Welcome to the inaugural digital version of TCBA's Legal Brief. We hope you will become comfortable with this digital version as we trial this during the next year. The purpose of this transition is three-fold. One, we hope this platform provides a more interactive experience for our members; two, we hope to reduce our carbon footprint by reducing paper use; and three, we hope to reduce the association's overhead costs. We welcome your feedback. Please reach out to any of your board members with questions, concerns and suggestions.
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THE LEGAL BRIEF
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THE LEGAL BRIEF
A Publication of the Thurston County Bar Association
President’s Message By: Geoff Hulsey
Congratulations, Thurston County Bar Association! As I write this final President ’ s Message of my tenure, we just held our first in - person Annual Meeting and Dinner since the pandemic began. It was a fantastic night and great opportunity to see so many of you in person. For those of you who were unable to attend, I will take this time to review the business events of that meeting. The membership passed the proposed amendments to the bylaws. These amendments allow for more flexibility for the Board of Directors to make decisions regarding the size of the Board and policies regarding judicial polls. The amendments also officially include the Diversity and Inclusion Section, though that section has been an active part of TCBA for a few years now.
Inside this issue:
President’s Message
1
Meet your Board
2, 5
Daniel Bigelow Award Recipient: Terry Church
3
At the meeting, the membership also approved of the financial review. John Kessler, TCBA ’ s treasurer, presented the overall financial health of TCBA.
View From the Bench
6, 8
Classifieds/Ads Misc Updates and Announcements/Invites
3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
Finally, the membership approved a new Board of Directors and Officers. This was a difficult process for the individual Directors and the Board as a whole. Amy Perlman, Jim Laukkonen, Patrick O ’ Connor have decided to step down from their positions on the Board after several years of dedication and commitment. I know that they have put in countless hours running and assisting TCBA, so I want to express my deepest appreciation to them. Our newest members on the Board of Directors are Angela Colaiuta, Marie Doctor, and Melissa Goldmann. I know the Board is excited and looking forward to working with these fantastic attorneys. Officers serve a one - year term, and our new officers will begin their positions starting in June. I will be moving into the Past President position. John Kessler will remain as the Treasurer. Brandon Koenig will be filling the Secretary position. Wayne Graham will fill the Vice President/Future President position. Finally, Michael Young will serve as your TCBA President for 2022 - 2023. Of course, we also were able to celebrate our Bigelow Award recipient, Terry Church. Terry has been an integral part of TCBA and Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services, and he has spent countless hours volunteering for his community. Congratulations to Terry for being the 2022 Bigelow Award recipient. Please accept my thanks for allowing me to serve as the TCBA President for the past year. We persisted through the challenges of the pandemic, and we were able to come together several times. As I stated at the Annual Meeting and Dinner, TCBA is not about one or two people; TCBA is about the membership as a whole coming together and supporting each other and our profession. We have amazing members in this organization that take their time to support each other, TCBA, and the community. That is what makes this organization great.
13, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 26
Young Lawyer’s Spotlight: Erin Kuns
12, 13
14
Washington State Law Library Article
Section Updates
18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Law Day Speech Contest
23
In Re: Robert Hatfield
27, 28
TCVLS Update
29
Annual Meeting & Dinner
30
Swearing-in Ceremony
31
Local Hero Award Recipient: Heidi Raedel Magaro
32, 33
Again, thank you for allowing me to serve, and I know that TCBA will continue to thrive next year and past that.
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Board Members 2021-2022
Geoff Hulsey President
Michael Young President - Elect
Patrick O ’ Connor Secretary
James Laukkonen Past President
John Kesler III Treasurer
William B. Pope Board Member
Matt Huot Board Member
Marie Docter Board Member
Wayne Graham Board Member
Joseph Scuderi Board Member
Brandon Koenig Board Member
Trevor Zandell Board Member
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Pictured from left to right: Terry Church, 2022 Daniel Bigelow Award Recipient, and Geoff Hulsey, TCBA President
Congratulations Terry Church for being selected as the 2022 Daniel Bigelow Award recipient!!!
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2022 - 2023 TCBA Board of Directors
Officer positions are 1 - year terms and are effective June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2023
President - Michael Young President - Elect - Wayne Graham
Secretary - Brandon Koenig Treasurer - John Kesler III Immediate Past President - Geoff Hulsey
Board Member: Board Member position 1 - Trevor Zandell – term expires May 31, 2023 Board Member Position 2 - Matthew Huot – term expires May 31, 2024 Board Member Position 3 - Melissa Goldmann - term expires May 31, 2023 Board Member Position 4 - Joseph Scuderi – term expires May 31, 2024 Board Member Position 5 - William B. Pope - term expires May 31, 2023 Board Member Position 6 - Marie Docter - term expires May 31, 2024 Board Member Position 7 - Angela Colaiuta - term expires May 31, 2023 These positions are two - year terms.
Save the Date
The TCBA Annual Barbecue is on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at Burfoot Park at 3:30 p.m.
Bring your family & come enjoy some good food & fun!!
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Incoming Board Members 2022-2023
Geoff Hulsey Past President
Michael Young President
Wayne - Graham President - Elect
John Kesler III Treasurer
Brandon Koenig Secretary
William B. Pope Board Member
Matthew Huot Board Member
Marie Docter Board Member
Angela Colaiuta Board Member
Joseph Scuderi Board Member
Trevor Zandell Board Member
Melissa Goldmann Board Member
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VOLUME 40, ISSUE 3
A View From The Bench
By Judge Mary Sue Wilson Thurston County Superior Court
Covid and Court Operations – Entering Year Three
“ Thank you for your patience! ” For the last two years, this is the phrase I most commonly use in court.
Why? Most often, I use this phrase in response to a delay, typically due to a technology issue. For example, I am hearing a Friday civil motions calendar. Three or four people are in the courtroom and a dozen or so parties, lawyers, and observers are participating by ZOOM. To make each hearing meaningful for all participants and to ensure a quality court record, all participants must be able to hear each speaker. A participant begins to address the court. Their WiFi connection is weak and their presentation is interrupted: we cannot hear them at all or we can only hear every third word. My stop sign hand goes up and I suggest possible actions that might fix the issue. When the speaker ’ s connection improves (as it usually does), I direct them back to where they were when they were interrupted, and the hearing resumes. An interruption may last two minutes, or it may last 20 minutes. On rare occasions, if the issue is not resolved, the court may continue the hearing. In our early days of relying on remote participation in court hearings, such interruptions were more common. Over the last two years, the judges, court staff, and court participants have learned a lot - our ability to troubleshoot technology issues has grown. However, our technologies are not perfect. On any given court day, Wifi signals (or power outages or weather events or a Covid outbreak) conspire to interfere with our goal of conducting meaningful court hearings! Most of the time, the issue is efficiently addressed and we resume and complete the hearing. A takeaway: as you prepare to come to your hearing, develop a plan for troubleshooting issues associated with your device and connection so you are ready if you experience a technology problem. And, of course, you may choose to come to court in person – we will be glad to see you! Speaking of Covid, as this winter ’ s wave declined, the Superior Court implemented changes to our operations in March – in the direction of relaxing certain protocols based on input from Thurston County Public Health. At the Main Campus Courthouse (building 2) our traffic flow in and out of the building returned to a two - way entry/exit flow (visitors come in and out of the same door as they did before Covid). In all of our courthouses, we reduced the required social distancing from six feet to three feet and we stopped “ strongly encouraging ” remote participation in those hearings with ZOOM access. ZOOM participation remains an option for many calendars. Absent a court order requiring a specific mode of appearance, participants may choose which option (in person or ZOOM) works best for them for proceedings with ZOOM access. Before the pandemic, our courtrooms were often crowded at the beginning of busy calendars. Participants might wait for more than two hours before their case was called. A party might miss a half day of work to participate in a 10 - minute hearing. With remote calendars and time - specific sessions, we ’ ve eliminated crowds and reduced waiting times. We have not yet decided our long - term plans for using remote participation on specific court calendars. Many participants tell us they appreciate the convenience and efficiencies of remote options. Others prefer to come to court in person. At a recent statewide judicial conference, judges from around the state said they would likely continue to support remote hearing participation for specific types of hearings after the pandemic. The Thurston County Superior Court judges will continue to evaluate approaches that promote access, while at the same time allow us to ensure that each hearing is meaningful.
(Continued on page 8)
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(Continued from page 6) A View from the Bench by Judge Mary Sue Wilson, Thurston County Superior Court
Of all types of court proceedings impacted in some way by Covid, our ability to conduct jury trials has been impacted the most. In response to public health recommendations, jury trials were suspended between March and July 2020, between November 2020 and March 2021, and again between December 2021 and February 2022. That amounts to almost 12 months of no jury trials! When we have conducted jury trials, our pace has been much slower than before the pandemic. Prior to March 2020, in any given week, we could hear three or four jury trials at a time. During the pandemic, we have conducted only two jury trials at a time. This is because we have only two courtrooms large enough (Main Campus 102, Chandler Court) to spread jurors out during jury selection, trial and deliberations, while maintaining compliance with social distancing requirements. Pre - pandemic, we could bring a pool of 60 - 70 jurors into the courtroom for jury selection. With six feet distancing, jury selection has been done in waves, with each group comprised of no more than 24 jurors. Since implementing the three feet distancing change in March, groups are now as large as 55, allowing us to complete jury selection for most of our trials with only one group. These changes are allowing us to pick up the pace of jury trials. With the addition of two new staff (our second Jury Administrator Kyle Fredricks, and our Covid Program Manager Jennifer Holderman), we are working to further expand our jury trial capacity and address other areas of the court ’ s Covid backlog. Our goal is to be able to conduct three Superior Court jury trials at a time by this summer. If you have questions or suggestions regarding the court ’ s approach to Covid issues, including our case backlog, feel free to email Jennifer at: Jennifer.Holderman@co.thurston.wa.us. Also, visit our website for updates on court operations. We have learned a lot in the last two years. Approaches to court operations we couldn ’ t imagine pre - Covid are now commonplace. We are excited about our continued efforts as we work to refine our operations: embracing approaches that increase access, promoting meaningful court hearings, and working through the backlog. As we continue on this journey together, we look forward to seeing you on ZOOM or in person at the courthouse. Thank you for your support, suggestions and, as always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!
TCBA Half Day CLE
If you are interested in contributing a column to one of our Legal Brief Newsletters, we want to hear from you!! Funny, interesting, educational or even controversial articles written by our TCBA members are always welcome.
June 13, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. on Zoom
Topic: “ The Ins and Outs of Child Support: A How to Guide to Reading Paystubs and Tax Returns, Calculating Deductions, and Drafting Orders ” presented by Jennifer Johnson, Attorney and Owner of JBJ Law Group, and Deanne Swanson, Attorney and Claims Officer at the Division of Child Support.
Cost is $40 for TCBA Members and $80 for Non - TCBA Members
3 CLE credits are pending approval by the WSBA
Please register by June 12 on the TCBA website: https://thurstoncountybar.com/event/tcba - half - day - cle - on - june - 13 - 2022 - from - 1 - 410 - p - m - on - zoom/
Please submit to tcba.info@gmail.com
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Looking for a new job opportunity or do you want to advertise a job opportunity at your law firm? Check out the Employment Opportunities page on the TCBA website, www.thurstoncountybar.com There is no charge to post legal job opportunities. Email Heather at tcba.info@gmail.com for more information.
Save the Dates
TCBA Member CLEs & Luncheons:
September 23 October 21 November 4 December 2
at Tugboat Annie ’ s at 12:00 p.m. (social 1/2 hour starts at 11:30 a.m.)
Topics: TBD
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Young Lawyer Spotlight By Devin Kohr, Young Lawyer Section Chair
Erin Kuns
I grew up in … Redding, California
Before law school I … Was a branch manager for a community bank, then paralegal for 4.5 years before completing my Rule 6 Law Clerkship under the supervision of Jerry M. Gray at Connolly Tacon & Meserve. What I find challenging about being a new/young lawyer is … I ’ m not your average “ live to litigate ” attorney, so a big challenge for me is lacking confidence in and/or constantly second - guessing your advice/strategy.
Some helpful advice received from a more experienced lawyer … Amat Victoria Curam – “ victory loves preparation ”.
If I wasn ’ t an attorney I ’ d be … working on my PhD in History/Political Science and teaching in post - secondary education.
The most memorable trip I ever took was … A Baltic cruise in 2018. Despite the current political climate, spending time in Russia was a significant highlight! It was such a surreal experience to tread the same cobblestones as Peter the Great, the Romanovs, Lenin, etc. and walk the corridors of Peterhof and the Winter Palace. The history, the sights, the food … everything! Also, the Russian people were incredibly gracious, and their hospitality lacked nothing.
(Continued on next page)
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Young Lawyer Spotlight, Continued
I enjoy reading … Historic non - fiction (primarily that of Tudor England and WWII -- European theatre).
My wellness routine includes … post - work visits to the driving range, making music with friends, journaling and blogging, and Sunday afternoon naps!
Nobody would ever suspect that I … have experience working cattle on ranches. Growing up in a small farming town gives you hidden talents in adulthood.
I am happiest when … I am traveling!! (I ’ m already planning a photo/conservation safari to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in September!)
My idea of misery is … working in sales or at customer service call center.
My favorite song right now is … Nothing too particular, but I ’ ve been in a Leon Bridges, Patrick Droney, and Bahamas phase lately. And I can always hang with other greats from past to present like, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, The Black Keys, Eagles, David Bowie, John Mayer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, City and Colour, Weezer, Elton John, Harry Styles, Khalid, JP Saxe, Frank Ocean … etc.
Three favorite places in Thurston County … Northpoint, the capitol grounds and gardens, and Boston Harbor
What you like about being a part of the TCBA … The opportunity to network in a tight - knit community
About Me: I was born and (mostly) raised in Northern California. I graduated from Capital High School in Olympia before studying at Cedarville University in Ohio. I was a Biology/Pre - Med major for my first two years in college. But my realism, often - dark and sarcastic humor, and inherent need to answer questions with “ well, it depends ” were a much better fit with the Political Science department. When outside of the office, you can find me spending time with my niece and nephews, visiting museums, playing fantasy baseball, attending sporting events (fan loyalties: San Francisco Giants, Vegas Golden Knights), checking out breweries/wineries, geeking out on politics and current events, refining my cooking and mixology skills, watching documentaries, hanging out with my adopted kitten, and absorbing bits of trivia along the way.
If you would like to be featured in the Young Lawyer Spotlight or know someone you would like your fellow lawyers to get to know, email Devin Kohr @ dkohr@bgwp.net
Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services needs YOU!
We are always looking for new volunteers to help give legal advice to low income individuals and families who are self - representing on civil matters. Most often these are family law and housing issues. We have mentors who will help you if these are not your practice areas. Contact Ryan Cole at TCVLS: 360 - 915 - 7488 or coordinator@tcvls.org
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News from the Washington State Law Library
. We ’ re Moving Soon (Temporarily)!
The move that we announced earlier this year is just around the corner. The Law Library will be moving to a temporary location in Tumwater while the Temple of Justice undergoes infrastructure renovations. Packing and transport of a portion of the library collection will happen over the summer months. To prepare for the move, we are making the following changes to library services until we are settled in our new building: Book Renewals and Checkouts: Starting May 20 th , we will not check out or renew books until we are moved into our new location in Tumwater. The last opportunity to check out books before we move will be during curbside hours on Thursday, May 19 th . Curbside Service: Starting May 24 th , Curbside Service will operate at the Temple of Justice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 - 1 for returns only . We cannot accept book returns at the Temple of Justice outside of curbside hours. If you are not able to return books during curbside hours, please contact the reference desk (360 - 357 - 2136) for additional return options. Research Services and Response Time: Reference staff is still available to answer legal research questions over the phone and via email. During this time of transition, reference staff may need additional time to answer requests as access to the collection may be limited. Contact us at 360 - 357 - 2136 or Library.Requests@courts.wa.gov.
We will post all relocation updates to our website (https://www.courts.wa.gov/library/) and social media channels.
Follow us on Social Media The State Law Library has joined social media! For library service updates, special events happening in the legal world, new blog posts and even a cheeky post or two from the reference staff, follow us on these platforms: Twitter (@walawlibrary); Facebook (@walawlibrary) and Linkedin. Our full social media policy is available on the law library website. (https://www.courts.wa.gov/library/? fa=library.displayAbout&fileID=dspPolicySocialMedia)
https://www.facebook.com/walawlibrary/ https://twitter.com/walawlibrary https://www.linkedin.com/company/washington - state - law - library
Upcoming Holiday Closures WSLL will be closed on the following holiday: May 30th (Monday): Memorial Day June 20 th (Monday): Juneteenth July 4 th (Monday): Independence Day
Contributed by Washington State Law Library reference staff.
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TCBA is on Facebook!!
WA LAW WATCH
Join the private TCBA group at the link below where you will see information about the TCBA events and CLEs:
www.walawwatch.com
https://www.facebook.com/ groups/810480342493440/
Tracking litigation that affects public policy in Washington
You can also “ like ” the TCBA public page at the link below, but we will only be posting limited events open to non - members on the public page: https://www.facebook.com/ thurstoncountybar/
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Williams, Wyckoff & Ostrander, PLLC
Interested in getting more involved in the TCBA? A great way get involved is to join the TCBA CLE Committee! Please contact Heather at tcba.info@gmail.com for more information.
We have spent over 30 years protecting injured workers in workers ’ compensation cases. Williams, Wyckoff & Ostrander, PLLC 2958 Limited Lane NW P.O. Box 316 Olympia, Washington 98507 Phone: 360.528.4800 Email: wwo@wwolaw.net Website: wwolaw.net
ADVERTISING IN THE LEGAL BRIEF
The cost for advertising is $264 for a full page, $132 for 1/2 page, $60 for 1/4 page and $30 for 1/8 page.
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We provide free consultations to injured workers and we welcome your referrals.
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ADVERTISING IN THE LEGAL BRIEF
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the Legal Brief ’ s Editorial Board.
For information on specs and to view past editions of the Legal Brief, visit our website:
The LEGAL BRIEF is published bi - monthly (January, March, May, September and November).
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The Legal Brief – Thurston County Bar Association
NEW! You can now pay for your advertising online!
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Section/Committee Announcements...
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SECTION
The next meeting is on June 15, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. on Zoom. The topic is reparations, and will discuss some of the points and issues raised during the 2022 Washington Supreme Court Symposium on Reparations for African Americans. The symposium is on June 1, 2022, from 8:30 – 12:45 via Zoom. The Link to the symposium is: https://www.courts.wa.gov/? fa=home.sub&org=mjc&layout=2. Hopefully some section members can attend but if not there will be a primer on the topic prior to the group discussion.
Meet the Diversity & Inclusion Section Co - Chairs ZELENA JONES JESSICA SHEN
Save the date: The Diversity & Inclusion section CLE is on July 20, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. on Zoom. The topic is the Bystander Intervention Training (CLE credit pending).
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Section/Committee Announcements, Continued
YOUNG LAWYER SECTION
The next meeting is on June 16, 2022. Details will be emailed to the Young Lawyer section members soon.
Meet the Young Lawyer Section Chair DEVIN KOHR
If you have any questions, please contact Devin Kohr at dkohr@bgwp.net
VISIT THE TCBA YOUNG LAWYER WEB PAGE HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Section/Committee Announcements, Continued
FAMILY LAW SECTION
Meetings are typically held on the second Tuesday of every month. Meetings are generally held at 12:10 p.m. via Zoom.
Meet the Family Law Section Chair MEREDITH GERHART
If you have any questions, please contact Meredith Gerhart at (360) 350 - 6505 or Meredith@gerhartlegal.com
VISIT THE TCBA FAMILY LAW SECTION WEB PAGE HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Section/Committee Announcements, Continued
REAL ESTATE, LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW SECTION
The next section meeting is on June 29, 2022. Time/location/format are TBD. Heather will send an email to the section members with details of the meeting soon.
Meet the Real Estate, Land Use & Env. Law Section Chair HEATHER BURGESS
If you have any questions, please contact Heather Burgess at hburgess@phillipsburgesslaw.com.
VISIT THE TCBA REAL ESTATE, LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECTION WEB PAGE
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Section/Committee Announcements, Continued
CRIMINAL LAW SECTION
The next meeting is on TBD. Information about the next meeting will be emailed to the section members soon.
Meet the new Criminal Law Section Co - Chairs OLIVIA ZHOU JENNA STORM NORDEN
If you have any questions, please contact Olivia Zhou at olivia.zhou@co.thurston.wa.us and Jenna Storm Norden at jenna.norden@co.thurston.wa.us
VISIT THE TCBA CRIMINAL LAW SECTION WEB PAGE HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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2022 Law Day Speech Contest
The TCBA held the preliminary round of the TCBA Law Day Speech Contest for high school students on April 20, 2022 on Zoom. The topic this year was “ Should governments have the ability to force vaccinations? ” Thank you to our panel of judges, Thurston County District Court Judge, the Honorable Sam Meyer, Patrick O ’ Connor and Matthew Rice, for judging the preliminary round. We had two participants, Ahna Rader and Meredith Morgan, who did an amazing job preparing and presenting their speeches for the preliminary round. Both of the speakers advanced to the finals which was held during a West Olympia Rotary Club meeting at Tugboat Annie ’ s on May 3, 2022.
The West Olympia Rotary Club selected three members from the audience to be judges during the final round. The two finalists did an amazing job presenting their speeches. After deliberation by the judges, first place was awarded to Ahna Rader, a senior at Timberline High School. Second place was awarded to Meredith Morgan, a sophomore at Capital High School. The TCBA presented scholarship money to each finalist ($1000 for first place and $800 for second place) and the West Olympia Rotary Club presented each of the finalists with a 1st and 2nd place plaque.
Photo above from left to right: Stephen Henderson, TCBA Member and West Olympia Rotary Club Member, Thomas Henderon, West Olympia Rotary Club President, Meredith Morgan, Ahna Rader, Patrick O ’ Connor, TCBA Member and Chair of the TCBA Law Day Speech Contest.
After the Law Day Speech Contest finals, the TCBA arranged to have a picture with Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson at the Thurston County Courthouse. Thank you, Honorable Judge Wilson, for taking the time to take pictures with the two finalists as well as share information with them about the court system and answer all of the questions they had.
Photo above from left to right: Michael Young, TCBA President - Elect, Ahna Rader, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson, Meredith Morgan, Stephen Henderson, TCBA Member and West Olympia Rotary Club
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TCBA & Other Upcoming Events
TCBA June Half Day CLE: June 13, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. on Zoom. Topic: “ The Ins and Outs of Child Support: A How to Guide to Reading Paystubs and Tax Returns, Calculating Deductions, and Drafting Orders ” presented by Jennifer Johnson, Attorney and Owner of JBJ Law Group, and Deanne Swanson, Attorney and Claims Officer at the Division of Child Support. Please register on the TCBA website: https://thurstoncountybar.com/event/tcba - half - day - cle - on - june - 13 - 2022 - from - 1 - 410 - p - m - on - zoom/ by June 12.
TCBA Annual Summer Barbecue: Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. at Burfoot Park. Bring your family and come enjoy some free food & games!
Save the date for the in - person TCBA fall Member CLE & Luncheons: September 23, October 21, November 4, and December 2. All in - person CLEs will be at Tugboat Annie ’ s starting at 12:00 p.m. (social 1/2 hour starts at 11:30 a.m.)
September 2022 Issue of the Legal Brief: The deadline to submit articles and advertisements for the September 2022 Legal Brief is August 18, 2022. Please email them to Heather Ligtenberg at tcba.info@gmail.com.
Volunteer at the Thurston County United Way Day of Caring: The TCBA plans to participate in the annual United Way Day of Caring in September. Stay tuned for more information.
Save the Date: The TCBA Annual Holiday Luncheon is on Friday, December 9, 2022, at Olympia Country & Golf Club at 12:00 p.m. More information to come at a later date.
Please refer to the “ News & Events ” section of our website for a full list of upcoming events: www.thurstoncountybar.com
ATTENTION MEMBERS
If you have not provided the TCBA with an email address you may be missing out on important notifications for CLE ’ s and social events. The Legal Brief is the only thing to be printed and mailed in an effort for the TCBA to work towards going green.
Please contact tcba.info@gmail.com if you have any questions. Also, please remember to notify us when you change your email address or change addresses.
We want to make sure you do not miss anything.
Benefits to Establishing a Link from the TCBA Website to your own Website
The TCBA website is accessible through the major search engines, so potential clients looking for an attorney in Thurston County can easily find you. You can provide potential clients with information about you and your practice in an inexpensive, efficient and professional manner. The website is linked from the WSBA website so attorneys from outside of Thurston County can easily find attorneys here for various cases.
It ’ s FREE, courtesy of TCBA as a benefit for being a TCBA member.
If you would like to include your weblink on the TCBA website, please let Heather Ligtenberg know at tcba.info@gmail.com
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CONGRATULATIONS to Commissioner Megan Card
who was sworn in on April 11, 2022, as a part - time Commissioner at the Thurston County Superior Court.
Commissioner Card will be doing the Involuntary Treatment Act calendars.
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Dixie Cattell & Associates, LLC
Let us handle all your court reporting needs. We provide prompt, high - quality transcripts and professional service. Zoom Video Conference or in - person depositions following State of Washington Covid - 19 Guidelines. Call 360 - 352 - 2506 or email us at: dcatell@comcast.net to schedule your next deposition.
Certified Court Reporters
• Depositions/Arbitrations/Interviews
Online Scheduling
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• Complimentary Conference Rooms • Electronic PDF Transcripts • Experienced Legal Videographers • Hyperlinked Exhibits • Online Transcript Repository
There are several ways to handle exhibits with Zoom.
Options include emailing hem to all participants and using screen share or other Zoom features. We will consult with you prior to your deposition to assist with the method that works best for you.
If you are interested in contributing a column to one of our Legal Brief Newsletters, we want to hear from you!!
Funny, interesting, educational or even controversial articles written by our TCBA members are always welcome.
Please submit to tcba.info@gmail.com
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“ In Re: Rob Hatfield ”
1. Name and year admitted to Bar: Robert Hatfield, 2008
2. Areas you practice in: In my civilian job, I work primarily on environmental, agricultural, land use, and natural resource issues as non - partisan counsel to two committees in the Washington House of Representatives. I'm also a JAG in the Washington Air National Guard, and in that role my practice includes military justice, cyber law, and advising commanders on providing National Guard support to civilian authorities in response to natural and man - made disasters. 3. I became a lawyer because . . . I think my desire to become a lawyer came in two phases. First, there was the less considered phase when I was a kid and I was constantly analyzing and debating issues, and enough people told me I should become a lawyer that I just kind of internalized it without thinking too deeply about it. But then the more considered phase of wanting to be a lawyer came when I was in college and I be- gan to better understand the good that lawyers can do in terms of helping people to solve and prevent complex problems on a huge variety of topics. 4. The hardest part of being a lawyer is . . . My greatest moments of stress as a lawyer have come when I was repre- senting a client in litigation, and I had a good idea of what I thought the right result should be for my client, but I did- n't know if I would be able to get my client to that result. So, the hardest part of being a lawyer for me is acknowledg- ing that uncertainty is one of the fundamental elements of what it means to be a lawyer. 5. I would give this advice to a first - year law student: I'd recommend talking to as many lawyers in as many differ- ent practice areas as you can in order to get a sense of what sounds good to you, and what doesn't, and then figure out what things you need to be doing in law school in order to put yourself on the best path toward the type of law practice you'd like to find yourself in. For some types of practice, what you do in law school may not matter that much, but for some types of practice, it matters quite a lot. 6. Traits I admire in other attorneys: Besides the fundamental traits of kindness and decency, I really admire the ability to compartmentalize - the ability to go one from project or obligation or client to another without letting the stress or demands of the one thing spill over to the other thing. I certainly haven't got that mastered yet, but I'm working on it. (Continued on next page)
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“ In Re: Rob Hatfield ” Continued
7. If I were not practicing law, I would be . . . If I weren't a lawyer, I'd like to be either a forester or a land use planner. In both of those jobs, you're talking with people about their goals and values, and helping them to use those goals and values to put together plans that will have effects many decades into the future. In some ways that's not so different from being a lawyer, but there are some tangible / physical aspects to those other professions that seem like they'd be pretty satisfying.
8. What is the first thing you will do when you retire? Walk from place to place, meet people, get in adventures.
9. If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future? Why? Right now, I'd like to travel back in time. Specifically, I'd like to travel back to the Reconstruction era in the United States, roughly 1865 to 1877. I've read about that era, but I think it would be fascinating to live through that time and see what the day - to - day events and issues and attitudes were that made up that time of tremendous upheaval in the U.S. 10. What words of wisdom would you pass on to your childhood self? Probably about the same things I try to say to my sons every morning when they get on their bikes to ride to school: be good, be great, be kind, have fun, learn lots. 11. What words of wisdom would you give to a young lawyer new to the profession? It's along the lines of what someone told me when I started working for the Legislature: the legislative process is big enough and complex enough that there's not really any one person who has the whole thing figured out, so the important thing to do is to talk to a number of different people to get their perspective on what's happening, and then use those perspectives to develop your own perspective. I think the practice of law is like that: there are often a lot of different courses of action your client *could* pursue, and it can be hard as just one person to know all the pros and cons of each of those options. To deal with that, I recommend developing a group of other lawyers whose judgment you trust that you can call up (withing the bounds of attorney - client privilege, of course) and kind of kick ideas around with to figure out what makes the most sense for your client.
Brief synopsis of Robert Hatfield, his personal life, his work life, and any special awards or activities.
My name is Rob Hatfield and I live in Olympia with my wife Katy (who is an Assistant Attorney General and who I met in law school - law school relationships matter!), and my sons, Sawyer and Anson. I grew up in Northern California, graduated from Humboldt State University where I served as student body president, served in the Coast Guard Reserve during college and after, and moved to Washington to attend law school at the University of Washington. I've lived and worked in Washington ever since, except for one glorious year when Katy and I did judicial clerkships in Alaska. I'm a Senior Counsel with the Office of Program Research at the Washington House of Representatives and the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate of the 194th Wing of the Washington Air National Guard.
Contact information (work phone and email):
Rob Hatfield, 360 - 786 - 7117, robert.hatfield@leg.wa.gov
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Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services
Spring Fundraising Campaign: There ’ s still time to give! Due to COVID - 19 restrictions, TCVLS moved our annual fundraising breakfast to an online campaign for the third year in a row. If you haven ’ t already donated, please consider giving to TCVLS. www.tcvls.org/donate Special thanks to Justice Helen Whitener for being our guest speaker at our program on Monday, May 5 th ! She talked about how civil legal aid is to the marginalized in our community. We owe special thanks to retired Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch for sharing the history of civil legal aid and TCVLS in our community and her thoughts about justice and supporting organizations like TCVLS.
Platinum $1,500 Althauser Rayan Abbarno, LLP Budd Bay Law, P.S. Hillier, Scheibmeir, Kelly, & Satterfield, P.S. Olympia Federal Savings Tephra Law
Gold $1,000 Law Offices of Harold Carr Ingram Zelasko & Goodwin
William (Bill) Pope Zittel's Marina, Inc.
Silver $750 PWR Law, PLLC
Bronze $500 Bean Gentry Wheeler & Peternell Berschauer Mediation Cascadia Law Group
Connolly Tacon and Meserve Fuller & Fuller Attorneys, PLLC Halpern Olivares Law, Lyman, Daniel, Kamerrer & Bogdanovich, P.S. Meyer Law Office Morris Sockle, PLLC Phillips Burgess PLLC Pitman Huff Raedel Magaro Lifetime Legal, PLLC Putnam & Lieb, Inc., P.S. J. Patrick Quinn, Attorney at Law Swanson Law Firm THANKS TO THE THURSTON COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION FOR SUPPORTING TCVLS!
You can see all the video from the program at our website: www.tclvs.org
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS:
Diamond $2,500
Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU)
Church Rietzke Johnson, PLLC and Rehah Blair Rietzke Family Foundation
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TCBA Annual Meeting & Dinner
Friday, May 13, 2022 was an eventful evening for the TCBA at the Olympia Country & Golf Club. The evening started with appetizers and socializing while listening to a variety of music selected by the Daniel Bigelow Award recipient, Terry Church.
During the business meeting, the membership voted in a new executive team for 2022 - 2023 and two new board members and some proposed Bylaw amendments were approved by the membership. A financial report was provided by our current Treasurer, John Kesler, and approved by the membership. After the business meeting, Geoff Hulsey, TCBA President, started the presentation portion of the evening including the celebration of Terry Church, who was selected as the 2022 Daniel Bigelow Award recipient! Terry gave a heartfelt speech to the members in attendance. Congratulations to Terry for this well deserved award! Thank you for your dedication to the legal profession and for volunteering in our community. The presentations ended with the Geoff introducing Michael Young as the incoming TCBA President for the 2022 - 2023 year. Michael then thanked Geoff for all of his hard work and dedication as the TCBA President this past year and presented him with a TCBA President plaque.
Big News...Parrot Head Judge and TCBA Presidents Claim Trivia Championship
About twenty participants on four teams closed down the bar after the annual Bar Association dinner and competed for Talking Cedar gift cards in a battle of wits …. or, more accurately, a battle of who possesses the most useless knowledge. In the end, the team with the most judges proved they had the most useless knowledge. Congratulations to Sam Meyer, Dan Berschauer and Phyllis (half credit to the couple for leaving early), Geoff Hulsey, and Michael and Alicia Young. The team of judges, incoming and outgoing TCBA Presidents, and better halves triumphed over: Church - Rietzke & friends; Johnson, Johnson, and King; and Connolly Crew plus one. It was not even close in the end thanks to some creative counting by the winning team—they claimed they needed more time to add up their score midway through the contest while other teams announced their tallies. Leave it to lawyers to need more time to count to thirty - something. The winning team never looked back after deciding they were in the lead and they successfully answered over two - thirds of the questions correctly throughout the course of the night. Question topics included Seattle Sports Star Nicknames, TV Show Characters, Song Lyrics, National Parks Facts, College Mascots, and Best Picture Quotes. Athlete nicknames (all from pro sports) proved to be the easiest category with college mascots among the toughest (very few could identify the Purple Aces, Gauchos, and/or Jaspers). Song lyrics was one of the more fun categories with Sam Meyer pointing out the lyrics read for a Jimmy Buffet song were from a live version and the trivia announcer butchering a couple tunes (and one singer ’ s name … sorry Adele, not pronounced add - a - lye). The teams battled for just over an hour through nine rounds of questions; ten questions per round with a bonus question here and there. Some contestants were ready to throw in the towel early, but others wanted more. Perhaps TCBA will schedule a future trivia event that is not at the tail end of a social hour plus dinner meeting. And next time, we ’ ll have a dedicated scorekeeper.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the TCBA Annual Meeting and for joining in on the fun Trivia games!
TCBA Financial Review by John Kesler, TCBA Treasurer:
As of April 30, 2022, the TCBA checking account had $20,893.82. We have $12,937.79 in CDs. Total in the bank = $33,831.61
On April 30, 2021 we had $22,868.98. • Advertising income is up approx. $1700 this year compared to the same time last year; • Monthly lunch CLEs are better attended this year now that COVID restrictions have eased; and • We ’ ve saved some money on the newsletter because our subscription to create an electronic version is less than printing and mailing fees.
However, the current difference is misleading because it shows most of the money we ’ ve collected for tonight ’ s dinner, but does not reflect the costs. We have a healthy organization from a financial perspective driven by member dues, newsletter advertising, and CLE attendance. We have a budget of about $33,000.00 and with membership participation and contribution are able to put together CLE programming, plan events, make donations to the community, and award prizes to high school students in the Law Day speech contest to name a few things.
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TCBA Swearing in Ceremony
Devin Kohr, the TCBA Young Lawyer Section Chair, organized the first in - person swearing - in ceremony since the pandemic started in March 2020.
On April 22, 2022, at 4:00 p.m., Thurston County Superior Court Judge, the Honorable Indu Thomas presided over the swearing in of three new attorneys, Peter Lindgren, Chelsea Sabella and Faith Foote, who recently passed the bar exam.
Congratulations to the three new attorneys!
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Washington State Bar Association Thurston County Local Hero Award
Congratulations to Heidi Raedel Magaro for being selected as the WSBA Local Hero Award recipient for Thurston County from the TCBA!! Click here to hear Heidi Raedel Magaro ’ s Thank you video. The official WSBA Press Release for Ms. Raedel Magaro is on the following page. Congratulations to Alan Anderson, who was selected by the Government Lawyers Bar Association, received the Local Hero Award for Thurston County too.
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