It really is a humbling experience to explain all the reasons KCBA awarded Russ Aoki the Outstanding Lawyer Award for 2023. It is not just the breadth of his experience and commitment to the legal community that is so impressive, but also the fact Russ has been contributing in so many ways for so many years.
Russ attended Redmond High School and the University of Washington, where he was influenced by professor Gordon Obayashi (who challenged the constitutionality of war time curfews against Japanese Americans all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court), and the concepts discussed in criminal law and procedure. He set his sights on law school and graduated from the University of Oregon law school in 1985. Russ began his legal career as a public defender at The Defender Association (TDA). After three years at TDA, Russ transitioned to civil practice at Betts Patterson and Mines, where he focused on commercial and personal injury litigation.
Given his background in both civil and criminal litigation he was well suited for a task with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, as a national e-discovery consultant. U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman created the position in 2011 to help court-
appointed counsel handle large discovery production and decided Russ Aoki was the best person to take up the task. This work involves sifting through mountains of electronic data to help assigned counsel find the information that is truly relevant to their case. Russ not only assisted as the initial Coordinating Discovery Attorney but also continued to assist with this work in more than 90 cases and 21 federal districts, developing national recognition for his expertise.
Russ was asked to chair a task force by the WSBA on the escalating costs of litigation and the one year task force turned into a five year project. In 2016, the WSBA awarded Russ the President’s Award to acknowledge his hard work and commitment. Russ also took on other leadership roles; as a member of the WSBA Board of Governors, serving on the KCBA Board of Trustees, as President of the Northwest Defender’s Association, as the Washington Supreme Court appointee to the Washington State Office of Public Defense Advisory Committee, as a Trustee for the Legal Foundation, and served on the ACLU Board of Directors. Russ also served on the Board of the Asian Bar Association of Washington for many years, where he helped initiate Neighborhood Legal Clinics and served as ABAW President in 1995.
Russ is a force for positive change in the community, a skilled legal advocate, and about as humble as a person can be about his many accomplishments. When contacted about the Outstanding Lawyer of 2023 award, Russ said, “I’m not really an award type of guy.” Perhaps he might decline. Well, Russ is the last person to tout his accomplishments and seek acknowledgement for his contributions. If you have not yet read the more complete article written by Judge Dean Lum, I encourage you to do so now, because Judge Lum is better able to capture the making of this truly outstanding lawyer. https://www.kcba.org/?pg=News-Bar-Bulletin&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=94287
“Russ never talks about himself or his accomplishments, but for decades he has been that person that makes our profession go. He’s long been one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the state and is nationally recognized for his e-discovery work, but his friendship, civility, mentorship, bar association activities and trailblazing DEI and minority law firm efforts set him apart. He is the glue that holds Seattle’s legal community together.”
And there are two important updates since Judge Lum introduced us to Russ Aoki. In 2019, we learned that, in addition to his golfing skill, Russ is also a power weightlifter. We can now report Russ has actually been certified as a record holder for his age group, deadlifting 446.4 pounds. And he has also started perhaps the most challenging but most rewarding journey of all recently — when he became a father. We are fortunate that Russ Aoki has chosen to share his wisdom, skill and tenacity with our community. Since he is unlikely to bring it up, please do congratulate him next time you see him for his recognition as an Outstanding Lawyer.
