“Just imagine: A wonderful person who has all the smarts, can work miracles with people, move mountains with her efficiency, and all with a smile and a happy heart. That is the Alice Paine we all know and totally respect.”
On January 18, after serving as King County Bar Association’s executive director for almost 20 years, the extraordinary Alice Paine will be retiring. In recognition of her outstanding service to our Association, its mission and people, as well as the overall legal community, this President’s Page is dedicated to Alice. On behalf of all former and current presidents, officers, trustees, staff and colleagues, the presidents hereby salute you, Alice!
Stephen E. DeForest (KCBA 1981-82; KCBF 1979-80, 1986-87): We all owe Alice a great amount of gratitude for her steadfast commitment, guidance and support of the Bar’s Drug Policy Project. It is but another example of her exceptional effectiveness as executive director.
James S. Turner (KCBA 1983-84): In the twilight of my KCBA career, I thought it was time to create the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. As I recall, I spoke to our then-SKCBA president, advised Alice, appeared before the trustees and the project was blinking green. Before too long, the trustees acted to bless the ADR Section. Truly, Alice was very instrumental in the development of the ADR Section. Her positive personality and organizational skills were wonders to behold. Thanks, Alice!
M. Wayne Blair (KCBA 1987-88): For almost 20 years, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Alice. During Alice’s tenure, KCBA has significantly changed. While fundamental changes in an organization can be attributed to many causes, including its elected leadership, a careful analysis will show that a fundamental component of every major change was the presence and quiet leadership of Alice Paine. Over her years as executive director, Alice went from a person who was completely unknown within the legal profession to a “giant,” even though she is not a lawyer. Her outstanding work has brought her great personal respect and affection. The legal community is going to greatly miss her.
Stew Cogan (KCBA 1989-90): Alice’s involvement with the KCBA continues a life-long emphasis on public service and advancing the common good. In addition to all of the qualities Alice has exhibited over the past 19 years, which demonstrate her professionalism, her managerial skills and her dedication, Alice is intelligent, reliable, positive, kind and compassionate. She is always a joy to work with. It has been a privilege to know her.
Matt Sayre (KCBA 1990-91): The lawyers of King County — and its citizens — have been so fortunate to have Alice at the helm these past two decades. Name a business, any business anywhere — she could have managed it and most effectively. Thankfully, big paychecks and stock options were just not Alice’s thing. The hours upon hours that Alice basically donated to the community are mountainous. A wonderful person who has all the smarts, can work miracles with people, move mountains with her efficiency, and all with a smile and a happy heart. That is the Alice Paine we all know and totally respect.
Peter Greenfield (KCBA 1991-92; KCBF 1985-86): Alice is the best manager I’ve ever worked with in any setting. She took over an organization and made it one in which capable staff members can do their best work, more fully engaging members in productive undertakings. She combines extraordinary managerial skill and strategic insight with a personal dedication to improving the legal system and the profession, to welcoming a more diverse association membership (and leadership), and to addressing important societal issues in relation to which an association of professionals can make a useful contribution. It’s a powerful combination.
Geoffrey G. Revelle (KCBA 1992-93; KCBF 2005-06): Alice is the consummate professional, who has tirelessly and successfully promoted the missions of KCBA/KCBF for her entire tenure. She has dealt with multiple, very diverse, and sometimes difficult constituencies with skill and finesse. I confidently can say that every last one of us would agree that our terms would not have been as successful without Alice’s support and guidance and that we are all privileged to call her a friend and colleague.
Mary Alice Theiler (KCBA 1993-94; KCBF 1988-89): I’m bragging, but I can claim credit for Alice. Back in the 1980s, I recommended her for a consulting job with KCBA and the rest is history. Alice has mastered the very intricate job of running a successful organization of “type A” professionals with dedicated, “type A plus” leaders. She is a compassionate, smart person, who has added immeasurably to KCBA’s efforts to serve justice and our community. While officers and board members have come and gone, Alice has been a constant, wise presence. Thank you, Alice!
Mary H. Wechsler (KCBA 1994-95): I have worked with Alice since she first came to the Bar Association. I had almost daily contact with her the year I was bar president. Words cannot express how impressive she has been as executive director. This includes her attention to detail, vision on every project, professional manner, which is always pleasant, and high level of perception as to the strengths each individual brings to each task.
J. Richard (Dick) Manning (KCBA 1995-96; KCBF 1991-93): From the very first day of her venture into the halls of KCBA, Alice was a class act. Unruffled, cool, calm and collected, she put her arms around all of the Association’s infrastructure and problems in a remarkable way. She was and is the great collaborator for bringing about great change and great achievement. Others will follow in her footsteps but she will always be to me the very best of the best!
Scott A. Smith (KCBA 1996-97): Alice’s hard work and dedication have made life better for countless people in our community. I have marveled at her ability to effectively serve such an array of presidents, officers, trustees and committee chairs with the challenging demands of their many pet projects, priorities and, needless to say, egos. She is passionate about the things that make us proud to be lawyers: serving our community, serving our profession and improving the judiciary. Alice has played an essential role in leading an association that has given its members confidence that their concerns and priorities are of utmost importance.
Daniel S. Gottlieb (KCBA 1997-98): Alice has been an agent of positive change for the KCBA, helping us become one of the most respected and professional voluntary bar associations in the nation, and a leader in the provision of member benefits and community service among peer metropolitan bar groups. Within relatively short order (after being hired as executive director), Alice had all of the various parts of KCBA working together toward the Bar’s common goals and she has helped keep us on that path ever since. Now, the Bar will be faced with a different set of challenges with Alice’s retirement, but I am positive that the strong internal foundation that she has helped build will make it easy for KCBA to move forward into its next phase.
Linda J. Strout (KCBA 1998-99): I have known and worked with Alice for over 20 years. Her extraordinary skills have made our work easy and our efforts look good. Without her professionalism, expertise, level-headed common sense and dedication, KCBA would not be the model organization it is today. Alice has not only managed the resulting changes and increased workload gracefully, she has promoted organizational change and often been the catalyst for new programs or policy direction. Her dedication to “justice for all” is inspirational. She daily demonstrates passion for community service and improving access to justice for all community residents. She is smart, savvy and stylish, but never elitist. She is a wonderful role model for us all.
Marc A. Boman (KCBF 1998-99): I have many happy memories of rewarding interactions with Alice over her years of dedicated service. She worked effectively behind the scenes to ennoble our profession, helping to mold the vision of Seattle and King County bar leaders and then to implement specific programs. Among other things, she played an extremely important role in expanding the reach of the Bar Foundation and in promoting diversity. She was always willing to re-examine approaches in light of changes in the profession. While she will be greatly missed from the day-to-day affairs of the Association, her influence will last for many years to come.
Frederick L. Noland (KCBA 2000-01): Alice has succeeded spectacularly in her 20 years as executive director because of a unique combination of qualities. Alice can analyze a problem or situation and move a group of people to consensus and commitment, even on the most controversial issues. Part of the reason for that success is Alice’s complete humility and lack of ego involvement. Part is her warmth, grace, and tact. Part is her exceptional, almost encyclopedic, knowledge of the previous projects and programs of the KCBA and personal relationship with hundreds of the association’s members. Although Alice tries to reassure the KCBA leadership that “everyone can be replaced,” we all know that this is the one time Alice is not correct. Thank you, Alice. You will be missed.
Caroline D. Davis (KCBA 2002-03): When I was asked to run for KCBA president, my first question was whether Alice would still be the director if I were elected. I could not face the idea of finding a replacement for Alice, much less running the Board, in her absence. It was amazing to watch how Alice adapted to the personality and style of each president without missing a beat. She had everything organized so that Board meetings ran smoothly, which allowed presidents to continue to practice law while serving. Her institutional knowledge has been a tremendous help to KCBA and to the Foundation. Alice is a treasure. I value the time I have spent with her.
Thomas E. Kelly (KCBA 2003-04): Although Alice had many other accomplishments before joining KCBA, I am convinced that she was born to be its executive director. In addition to her warmth and utter calmness, she was the grand facilitator — for the Board, for the officers, for the sections and committees, and for the staff. On several occasions, she told me that her objective was to eliminate the impediments, so that all those associated with the organization could better achieve its mission. She always knew where we should be going and how to get us to take ourselves there.
John M. Cary (KCBA 2004-05): “Ask Alice.” It seemed merely sensible to ask Alice when I first came to KCBA and wanted to know something. But after I was around for a while, I found that Ask Alice was more than sensible. Certainly, Alice could tell me the KCBA process, whether and when the Board had taken a position, who to call to move a proposal forward or to recruit for a project. But most of all, when I asked Alice, I got her judgment and support.
John R. Ruhl (KCBA 2006-07): Alice stands out from anyone else with whom I have worked in her consummate mastery of a collaborative management style. The results are extraordinary. During the past few years, our bar association has received 12 national, state and local awards for innovative programs and outstanding services delivered to our community. Such things happen only if association members are fortunate enough to have staff members that partner with them and share their vision. In our case, such partnering has been possible largely because of Alice’s cordial encouragement, her consistent support and her graceful professionalism in dealing with all of us — lawyers and bar staff — day in and day out. I am privileged to have been able to work with Alice as a friend and a colleague.
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Please join us at a KCBA office reception in Alice’s honor on Thursday, January 17, from 2 to 6 p.m. Alice: one last time, your presidents, officers, trustees, staff, colleagues, judiciary and community will salute you!
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Eileen M. Concannon is a principal at Riddell Williams P.S., specializing in commercial litigation, mediation and arbitration. For references or comments, please contact her at econcannon@riddellwilliams.com.
