Now that February’s snow is out of the way, let’s hope that March’s springtime weather is a bit warmer and safer (for those of us commuting to the office).
Partner Pronouncements
Charles Wittmann-Todd is the newest partner at McNaul Ebel Nawrot and Helgren, PLLC effective January 1, 2025. Wittmann-Todd has been an integral part of the litigation team since joining the firm in 2018. He has handled high-stakes and complex litigation regarding commercial business disputes, real estate, securities, and cryptocurrencies, earning the trust of clients and colleagues alike. Prior to joining McNaul Ebel, Wittmann-Todd practiced in the business restructuring and reorganization practice group at Jones Day in New York where he focused on Chapter 11 reorganizations and bankruptcy litigation.
Attorneys Gregory Porter and Carla Calogero are now equity members at Reed Longyear Malnati Corwin & Burnett, PLLC. Porter is an attorney who focuses on litigation. He has conducted jury and bench trials, more than a dozen arbitrations, and numerous mediations. He is also a member of the King County Bar Association and the Washington State Association for Justice. Porter earned his B.S. from the University of Arizona and his J.D. from the University of Washington. Calogero devotes her legal practice to estate and advance care planning, probate and trust administration, guardianships/conservatorships, and elder and special needs law. Calogero is an active member of the Estate Planning Council of Seattle and Washington Women in Tax. She is a past Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association, and a current Chair of the Guardianship and Elder Law Section of the King County Bar Association. She earned her B.A. from the University of Washington, an M.A. from Western Washington University, an M.A. from University of Washington, and a J.D. from the University of Washington.
Pacifica Law Group LLP announces the promotions of Rebecca Garland and Tobias Tobler to partnership. Garland joined Pacifica in 2019 as part of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Her discovery management practice is a cornerstone of the Litigation Group’s work, and she also supports other firm practice groups and their clients, including with Public Records Act matters. Tobler joined Pacifica’s Public Law and Finance Practice Group in 2020 and has since worked on governmental bond issues for a range of county, city, utility, school district, and public university clients. He brings particular expertise to Pacifica’s public finance practice in the areas of federal securities law, state tax and election law, and public-school finance.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP announces three new partners: Kerry Lee Andken, Augustine Lo, and John Thomas III. Andken focuses on Intellectual Property and prepares and prosecutes high tech patent applications such as for computer memory, medical devices, and machine learning. She earned a B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. from Boston University, an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Lo is part of the firm’s National Security Law Practice Group. He advises clients on U.S. customs and international trade law, economic sanctions, export controls, and U.S. Government review of foreign investments. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University, an M. Phil from Cambridge University, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. Thomas supports emerging, private and public companies based in the U.S., Canada, and other non-U.S. jurisdictions with their business transactions and securities matters. He attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha and earned his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.
Jacob Peterson is partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Peterson represents clients in IP disputes and provides strategic counsel on IP protection. His practice focuses on patent matters before federal courts, the PTAB, and the ITC. He advises clients across diverse industries, including consumer products, medical devices, and robotics. With a strong technical and business background, Peterson helps clients integrate patents as a key component of their business strategy.
Associate Additions
Adam Cunningham has joined Reed Longyear Malnati Corwin & Burnett, PLLC as an associate and will be working with the Civil Litigation group. Before joining the firm, Cunningham worked as an accountant at Center for Children & Youth Justice and Crisis Connections. He also worked as Rule 9 at the City of Seattle. Cunningham earned his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Katrina Black and Michael Solomon have joined Gleam Law’s Seattle litigation team as associate attorneys, working on behalf of Washington businesses and the Washington Cannabis industry. Black joins Gleam Law after her previous work at Entre Hermanos and with Division II of the Court of Appeals. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Solomon has joined the firm as an associate attorney after working at Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch. He is a graduate of Villanova Law.
Kayla Ganir, Trent Colbert, and Beau Brawner joined Dorsey & Whitney LLP as associates. Ganir is part of the firm’s Trial Group and assists clients with cases across a wide range of industries. She earned her B.A. from Seattle University and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. Colbert focuses on class action litigation, commercial litigation, and appellate work. He earned his B.A. from Amherst College and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Brawner’s work has focused on U.S. federal tax considerations of mergers and acquisitions and business transactions. He earned his B.A. from the University of Mississippi and his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Ana Hernández-Zamudio has joined Apex Law Group. Hernández-Zamudio has a diverse legal background, having served as a Student Attorney for Seattle University’s Trademark Law Clinic and with Washington Lawyers for the Arts. Additionally, she has gained valuable experience through a Judicial Externship with Judge Ricardo S. Martinez in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Hernández-Zamudio is a passionate advocate for justice and equity, with a deep commitment to serving disadvantaged communities.
Other Attorney Additions
Dan Goodman is now an attorney at Ballard Spahr LLP, where he advises clients across the business spectrum, from early-stage startups to established companies. Before entering private practice, Goodman served as a financial legal examiner in the Securities Division of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions and was an active member of the North American Securities Administrators Association’s REIT project group, enhancing his insights into regulatory compliance and industry standards. Goodman earned his B.A. from Eastern Washington University and his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
Of Counsel
Ethan Jones has joined Galanda Broadman PLLC as Of Counsel, where he will focus his practice on litigation and other civil legal services for Tribal governments and their enterprises. Jones graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2013, where he concentrated his studies on federal Indian law and interned with Galanda Broadman. He also holds a B.A. in History with College Honors and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington. Jones joins the firm after serving as Lead Attorney for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation. As the Yakima Nation’s Lead Attorney, he litigated in Tribal, federal, state, administrative, and ADR forums, negotiated complex multi-party agreements, and represented many of Yakima’s economic enterprises.
Loni Hinton has joined Dorsey & Whitney LLP as Of Counsel in the Construction & Design group. Hinton assists clients in formulating winning approaches to tackle issues that emerge at various stages of the construction project life cycle. She represents public and private owners, developers, contractors, design professionals, and product manufacturers in legal matters involving risk mitigation and insurance, transactions, contract drafting and negotiation, construction liens and payment bond claims, design disputes, construction defects, and delay and impact claims. Hinton joined Dorsey from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Hinton received her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Washington.
Other Announcements
Leslie Hagin is the founder and president of Washington Lawyers Assisting Lawyers (WaLAL) and Carole Grayson is a board member of WaLAL. Before founding WaLAL in 2024, Hagin was and is active in the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP). Hagin founded WaLAL in 2024 to provide peer support services, including grief, law practice retirement/transitions, and work-life challenges to lawyers. WaLAL is a non-profit all-volunteer network of peer support counselors with lived experience and peer support training from within the profession, funded by direct donations for the benefit of the members of the legal profession (past, present, and future) whether they are members of the WSBA or any other bar association or not. WaLAL’s mission is to be a visible community that supports and serves Washington lawyers addressing mental health, emotional health, and alcohol and substance abuse challenges by promoting lawyer well-being and does this by training lawyer peer supporters and developing a statewide peer support network among individuals.
Honors, Appointments, and Awards
Judge Nikole Hecklinger, a former public defender who became a King County Superior Court Commissioner, was elected in November to fill an open seat created by the retirement of Judge Andrea Darvas. Judge Hecklinger was sworn in on January 13, 2025. She is assigned to trials at the Maleng Regional Justice Center.
Susan E. Llorens spent most of her nearly 20 years as an attorney, working as an assistant attorney general in multiple divisions of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. Governor Inslee appointed her in January 2025 to one of the two new seats approved by the King County Council. Llorens will attend the Washington State Judicial College at the end of January and be sworn in afterward. She is assigned to dependency and juvenile offender cases.
Obituaries
Edward Stephen Singler has passed away at the age of 93 years old. Singler earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Wayne State University. Following graduation, he served in the Korean War as Sgt. First Class being posted at Fort Lawton in 1956. Following the Army, Singler worked as an attorney at Boeing, then in private practice. He was also the Director of Human Services, for the City of Seattle, and later as Region 10 Director of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Singler championed civil rights, helping to establish Seattle’s Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, joining picket lines in support of the Farm Workers Boycott, running training sessions in non-violent action, and installing city curb cuts for people using walkers and wheelchairs.
Terence Kent McGee passed away on November 23, 2024, at the age of 78. After high school he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. McGee then attended McGeorge School of Law and became an accomplished maritime lawyer in Seattle. His eloquence, attention to detail, and maritime expertise suited him well as an attorney. McGee did a considerable amount of pro bono work, and there were times when he received payment from fisherman clients in the form of a basket of fish or crab.
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.
