By Ruth Apahidean
January represents a time of fresh starts and setting up a solid foundation for the year ahead. So, rather than accumulating another failed resolution, I like to set achievable goals. As cheesy as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals are, I am a fan of them because they make it easier to complete those goals (or resolutions). That feeling of completing a goal, either in the professional or personal spheres, is unbeatable.
Associate Additions
Kaylee Cox has joined Helsell Fetterman. Cox is part of the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. She joins Helsell Fetterman from another local Seattle law firm, where she gained experience representing clients in real estate disputes, construction defect cases, and other complex litigation matters. After graduating from law school, Cox was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. As a Prosecutor, Cox took multiple cases to jury trial, negotiated complex resolutions, and argued countless motions in district and superior court. Cox graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2020. Prior to law school, she attended the University of Washington and graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration.
Viktorya Saroyan has joined Helsell Fetterman and is a part of the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. Saroyan graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Sociology. She then earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2024. While in law school, she externed for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in the Family Violence Division and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Conviction Review Unit. In 2023, she was Helsell Fetterman’s Richard S. White Fellowship recipient and worked as a summer associate at the firm.
Of Counsel
Of Counsel David F. Betz joined Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC on November 1. Betz brings over 25 years of experience as a civil litigator to the firm’s Litigation and Real Estate, Development & Finance groups. His clients include property owners, business owners, homeowner associations, and contractors.
Retirement
Long-time members Roger J. Kindley and Janet H. Cheetham will be retiring from Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC on December 31, 2024. Kindley joined the firm in 1981 after serving as a summer associate and became a foundational leader of the firm’s Litigation Group. Cheetham, who joined the firm in 1989, served for many years as Chair of Ryan Swanson’s Immigration Group. She was recently honored as one of only six attorneys to be named to the Washington Super Lawyers list every year since its inception in 1998.
Honors, Appointments, and Awards
Jackson Lewis P.C. is pleased to announce that four attorneys from the firm’s Seattle office have been listed in the 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. These are Office Managing Principal and Office Litigation Manager Michael A. Griffin (Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment), Principal Craig A. Day (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law; Employment Law – Management), Principal Peter H. Nohle (Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment); and, Principal Bryan P. O’Connor (Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment).
Obituaries
Brian Comstock recently passed away. Comstock graduated from the University of Washington in 1954 and from Harvard Law School in 1959. He joined Roberts & Shefelman and became the firm’s managing partner. He then practiced at Foster Pepper & Shefelman, Short Cressman & Burgess, and Comstock Law Firm PLLC. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Seattle University’s School of Law and Albers School of Business and Finance. Comstock chaired several committees, served as a Trustee of the Seattle-King County Bar Association, was an active member of WSBA for over 65 years, and participated in the WSBA Senior Lawyers Executive Committee.
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.
