By Michael Goldenkranz
On March 17, this Jewish boy from Brooklyn raises a glass to his old Irish boss, Stephen Martin Reilly. After a brief (right out of law school) stint as a junior prosecutor in San Francisco, the prospect of taking another bar exam, and looking for a job in another state, where I knew no one, except the graduate student at UW I was dating, didn’t sit well with my friends and family. But I was young and smitten by the lass. So off I went, with my cockatiel Baretta1 perched inside a shoe box on my lap, flying to Seattle.
I had no idea how fortunate I was to have landed a combined “bailiff /clerkship” with King County Superior Court Judge Stephen Reilly, starting January 1980. Which meant, yes, I got to vacuum and do some “fill in” light housekeeping, along with chaperoning the jury, keeping the court in order and being a “go for.” But researching and preparing memos or draft jury instructions for the Judge; getting to watch nonstop trials and motions, as well as learning about and from the best and the brightest of Seattle’s criminal and civil trial lawyers from that era, up close and personal, was like an aspiring rock musician having a job at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East.
Judge Reilly was a bright, personable, incredibly hardworking and dedicated Judge. Ethical, practical, and a man of integrity he took his responsibilities very seriously, so it was a treat to watch him dote on his family and enjoy and passionately share his Irish heritage.
Before the days of computerized research and writing, I would literally take an empty grocery cart to the law library, and fill it up to the brim with actual hard-bound case reporters, complete with yellow sticky notes marking the cases cited in the legal briefs, for the Judge to review, analyze and fact check. When the Judge would ask for my analysis or opinions and we’d discuss the facts and the law, I felt privileged. And those were the days when everything was written longhand first on yellow legal pads, and then sometimes dictated, before going to a typing pool.
Judge Reilly was appointed by Governor Dixy Lee Ray2 serving from 1977 until 1989. I was his first “combined” bailiff/law clerk. And I was like a kid in a candy store when he presided over one of his most famous trials. Guenter Mannhalt gained infamy as the owner of a Pike Place Market donut shop. He was convicted in 1981 of using his business as the center of a burglary ring. Mr. Mannhalt reminded me of the Fagin character from Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, as the overseer of a bunch of devoted young thieves working in his donut shop’s basement. Very new to my job and trying not to offend, when Mr. Mannhalt would bring in a bag of fresh donuts each morning just before official business began, I’d be among those who accepted his offer of a single donut. That is . . . until Judge Reilly explained to me that doing so was, if not legally, then optically “not kosher.” Live and learn.
Judge Reilly was a bombardier during the Second World War in the Army Air Corps and protocol and chain of command were critical. Another life lesson, that we laughed about quite a bit ex post was my New Yorker style versus the laid back “don’t make waves” Seattle approach (at least in 1980). The Judge didn’t usually complain but I heard him on several occasions lament to me that his ninth-floor courtroom could use a paint job, both in terms of the Band-Aid beige drab color and age of the fading paint. So when the Judge left for vacation, I immediately set about quickly getting the courtroom painted and floors shined — all before the Judge returned.
Instead of an “attaboy” and delighted surprise when the Judge returned, I was the one surprised to receive a private lecture in his chambers about going through proper channels, not surprising bosses, and waiting in line. I truly didn’t know there was “a process” (but then again, I didn’t ask). I still took solace in how the Judge beamed each time his fellow judges and lawyers complimented him on the courtroom’s fresh look. And he knew I meant well.
Another unexpected surprise was when a plumber came in to repair the private chambers bathroom. When they opened the locked old wooden panel embedded in the marble wall behind the toilet, there was a veritable treasure trove of ancient whiskey bottles from days of yore.
This bailiffship/clerkship was an amazing opportunity to watch some of the trial legends and up and comers (rising stars) perform in that ninth-floor courtroom. Gifted and experienced attorneys trying jury cases or arguing complex motions; like, Murry Gutterson, William Dwyer, Lem Howell, Tony Savage, Tom Chambers, Paul Stritmatter. “Up and comers” like Pat LePlay,3 Bill Downing, David Allen, John Henry Brown, John Zulauf, Becky Roe, Kathy Goater, Linda Kelly Ebberson, Mary Wechsler are just a few who quickly spring to mind. And getting to substitute bailiff for other King County Superior Court Judges like Tony Wartnick, Jim Dore, Roselle Pekelis and William Goodloe was interesting and entertaining.
I knew Judge Reilly was respected and treasured by his judicial colleagues because many enjoyed stopping over at “his” chambers to share stories at the end of the day, eat lunch or join for a coffee break. But I secretly enjoyed when his family called or stopped by ‘cause his whole demeanor would change. He addressed his youngest, Lynn, as “sweet pea.”
Judge Reilly’s demeanor, curious mind, integrity, and thorough preparation, combined with his prior war-time experience and years as a senior assistant Attorney General and partner in a respected trial law firm, made him an excellent Judge and mentor. I seem also to recall that his doodles showed a real talent for cartooning.
Now turning 70, I truly realize how fortunate I was for that legal introduction to Seattle. And for the opportunity to have learned from and been of service to Judge Stephen Reilly (who was as Tom Brokaw coined it, a member of “The Greatest Generation”). It also provided a wonderful opportunity for this stranger in a strange land, to develop friendships among fellow law clerk/bailiffs and young attorneys.
I can still hear Judge Reilly’s laughter, especially when Judges Liem Tuai (part of that same affectionately-
dubbed “Gang of Five” appointed in 1977 by Governor Ray, and a fellow veteran) and Jim Dore would stop by his chambers. I like to think that Judge Reilly, who passed at 86 in 2009, is “upstairs” telling fishing stories, and reunited with his fellow “Friendly Sons of St Patrick.”
Michael Goldenkranz is a retired health care attorney and former hospital executive staff member, who works full time as a neighborhood curmudgeon. He also enjoys community volunteering and doing weekly KCBA Neighborhood Legal Clinics since 2004.
1 My cockatiel Baretta got her name from TV. Detective “Baretta” had a cockatoo Fred and right after college I worked with a police department, but the name “Fred” was taken.
2 For you whippersnappers, our state’s first female governor. – Ed.
3 Thanks, is an understatement, to Pat LePlay who during my bailiff/clerkship introduced me to WSTLA attorneys and helped me (with my Judge Reilly’s support) get my first job with a small general practice law firm that provided a solid foundation for future ventures. The two partners had never had an associate before, so they left for a 10-day vacation, provided paint to spruce up my office, and had my calendar set with clients, court appearances and two legal secretaries to show me the ropes and make sure my collar button was closed and tie perched up by my neck. The first client showed up as I was still hanging my bar license, and I had to use a metal nail case as an ash tray for him.
