By Judge Averil Rothrock, King County Superior Court Presiding Judge
A KCBA Mentor of the Year will be announced at the April 9, 2026, New Lawyers Division Spring Soirée, sponsored by the New Lawyers Division. We’re all invited—and you should consider attending.
The evening gives us the opportunity to recognize a colleague who demonstrates, through action, deep respect for our profession and for the role that shared learning, skill development, and experience plays in helping lawyers become the best versions of themselves.
Sharing knowledge helps all of us refine our professional paths. Talking with others about the challenges we face—and the career choices we’re navigating—often brings clarity and perspective. The presentation of this award is a reminder of something essential: mentorship matters. And mentorship, my friends, is not just for new lawyers. I suspect we all need it—perhaps more often than we admit.
Mentorship supports us in living up to our professional responsibilities, and it doesn’t have to follow the traditional model of a senior lawyer mentoring someone more junior. Formal mentorship programs are valuable and often cultivate long-lasting professional relationships. But informal mentorship is equally powerful. Peer relationships, spontaneous conversations, and professional friendships can provide valuable guidance and encouragement.
The practice of law brings an astonishing range of experiences. Learning from the experiences of other lawyers—regardless of practice area or years in practice—enriches us all. Some of the best insights come from relationships and conversations with lawyers outside your workplace.
Over my 30-plus years as a lawyer, I’ve come to realize that we are all learning from each other constantly. Some of the best mentorship comes from peers, or from lawyers whose backgrounds or practices differ from our own.
Moments of mentorship often arise unexpectedly: when you observe a colleague take an approach that sparks your curiosity and you ask them about it. Or when you notice someone—yes, even opposing counsel—performing exceptionally well and you take a moment to compliment them. Encouragement and recognition can be powerful gifts. Sometimes simply saying, “You handled that well,” can stay with someone for years.
Early in my career, I benefited from the mentorship of formal supervisors. Of course, as members of the same firm, their investment in me also served their own professional interests. But the best mentors felt a genuine call to help develop the people around them.
The most valuable opportunities came when supervisors allowed me to take the next step—take the deposition I had prepared for, present the oral argument, explain strategy to the client, or help shape the litigation strategy itself.
If you supervise others and you always occupy the spotlight—the one taking the deposition, arguing the motion, or presenting the case—consider how that aligns with your responsibility to mentor the lawyers working with you. Advancement in our profession requires doing. Many excellent supervisors understand that the success of their mentees is also their own success.
When I was an associate, women mentors were somewhat scarce. I benefited enormously from mentorship by male colleagues, and I remain deeply grateful to them. When I was sworn in as a judge in 2018, I reflected on how their expressed confidence in my abilities helped create opportunities for me. They shared their credibility, and in doing so, helped me build my own.
We can do the same for others.
I also sought mentors outside my firm, particularly through the King County Bar Association. The KCBA sections are designed to build relationships and share expertise across our legal community. My own world expanded when I joined the KCBA Appellate Section around 2008. I relished the opportunity to engage with lawyers whose collective knowledge of appellate practice exceeded what existed within my firm. Through those connections I found colleagues I could consult about legal and professional puzzles—these colleagues became an additional source of my growth and confidence.
Similarly, service on boards such as the KCBA and the King County Bar Foundation (KCBF) offers opportunities to collaborate with lawyers who care deeply about the health of our legal community. These experiences broaden professional networks and deepen engagement with the profession.
There are many other communities that offer similar opportunities—minority bar associations, the WSBA, WSAJ, WDTL, and many more. The lesson is simple: cultivate relationships in many places.
As my career progressed, I also came to value informal peer relationships. Many lawyers—and judges—maintain regular connections with classmates from law school, colleagues from earlier stages of their careers, or lawyers they simply encounter repeatedly in practice. These relationships can create safe spaces for candid conversations about career challenges, workplace dynamics, and future aspirations. They can also lead to collaborative projects—writing an article together, presenting a CLE, or otherwise sharing ideas. There is no rule saying these opportunities must be assigned to you. Sometimes you can simply create them.
Encouragement is also an important form of mentorship. Imposter syndrome flourishes in our profession, and we can all help counteract it by encouraging capable lawyers to pursue opportunities they might otherwise hesitate to seek.
That encouragement might involve suggesting someone pursue leadership roles in their workplace or professional associations, ask for a promotion, move between public and private sectors, go in-house, open a firm, lead a nonprofit—or perhaps consider the judiciary.
Our profession is stronger when it reflects the diversity of the society it serves. Encouragement directed toward lawyers from marginalized communities can make an enormous difference in career trajectories. Retaining women and minorities in our profession requires intentional inclusion. I view mentorship as one of the most meaningful acts of inclusion we can offer.
Speaking directly about the judiciary, encouragement from lawyers and judges plays an important role in helping talented people consider the bench. I experienced this personally when an appellate judge suggested I consider becoming a judge. That comment felt like a grant of permission to pursue something I had quietly contemplated but had not yet fully embraced.
The judiciary needs excellent candidates. If anyone reading this would like to talk about that path, I would be happy to have a conversation with you. And if you see someone whose talents would translate well to the bench, consider sharing that insight with them.
Within the King County Superior Court, we are also working to create opportunities for feedback, support, and connection among judicial officers. Becoming a judge can involve increased professional isolation—something many lawyers may not fully appreciate.
Opportunities for mentorship across different court levels are limited due to the structure of judicial review, but important exchanges do occur during gatherings such as the Superior Court Judges Association Spring Conference and the Fall Judicial Conference, where judicial officers from across the state meet.
These opportunities have become even more important as judges work in demanding environments while also confronting increasing public attacks on the judiciary and the rule of law. Organizations such as the Administrative Office of the Courts provide resources and support, including programs focused on judicial well-being. Attention to personal health is something all lawyers should prioritize. We can remind each other of this. Forming and maintaining supportive professional relationships can be a key.
I’ll close with a simple observation: mentorship does not always unfold perfectly. Sometimes mentorship relationships stall or fade. Formal programs can produce mismatches. Lawyers with the best intentions may simply lack the bandwidth to sustain a mentoring relationship. I have experienced all sides of this. I have been a mentor who intended to do better but became too busy. I have sought mentorship from people who were not interested. These things happen.
Mentorship, therefore, is ultimately an organic process. It can arise in brief moments or long-term relationships, in formal programs or casual conversations, across hierarchies or among peers. It flows in many directions.
The important thing is that we continue to participate in it—sharing our time, skills, and perspective whenever we can. In doing so, we strengthen not only individual careers but also the broader legal community we share.
And with that, I hope to see many of you at NLD’s Spring Soirée! The event starts at 5:00pm at ArtLove Salon, 110 Union St, 5th Floor.
Judge Rothrock became a judge on the King County Superior Court in 2018 and was elected Presiding Judge by her colleagues for two years from January 2026 to December 2027. Her first name is pronounced with a long a—like April. She can be reached at Rothrock.Court@kingcounty.gov.
