In 2025, the King County Bar Association demonstrated the power of a committed legal community working together in service of justice, connection, and the rule of law. Thanks to the dedication, expertise, and generosity of our members and staff, this year was marked by meaningful engagement, impactful advocacy, and strong participation across our programs, events, and education.

Danijela Krecar brings a global perspective to her role as an in-house attorney at Monolithic Power Systems, where she supports the business on a wide range of commercial agreements and transactions. Her practice includes advising on an array of matters such as employment law, corporate governance, data privacy, and artificial intelligence. She also supports international transactions in collaboration with outside counsel across Europe.

As a trial lawyer, I discovered early on that if a jury likes you, they are unlikely to hurt you. The same holds true for your client. That is why it is mission-critical to personalize a corporate client and then show that the people who are designated to personify the corporation are worthy of the jury’s trust. In mediation, these same concepts apply.

As we wind down the year and folks take well-earned leave during the holidays, for the Court it is a time of transition. We will have a new presiding judge, Judge Averil Rothrock, and a new assistant presiding, Judge Tanya Thorp.

Executives in middle-market companies, as well as the law firms that advise them, are hearing a common refrain these days when it comes to AI: “Just try something.” On the surface, that advice feels safe — low stakes, exploratory, and positioned as a way to “learn.” But in practice, these pilots rarely scale. They don’t stick, and they don’t solve the pressures that matter at the board level.
 

Every mediator has seen it: attorneys arrive at the table armed with firm positions, often drawn like battle lines. These stances can serve a purpose — signaling strength to clients and opposing counsel — but they can also become barriers to resolution. 

KCBA’s Legal Advice and Referral for Kinship Care (LAARK) program is staffed by two full-time attorneys and two legal assistants and is supervised by the statewide kinship care legal aid coordinator, Celeste Miller. LAARK was started in 2022, but the coordinator position has existed since 2019. LAARK is a statewide program that provides consultations and legal advice and does not have an income limit.
 

Trustee Heather Maloney reports on the New Lawyers Division’s year-end work, from launching a newsletter to planning CLEs and community-service projects. She highlights recent events, strong turnout, and upcoming opportunities — including a December clinic open to all volunteers — and emphasizes NLD’s commitment to new lawyers.

You might have frequent-flier miles or something as basic as a punch card for a free coffee. You like rewards. You know how you like to be treated when you walk into a favorite restaurant or bar. They may not know you by name but they treat you like royalty. They know you have choices and you choose to patronize their business.

Barbara Engstrom rounds up King County Law Library staff reading recommendations, encompassing fiction, science fiction, history, and local nonfiction. These picks offer something for everyone — even the hard-to-shop-for — and invite readers to settle in for the dark season.