Criminal defense & related practice areas ~ Seattle & Western Washington
Formal education.
B.A., with Distinction, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1977,
J.D., University of Washington School of Law, 1983.
Professional experience.
I began practicing law on a limited basis as a law student intern in the summer of 1982, in a Seattle public defense office. As an intern, under the supervision of fully admitted attorneys, I represented people charged with misdemeanor offenses. My interning continued until I was myself fully admitted to practice, at the first opportunity after my graduation from law school. By the end of 1983, I had also been admitted to practice in the local federal courts, the U.S. District Court for Western Washington and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
After admission, I continued working as a public defender in state and local courts in Seattle and King County. Beginning as a staff attorney, I went on to become a supervisor of other lawyers, and, ultimately, to broader management roles in my office. In 1997, I left public defense for private practice. Since then, I have been mostly in private practice as a solo practitioner. Throughout my career, I have always continued my concentration or emphasis on criminal defense work.
I have experienced the gamut of
criminal defense and related legal work. I have appeared for the defense in both trials and appeals, representing both adults and juveniles, and in matters ranging in seriousness from speeding tickets -- which, strictly speaking, do not even rise to the level of criminal offenses -- to aggravated first-degree murder, with the death penalty in issue. An incomplete list of case-types in which I have appeared for the defense would include:
- organized-crime
prosecutions (federal RICO conspiracy)
- alien smuggling (again, federal jurisdiction)
- murder and other homicide (for example, manslaughter)
- DUI, reckless driving, hit & run, and other criminal traffic matters
- speeding and other non-criminal traffic matters
- assault and other violent offenses
- fisheries & wildlife offenses
- prostitution and promoting prostitution
- domestic violence, including violation of no-contact and anti-harassment orders
- rape, incest, and other sexually-motivated offenses
- drug cases, including possession and trafficking
- robbery, armed and otherwise
- firearms offenses
- arson, reckless burning and property destruction
- burglary, both residential and commercial
- theft and fraud, including "white-collar" crimes
- purely regulatory offenses (for example, doing business as a contractor without the required state license and bond)
- crime-related asset forfeiture (federal)
Over the years, my fellow lawyers have occasionally honored me with leadership roles in bar organizations. These have included the Washington State Bar Association (past member, Rules of Professional Conduct Committee) the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (past chapter president), and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (for two years, I chaired the Legislative Lobbying Committee, a joint project with the Washington Defender Association). My other professional affiliations have included the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Washington Defender Association, and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
Back on the academic side, I have organized and been a featured speaker at professional seminars for my fellow lawyers. By their kind invitations, I have also judged mock trial, moot court, and client counseling competitions at several law schools.
Current practice.
I am in private practice, continuing my focus on criminal defense work, and operating as a solo practitioner -- when you hire me, you do not wind up with a junior associate, you get me. I am available in all of the case-types mentioned above.
My geographic territory currently extends up and down the I-5 corridor, routinely including all courts in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. In appropriate cases, I might travel (and have traveled) north as far as Bellingham and south as far as Olympia.
I work from my home, maintaining a virtual office by means of conveniences such as the internet, the laptop computer, the cellular phone, and a private mail box. In this way, I have been successful in keeping my overhead and expenses quite low. In turn, I am able to offer very competitive rates in most cases, particularly considering the level of experience I have to offer.
