On the wall behind Felipe Mendez’s desk is a large poster with the words of the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”1 Felipe describes how after the Liverpudlian band Gerry and the Pacemakers released their version of the song in 1963, it became the inspirational anthem of the Liverpool Football Club, and is sung by the team and its fans at every match.2 He explains that many soccer clubs, especially in Europe, South America, and Asia, are deeply embedded in their communities, and often players and fans share a deep cultural identification.
Felipe is an avid Liverpool Football Club fan. He is up at 4:30 or 6 a.m. on weekend mornings to watch the Club’s matches, and often re-watches them in the evenings.
The Club’s song is emblematic, in many ways, of how Felipe Mendez leads his life and approaches the practice of law.
A Third-Generation Mexican-American with Lifelong Interests
One of the first things you notice when you meet Felipe is his engaging smile. He is one of the most thoughtful and endlessly cheerful persons I have ever known.
In my interview with him, he described growing up in Sunnyside, Washington:3
“I’m a third generation Mexican-
American. My parents both grew up in Texas. They were from migrant farm working families that moved with the crops. They moved to the rich agricultural area of the Yakima Valley in 1947.
“I realized as I became an adult, and a father and a husband, that what mattered about my parents and my extended family was the dedication that they put into raising their children.
“It wasn’t easy growing up in a predominantly Dutch farming town. But it was clear that our family was closely knit and working for one another.”
These family lessons weren’t lost on him. “My own personal ‘why’ or purpose in life became that I honor the sacrifices that other people made on my behalf, to give me opportunities they never had, and to be the bridge for those who are coming after.
“I wish we took more time to celebrate the Mexican-American contribution to our communities, and the dedication of people of color and the cultural commitment that exists in our State and in our nation. There are so many people who have done so much good to get us to where we are today.
“I wish we dedicated more time to learning these rich histories and the contributions that others have made.”
Felipe’s grandmother, Herminia Mendez, was a community leader. From the town of Sunnyside, she hosted the first Spanish-language radio broadcast in the Pacific Northwest.4 Felipe’s father and mother continued to work in Yakima Valley Spanish-language radio after Herminia passed away.
As a youth, Felipe loved learning. History and politics were favorite subjects. He enjoyed education and being around educators.
Soccer was the first sport Felipe played as a young boy. He has lasting memories of soccer games with friends. Later, his dad (who was his first hero) and his uncle coached Felipe on competitive baseball and basketball teams.
He has fond memories of spending time with his dad watching the TV legal drama, Perry Mason. That’s when the idea to become an attorney was planted.
Practice Like an Athlete and an Attorney
After finishing an MPA at UW’s Evans School in 2005 and a JD at Seattle University in 2008, Felipe began his legal career as a litigation associate at Karr Tuttle Campbell. Early attorney mentors included Gary Huff and Felipe’s supervisor, Dino Vasquez.5 Felipe is grateful for this mentorship:
“Gary took me under his wing and helped me explore how I wanted to evolve my practice, and how not to lose perspective about what’s happening in your personal life.
“Dino helped me understand the importance of preparation. He had rigorous standards, and that was great. I needed that type of focus and determination as a young attorney. I learned a valuable lesson from Dino: every issue that came up had to be rigorously researched and reviewed and analyzed, and it took me probably a good six, seven months before I realized, ‘Oh. That’s why they call it the practice of law.’”
Felipe worked from 2011 to 2021 in school law. During that time, his oldest daughter was playing competitive soccer, and Felipe became an active volunteer, as President of the Board of Directors of Washington Youth Soccer, and as an attorney member of the Rules Committee of the US Soccer Federation. He loved the sport and began to think of how he could find a bridge between soccer and the law:
“I made the decision to get a Global Master’s degree in International Sports Law to demonstrate my commitment to sports and entertainment law, and I chose a university in Spain to ensure a truly global cohort experience. I thought it was important to show that I’d be willing to put the work in to obtain additional educational credentials in that arena.”
His first sports law job was Associate General Counsel to the Seattle Sounders, where he later became the General Counsel.
I asked Felipe what challenges he has had in the practice of sports law, and how he has learned to respond to them. He responded with wise humility. “There are always challenges in the practice of law. I don’t know if my challenges are different from others’. It’s a rigorous experience to be a professional attorney and to maintain a high level of practice.
“For me, it’s just been utilizing the tools that I learned early on in my education and practice. I still use hornbooks. I try to find secondary source material on a topic when I have an issue that I have to research or work through. I stick daily with those practices of dedication and determination, and try to make sure I’m evolving, growing, and continuously learning.
“I recognize that I don’t have all the answers and am not afraid to find a source that may have better or newer information. It just comes back to realizing that they call it the ‘practice’ of law for a reason.”
A “Laser Focus” on the Community
In June 2024, Felipe accepted a position as the Chief Legal and Administrative Officer for the Seattle International Soccer Local Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup 2026. He describes his work:
“Our Local Organizing Committee is a small and mighty group of very driven individuals who are dedicated to ensuring the delivery of the World Cup tournament in Seattle and for the state of Washington. My role is similar to a general counsel role in that there’s the day-to-day legal work that has to be done, whether it’s contracts, vendor agreements, service agreements, leases — all those typical things.
“But what’s unique about this role is there are also operational components that I work on, like our volunteer program or the brand protection program, for example.
“We’ve also got a wonderful group of attorneys6 supporting the amazing work that our Local Organizing Committee is doing on behalf of the City and the State to make sure that visitors and locals experience a wonderful event and do it safely and happily.”
As a leader, Felipe is able to address micro and macro issues. “Our focus is on creating a lasting legacy. We plan on leaving behind a clear economic impact, and we are using our relationship with FIFA to amplify local cultural and community entities. We’re focusing on the aspects of our community that make it great and sharing that with the world in 2026.
“We’re working to ensure that it’s a really enjoyable experience for anyone who wants to be a part of it. You’ll see things rolling out soon, starting in June. We have a laser focus on delivering an amazing event for our community.
“I’m quite excited to see how our soccer ecosystem will evolve over time with the support of the World Cup.”
Felipe’s optimism is well-founded and expresses his values: “Sports bring people together. That’s what drives me about working in sports. It breaks down barriers.”
Managers Are Team Leaders
Teamwork and sports values infuse Felipe’s ideas of how to be an effective leader and manager: “It has to be authentic. It has to be organic.”
His approach to leadership includes accountability and a strong sense of team spirit. “My style as a leader is I’m happy to be in front when things are going wrong, and I’m happy to be standing behind when there’s a celebration or things are going well. I really believe in the collective, the group, and the team concept: together, everyone achieves more.”
That sense of responsibility, he added, extends beyond day-to-day leadership to mentorship and protection of his team. “My obligation is to ensure that those coming behind me receive the recognition they deserve, and that I am shielding them as necessary from the difficulties that come from an evolving practice, from an organization that’s growing, or from the difficulties and challenges that arise on a day-to-day basis in a difficult but rewarding practice.”
Felipe’s favorite part of leading is championing success. “I enjoy celebrating staff and the accomplishments of the team and putting others up front to celebrate them. For me, that’s the greatest reward.”
Proudest Moments . . .
When asked, Felipe can identify his proudest moments as an attorney and in life:
“I’d say my proudest moment as an attorney was becoming one, and being able to celebrate that with my parents, who are no longer with us. That was a great moment. My parents became teachers later in life, so working in school law was a way for me to honor them.
“And personally, getting married and having children — my wife and I have three amazing children who definitely keep us busy but grounded as well. These family years have built lasting memories that we continue to make.
“Our oldest is 24. She played college soccer at Central Washington State and now works at Seattle Pacific University in the athletic department. Our middle daughter is 20 and in her second year at Seattle University. Our son is 12, in school, and is a full-time soccer kiddo.”
One fond memory is as a soccer fan: “In August of 2019 I was able to go to England and see Liverpool beat Arsenal, 3 to 1. That year Liverpool won the English Premier League. It was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget, and I hope to share a similar trip with my family one day.”
. . . And Challenges
When pressed, Felipe described challenges he has had and how he overcame them:
“What comes to mind is the shared experience of being a person of color. And that’s where the challenges and experiences have resonated with me most, not dissimilar to what others have had to experience. But when it’s happening to you, it’s sort of new and challenging, and I think I’ve evolved over time in terms of my ability to keep my eye on the prize — the true value or purpose of what I’m doing here.
“Professionally and personally, the largest lesson that I’ve learned is to focus on what matters, and to do my best to filter through or weed out the things that appear to be impediments to that purpose.”
Advice to Young Attorneys
Felipe has sought out and created opportunities to mentor youths and aspiring attorneys. I asked him what advice he would offer to new or young attorneys: “I welcome conversations and connecting in a mentor role with aspiring attorneys and law students.
“There are a lot of students that I talk with who want to be sports lawyers or engage in sports and entertainment law somehow. And the advice that I give them is you have to work at it. You have to work hard.
“You have to believe in yourself. And you have to persevere. Sometimes it will feel like life is challenging you in a way that makes you think, perhaps, this isn’t your purpose or isn’t where you should be.
“And that’s where you lean in. You’ve got to see that coming and lean into it, and realize the challenge or difficulty is happening because you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
I asked Felipe whether the glass was half full or half empty:
“That’s easy for me. The glass is always half full. I’m an eternal optimist. And I credit my faith and my family for that.”
Felipe shared his goals and plans, as an attorney and in life:
“It’s constant improvement. Refining skills, refining abilities, and just growing. You know what — I don’t have a specific vision for what that looks like. I just know that it’s a constant journey of improvement and I’m trying to embrace it.”
Fun and Impactful
In closing, I asked Felipe what he does for fun. “Soccer, soccer, soccer,” he said with a grin.
“I don’t play. But I just love watching games, analyzing games, talking soccer with coaches, and being around the sport.
“I do a lot of volunteer work. I’m President of the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club, where my son plays. I’m a board member of the King County Bar Foundation, and I just joined the Board of United Way of King County.
“Those commitments to the community are very near and dear to my heart, and I hope I’m having an impact. They’ve turned into hobbies, because that’s where I spend most of my time outside of work — or soccer.”
Washington and King County are fortunate to have Felipe Mendez. The proud cultural traditions he embodies and the values by which he lives and practices law are inspiring others and positively impacting our community every day.
As a result of his leadership, FIFA World Cup Seattle 2026 is going to be great.
Helen Boyer counts herself fortunate to have worked with Felipe Mendez when he was General Counsel to the Bellevue School District. Currently, she is engaged in advocacy to relieve homelessness.
1 First performed in the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, the song has been covered by many artists. It is an anthem of hope and resilience. See Matt Law, The Phenomenon of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Breaking Character (Nov. 30, 2022), https://breakingcharacter.com/youll-never-walk-alone.
2 See Oli Platt, YNWA: How You’ll Never Walk Alone Became a Liverpool FC Anthem, Goal.com (Mar. 5, 2023), www.goal.com/en/news/ynwa-how-youll-never-walk-alone-became-a-liverpool-fc-anthem/selbcrlre9lz1n9dat1b1e60q.
3 The quotes from my interview with Felipe Mendez have been lightly edited.
4 See Erasmo Gamboa, Latino Past and Present in Washington State History, Part 2 [of 3], Columbia (Washington State Historical Society, Spring 2021) (“The importance of Spanish-language radio cannot be overemphasized because the emerging Latino community could now communicate and connect via broadcast media, which challenged the experience of cultural isolation in an exclusively white, English-speaking—and sometimes alienating—community.”) 25, at 26.
5 Now with Miller Nash.
6 Including John Wilson at K&L Gates, Celeste Monroe at Miller Nash, and John Lee at Summit Law, who are providing pro bono services to the Local Organizing Committee.
