The film’s debut was followed by an interesting panel discussion and audience Q&A.
Fundraisers and Fancy Dinners
The Northwest Women’s Law Center hosted its annual dinner and auction on November 2. The theme was “Our Roaring Twenties,” reflecting back on the country’s first wave of modern feminism. Skellenger Bender, P.S. attorneys Raegen Rasnic, Celeste McDonnell and Rebecca Morrow, along with attorneys Mike Monaco, Song Mondress and Susan Chua (of the King County Bar Association), competed in the inaugural Ragnar Northwest Passage relay. Their 12-person relay team ran 189 miles from Blaine to Langley, round-the-clock, for about 30 hours. They had a blast and plan to do it again in 2008, only faster. The firm also was a major sponsor of Row for the Cure in which McDonnell played a key organizing role. Several attorneys, staff and family members volunteered at the event, which raised more than $80,000 for the Komen Foundation.
QLaw recently held its Second Annual FallTacular at the Greg Kucera Gallery to raise funds for the QLaw Public Interest Grant Program. For more information on QLaw, go to www.q-law.org.
The South Asian Bar Association of Washington held its 2nd Annual Dinner – Mela (Celebration) at W Hotel last month.
Honors, Appointments and Awards
King County Bar Association staff attorney Merf Ehman received the Heroes in the Fight Award from the Washington Community Mental Health Council. The award celebrates dignity, courage, hope and recovery in the ongoing treatment of persons with severe and persistent mental illness.
The Future of the Law Institute was one of the two programs nationwide to receive the LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Legal Fellowship Award. It was created to support the continued development of individuals and associations that embrace the advancement of education, the practice of public interest and diversity in the legal profession.
Michael Reiss of Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP was recently elected a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. The College is represented by more than 910 members in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Jeff Frank, a member in Foster Pepper’s construction and litigation practice groups, recently received the 2007 Defense Research Institute’s Community Service Award. He was recognized in large part for his leadership as part of a local coalition of legal organizations that established www.votingforjudges.org to provide non-partisan evaluative information about appellate court candidates in Washington.
Colin Folawn, an associate in the Seattle office of Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, was recently named to the Board of Directors for Lawyers Helping Hungry Children. For more information on the organization, check out www.lhhcwa.org.
n
Karen Sutherland is the chair of the Employment and Labor Law Practice Group at 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.
