As we watch the days in this month grow shorter and the nights longer, this world can feel isolating. Therefore, I hope that cozy gatherings and holiday celebrations foster connection and a spirit of generosity. Donating to a charity, delivering a hot meal to a neighbor, or offering a ride in treacherous weather can also help foster this connection, allowing winter to remind us of the strength we find in connection and our communities.
Partner Pronouncements
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has added Jenny Durkan, formerly Mayor of Seattle and US Attorney for the Western District of Washington, as a partner in its Financial Services Disputes and Investigations Practice. She also becomes head of the firm’s national white collar team and resident in BCLP offices in Seattle and Washington, DC. Durkan served as Seattle Mayor from 2017–21 and is credited with leading the city through some of the darkest days of the pandemic. Her work during that period earned her recognition from Fortune as one of “World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of the Pandemic” in 2020. As U.S. Attorney for Western Washington from 2009–14, Durkan directed all federal prosecutions in the region and also chaired the DOJ’s Subcommittee on Cybercrime, playing a key role in revamping national strategies to disrupt criminal and national security cyber threats. Her office investigated and prosecuted some of the first international cybercrime cases. She was a member of the DOJ’s National Security Subcommittee, holding the highest national security clearances, and was regularly briefed on classified matters related to cyber and national security threats. Durkan previously was a litigation partner with Quinn Emanuel and global chair of the firm’s cyber practice. She currently chairs the Washington State Bar Association task force on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the practice of law.
Associate Additions
Stephanie Chavez is now an associate at Lane Powell. Chavez represents clients in a range of commercial litigation matters. She previously worked at Microsoft, the Federal Trade Commission, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Chavez earned her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.
Caitlin Loyd has joined Helsell Fetterman. Loyd has experience advising clients on the full array of estate planning matters, including wills, trusts, charitable planning, and tax planning. Loyd graduated from the University of Washington School of Law with honors in 2022. In law school, she was the Chief Managing Editor of Washington Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif and to the Order of the Barristers upon graduation. She then received her Master of Laws in Taxation in March 2023 from the University of Washington School of Law. Prior to law school, she attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Jessica Lederman has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Seattle’s Technology, Communications, Privacy & Security Practice Group. She previously ran her own practice, specializing in Content Creator and Video Game Developer representation. Lederman was previously an attorney at McNaul Ebel Nawrot & Helgren PLLC, where she assisted clients in key aspects of videogame development, distribution, and publishing. Lederman obtained her undergraduate degree at Western Washington University and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Abraham Afshar is an associate attorney at The Ye Law Firm, Inc. P.S. He was previously an associate at Bighorse & Associates and a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney at Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Afshar obtained his B.A. from Northern Michigan University and his J.D. from Penn State Law.
Other Announcements
JAMS, the largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services worldwide, is pleased to announce that Commissioner Bradford G. Moore (Ret.) has joined its panel. Commissioner Moore joins JAMS after serving as a court commissioner in the King County Superior Court. Based in the Seattle Resolution Center, Commissioner Moore will serve as an arbitrator, mediator, special master/referee and neutral evaluator, handling business/commercial, class action, insurance, personal injury, estate/probates/trust, family law, professional liability, and real property cases. Commissioner Moore was appointed as a pro tempore court commissioner in the King County Superior Court Ex Parte department in 2014, serving in that role through 2018. In 2019, he was appointed to the role of permanent court commissioner for the department. He spent the beginning of his legal career as a partner at Leen & Moore from 1979 through 2000, before becoming a sole practitioner in Seattle. For 37 years, he focused on personal injury litigation and related insurance issues, business and real estate litigation, and claims against guardians, attorneys and other fiduciaries. He also frequently acted as an arbitrator in statewide mandatory arbitration matters and cases involving uninsured/underinsured motorists. Commissioner Moore lives by the three words he had posted on his bench: patient, dignified, and courteous. He is known among his peers for embodying these values in his professional and personal lives. As an active member of his community, he has served as a volunteer director for the Lake City Legal Clinic and a board member for the Catholic Community Services Legal Action Center and the University of Washington Tyee Club. Commissioner Moore earned his B.A. from the University of Washington and J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Obituaries
Richard Paul Donaldson passed away on September 22, 2024. He attended St. Martin’s College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Law. Donaldson was a Seattle Labor Law and Erisa attorney and taught Labor Relations at Seattle University and the University of Washington. In his later career, he expanded his practice to include an office in San Diego, CA.
Michael Holzman Bancroft passed away on October 5, 2024. Bancroft earned his J.D. from UC Berkley Law School and then clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Bancroft retired from a 30-year career as an attorney with NOAA’s Office of the General Counsel where he worked on endangered salmon policy and fishing law.
Ruth Apahidean is a Trusts and Estates attorney at the Law Office of Neil R. Sarles. She is easily reached via email at ruth@sarles.com or by phone at 253.234.4676.
