Neal Black’s roots in Pacific Northwest’s forests run deep. Fittingly, his favorite adage is “Society grows great when people plant trees under whose shade they know they’ll never sit.” Neal has spent a lifetime in law and policy, learning to see the forests, see the trees, and plant new ones.

The family law motions calendar is a grind. Every day, the commissioner faces a huge stack of reading — thousands of pages of declarations, proposed orders, financial statements, and occasionally even some legal briefing. Prior to the pandemic, there could be a dozen cases on the morning calendar, and then a series of afternoon hearings, every day. The pandemic introduced Zoom hearings that capped the number of cases, but the grind persists.

Preeminent lawyer, strategic thinker, passionate advocate, well-respected leader and citizen ambassador, empowering mentor, well-rounded and practical businessman, strong networker, articulate speaker, fun-loving teacher, compassionate friend, community steward, courageous cancer survivor and more. Joel Paget wears a multitude of hats with confidence, flair, and joy! Now an elder in the legal community, Joel has been planting and nurturing seeds within the Washington community and bar for over five decades, creating a rich and diverse legacy. I am blessed to be one his “seedlings.”

There are many great things you probably know about Russ Aoki and other things you probably don’t. Of course, Russ being Russ, the last thing you’d ever hear is him blowing his own horn.