Outstanding Judge Award: Judge Patrick H. Oishi
By Mary Sakaguchi
The King County Bar Association is pleased to honor Judge Patrick H. Oishi with the 2025 Outstanding Judge Award for his distinguished service to the legal profession, the judiciary, and the public.
Judge Oishi was born and raised in Maui, Hawaii, one of five children of educator parents. It is unsurprising then that after graduating from Seattle University, Judge Oishi started his professional career as an educator himself (junior high school to be exact). But a few years later, he followed his calling to the legal profession by enrolling in and graduating from Seattle University School of Law.
As a new attorney, Judge Oishi worked as a prosecutor for Pierce County, where he tried over 100 jury trials in a wide range of criminal cases. After more than a decade there, he continued to broaden his experience by moving to private practice in civil litigation. After a short time, he left private practice to pursue an opportunity to become the first Superior Court Criminal Commissioner in Washington. Less than two years later, Judge Oishi was appointed to King County Superior Court in 2011 by Governor Chris Gregoire and has been continuously elected to and served in that role since.
Judge Oishi is currently assigned to the Unified Family Court Department of King County Superior Court. He has served in numerous leadership positions while on the bench, including Presiding Judge, Assistant Presiding Judge, Chief Judge of the Maleng Regional Justice Center, Chief Criminal Judge, Assistant Chief Criminal Judge, and Lead Dependency Judge.
In addition to his dedicated service and leadership within the judiciary, Judge Oishi has also been a continuous supporter and involved member of the King County Bar Association. Judge Oishi served as the chair, and later co-chair with Judge Lori Kay Smith, of KCBA’s Anti-Racism and Equity Committee (then known as the Diversity Committee).
Judge Oishi led KCBA’s Diversity Committee continuously from 2015 through 2022, helping to maintain some of KCBA’s long-standing programs that support a diverse profession through the tumultuous COVID years and changes in KCBA leadership.
He stepped back from chairing the committee and tackled the challenges facing the King County Superior Court as the presiding judge from 2022-23, including navigating the changes to the court system as society slowly emerged — forever changed — from the pandemic while managing the court’s ever-tightening budget and addressing the growing safety concerns in the downtown area surrounding the courthouse.
Judge Oishi has weathered all these changes with grace, a willingness to grow and learn, and a commitment to maintaining relationships within the legal community as the foundation for progress. For example, even after stepping down as chair of the Anti-Racism and Equity Committee, he continues to support the committee’s work and often reaches out to committee leadership to provide support.
Based upon his outstanding career dedicated to the legal profession and public service, Judge Oishi is the deserving recipient of KCBA’s 2025 Outstanding Judge Award.
Mary Sakaguchi is a partner with Sakaguchi, Felbeck, Story & Reese, PLLC, a boutique family law firm in downtown Kirkland, whose practice is primarily focused on non-litigated pathways to resolving conflict.
Mary is the current VP for KCBA and chair of KCBA’s Anti-Racism & Equity Committee. Mary has previously served as a board trustee for KCBA and on the Nominations and Membership Committees. In addition to her time with KCBA, Mary is a longtime volunteer for and board member of Eastside Legal Assistance Program, board member/former president of King County Collaborative Law, and former board member of Collaborative Professionals of Washington. She can be reached at mary@kirklandlawgroup.com.
