Choices Conference

Melissa received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 2002 with a major in Political Science. After taking a year off to work full-time at a general practice law firm in the Seattle area, she attended Seattle University School of Law. During law school, she served as the president of the Hispanic Organization for Legal Advancement and was a staff member on the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. During this time, she also worked with national minority voting rights expert Professor Joaquin Avila on an article involving noncitizen voting rights and the First amendment’s right to petition clause, which will be published in the Stanford Journal for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. She also wrote a policy brief on noncitizen voting rights in the Los Angeles area, which will be published in the UCLA’s Chicano Law Review. Melissa was born in Santa Clara, CA in 1980 and spent most of her childhood in Gilroy, CA. As a teenager, her family moved to Federal Way, where she continues to reside. Melissa is currently a staff attorney for the non-profit organization, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, visiting detained individuals at the Northwest detention center, providing know-your-rights presentations and direct representation on certain cases. Her current activities include community advocacy, choir, piano, and spending time with her baby-Kitty Gus and her new nephew.

Bill Bailey is a partner in the Seattle firm of Fury Bailey. Mr. Bailey has taught trial practice at the University of Washington School of Law since 1993 and pretrial practice at Seattle University School of law since 2006. He is a past chair of the Disciplinary Board of WSBA and currently serves as a hearing officer for disciplinary matters. He was one of the recipients of the WSTLA "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award" in 1991, is in "The Best Lawyers In America” and was the National Law Journal's Litigator of the Month in October 2002. Seattle Magazine and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine have named him one of "Seattle's Top Lawyers" and he has been one of the top “Superlawyers" in Washington Law & Politics every year since 2001. Mr. Bailey earned his J.D. degree at Northwestern University School of Law and his undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon.

Ms. Bremner has been a trial attorney for 23 years and is a litigation shareholder in Stafford Frey Cooper. Ms. Bremner received her B.A. in Medieval History (with Honors) from Stanford University in 1980 and was awarded her J.D. in December, 1982 from Seattle University. She is a former judicial law clerk and was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Criminal Division of the King County Prosecutor's Office specializing in sex crimes from 1983 to 1988. Since entering private practice, she has represented the Seattle Police, Bellevue Police, Tacoma Police, Des Moines Police and other police departments and officers, and also priests and judges in civil and criminal trials. Ms. Bremner is a member of the American, Washington State and Seattle-King Bar Associations. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association, and is a past member of the State Board of Directors (and Director of Media Relations) for Washington Women Lawyers.

Gil Brewer is currently the legislative liaison for Washington State Department of Revenue. He works with legislators, their staffs, and the Governor’s Office to advocate the Department’s position on all legislation with tax impacts. As the Department’s representative, Gil also plays a crucial role each budget cycle, as the tax collections forecast is a major component that is used to determine of how much money the state has to pay for programs throughout the biennium. Since graduating from the University of Maine School of Law in 1984, Gil has worked for many government agencies in Maine; Hawaii; Kosrae, Micronesia; and here in Washington State. He was a Deputy Prosecutor for the Hawaii County Prosecutor’s Office. The majority of his career has been spent in the legislative/political realm. He has held positions as a nonpartisan committee staffer and Counsel to the Majority Leader for the Main State Legislature, was a Hearing Examiner and Legislative Liaison for the Maine Public Utilities Commission, and most recently was legislative counsel for the Kosrae State Legislature in Micronesia. Gil is married and has four children. Don’t tell the Seahawks, but he is also rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fan!

Commissioner Henry Cruz is an Associate Attorney practicing immigration law at Rios Cantor, P.S., in Seattle, WA. Prior to that, he was the Project Coordinator at Volunteer Advocates for Immigrant Justice, a Seattle-based joint pro bono project of Microsoft Corp. and the American Bar Association. He was also the Coordinating Attorney at the Political Asylum Project of Austin, a non-profit in Austin, TX, providing legal services to immigrants and refugees in Central Texas. He has also served on the Board of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington as Co-VP of Membership and Services and Co-Chair of its Immigration Committee. He currently serves on the Pro Bono Committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.

Christopher Davis is passionately devoted to advancing and perfecting trial techniques and communication strategies on behalf of injured victims. In pursuit of his mission to help accident victims, Mr. Davis has won numerous and notable jury verdicts against individuals insured by big insurance companies such as Allstate, Farmers, Encompass, State Farm and Mutual of Enumclaw. He is recognized by his peers, and various professional organizations and legal publications as being a very creative and accomplished lawyer in the field of personal injury law today. Mr. Davis has been recognized as a “Rising Star Attorney” and a “Super Lawyer” in consecutive years by the legal publication Washington Law & Politics. He has also been listed by WLP in ‘Who’s Who in Personal Injury Law’ (The top 40 PI attorneys in Washington). In 2007, Mr. Davis was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. In 2008, Mr. Davis was recognized as a lawyer in the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Washington State” by the American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Davis was actively involved in helping to pass the pro-consumer insurance legislation known as Referendum 67 last November (the law is now known as the Insurance Fair Conduct Act or IFCA). Mr. Davis has also authored and published a consumer-rights book, The Ten Biggest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Washington Accident Case, and has also authored dozens of articles and reports to help accident victims. Mr. Davis received his law degree in 1993 from the University of Oregon. He received his Business Administration & Finance Degree from the University of Washington in 1989. He is married with two children.

Brendan is in the fourth generation of his family to make Seattle home and a second-generation Seattle Seahawks season-ticket holder. Brendan's political experience ranges from communications and international policy work for the United Nations to consulting and directing federal and local campaigns. Brendan has consulted with the Seattle Office of Economic Development and has performed legal work for the Ronald Petersen Law Clinic, the Access to Justice Institute, and the General Counsel for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. He is a board member of the King County Conservation Voters and the Renton / Skyway Boys and Girls Club. Brendan was the valedictorian of Santa Clara University and received his law degree, with honors, from Seattle University in 2007.

Mr. Fain is a recent Seattle University Law School and Albers School of Business Alumni and currently serves as Chief of Staff in King County for Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer in District 7. Mr. Fain is the Director of Staff and Policy for the 200,000 residents of Council District 7, including the communities of Federal Way, Pacific, Algona, and portions of Auburn, Kent, Milton, Covington, Black Diamond, and unincorporated Enumclaw. Joe has previously been a judicial aide for the Honorable Wesley Saint Clair and legislative aide to councilmember Julia Patterson.

Dave Green is Associate General Counsel to Corbis Corporation, a leader in visual media and rights clearance solutions. His practice includes licensing and exploitation of digital media, brands, rights and music clearances, and licensing, representation, and enforcement of iconic personalities and properties such as the Playboy Archives, and the estates of Albert Einstein, Andy Warhol, Steve McQueen, and the Wright Brothers. Dave works closely with top music, film, television, talent, and branded media companies including Universal, Disney, MGM, Fox, and others to license media and related rights used in products, advertising, and promotions on behalf of Corbis clients, including Hallmark, Sony Computer, and Hasbro. Dave is active in legislative efforts benefiting copyright owners and personality estates, serves on the U.S. Copyright Society's Executive Committee, and chairs its Northwest chapter. Dave also co-teaches the University of Washington’s Program in IP Management, and speaks frequent around the country on intellectual property issues. He is a 1996 graduate magna cum laude of Seattle University School of Law and received his BA from University of California, Irvine.

Barbara A. Isenhour has practiced law for over 33 years, focusing on the legal issues facing the elderly and disabled persons of all ages. She is recognized for her scholarship in the area of government benefits and special needs trusts and regularly speaks to professionals on issues in these areas of law. She received her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 1973. She is a member of the Special Needs Alliance. Barbara was selected as one of the city’s best attorneys in Seattle Magazine for three years and has been selected as a "Super Lawyer" in Law and Politics Magazine for the past five years.

Robert Kayihura is a transactional attorney at Microsoft Corporation, where he structures, drafts, and negotiates licensing, distribution, marketing, and other agreements for domestic and international Original Equipment Manufacturers. Bob previously worked for the law firm of Lane Powell in the Seattle office as an associate in the Complex Litigation and Commercial Litigation Practice Groups and as an assistant to the Assistant United States Trade Representative for Africa, in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Bob has also worked at Safeco Corporation as a systems analyst and at IBM as a software testing team leader. He is admitted to practice in Washington. Bob received his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, and his B.A. from Brigham Young University. Bob speaks fluent Kinyarwanda and Swedish.

Matthew King is a Seattle lawyer with Wershow & Ritter, Inc. His practice emphasizes complex civil and criminal litigation, including construction defect, environmental, land use, real estate, personal injury, and commercial litigation. Mr. King is a member of the King County, Washington State, and American Bar Associations and a member of the ABA's Construction Litigation Committee. He is also a member of American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects. He is co-author of Washington Practice: Environmental Law and Practice and the sole author of the Washington Practice: Construction law and Practice (Forthcoming 2008). Mr. King is a contributing author for the King County Bar Bulletin. He has written articles for the American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, and the Nation's Restaurant News. Mr. King was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He received his B.A. in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Washington and his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

Karen Koehler is a partner with the plaintiff personal injury firm of Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Coluccio, Seattle office. Karen is president of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association and was its 2005 Trial Lawyer of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at trial lawyer associations around the country and for the American Association of Justice. She is an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law. Karen has written several nationally published books by Thompson West including Litigating Major Automobile Injury and Death Cases. She graduated from the former UPS School of Law in 1985 and has three teenage daughters.

Bill is the Executive Director of the Conflict Resolution, Research and Resource Institute, Inc. With CRI Board Member Polly Davis, he is the Co Founder of the “International Coalition of Concerned Mediators”, currently comprised of over 1,000+ mediators within fifty nations. These organizations provide direct intervention services, coaching, and new program development for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. His professional experiences include direct intervention in riots within adult correctional institutions, public school desegregation crisis, Native American affairs, environmental disputes, and internal corporate affairs. Bill’s international experience is extensive: preparing the Sandinistas and the political opposition UNO for Nicaragua’s transitional government negotiations; preparing and providing impartial coaching for all parties in the UN mediated Guatemala Peace Process; serving as co founder and co director of the fourteen year old St. Petersburg based Russian-American Program on Conflictology; unifying a fractionated Solidarity in Poland; developing a professional standard of competency for mediation interveners with the Helsinki Human Rights Foundation; working since 2002 in Khartoum Sudan with Christian and Islamic factions; and since 2004 working in Afghanistan with a coalition of former “war lords.” Bill was one of the nine Federal Commissioners on the "U.S. Commission to Hear and Examine Proposals for the National Academy for Peace and Conflict Resolution” which resulted in Congress establishing the United States Institute of Peace. He is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards in the professions of negotiation and mediation: the 2003 annual Master Forum Award by the Straus Center for Dispute Resolution of Pepperdine University’s School of Law, and the 2004 annual Award of Excellence by the International Academy of Mediators. Bill’s federal clients include the Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Department of Personnel. For many years he has served as adjunct faculty at Federal Executive Institute as well as the Navy Post Graduate School, and he is a former faculty member of Harvard University.

Mark Lindquist was born and raised in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington, then transferred to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After graduating, he worked as a copy writer for a movie studio. His first novel, "Sad Movies," was based on this experience. Newsday called it, "perceptive and hilarious ... one of the best sketches about a young man's attempt to find himself since 'The Graduate.'" It became a bestseller for Atlantic Monthly Press and was published in six languages. The press began referring to him as one of the "Literary Brat Pack." He wrote screenplays for several studios. He also wrote book reviews for the Los Angeles Times Book Review, New York Times Book Review, and the Seattle Times, as well as articles for Details, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Movieline, and other publications. Mark Lindquist's second novel, "Carnival Desires," also published by AMP, chronicled his Hollywood experience. Shortly thereafter, he moved back to the Northwest and went to law school. In 1995 he became a prosecuting attorney. In 2004 Mark Lindquist became the trial team chief of the drug unit for the Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County, the epicenter of methamphetamine production on the west coast. He is also one of the attorneys prosecuting the Tacoma mall shooter, Dominick Maldonado. Mark lives in Tacoma. His fourth novel, "The King of Methlehem," will be published by Simon & Schuster in May of 2007.

Eric Liu is the author of Guiding Lights: How to Mentor - and Find Life's Purpose, the Official Book of National Mentoring Month. He is also the author of The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race, and he edited the Norton anthology Next: Young American Writers on the New Generation. His most recent book, co-authored with Nick Hanauer, is The True Patriot. Eric served as a speechwriter for President Clinton in the first term and as White House deputy domestic policy adviser in the second. After the White House, he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks. He's also been a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC. In 2002, Eric was named by the World Economic Forum one of the 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow." He lives in Seattle, where he teaches at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs and hosts an acclaimed television interview program called Seattle Voices. In addition to organizing the annual Guiding Lights Weekend, Eric speaks regularly at conferences, corporations and campuses around the country. He also serves on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the Washington State Board of Education, the Seattle Public Library, Demos, and the League of Education Voters.

William Marler is an accomplished personal injury and products liability attorney. He began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, in her $15.6 million settlement. Mr. Marler has focused his practice on representing individuals, mostly children, in litigation resulting from food-contamination, and has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak across the country. Mr. Marler has also represented children in litigation after they became ill from exposure to contaminated water and infected farm animals. Marler Clark is currently involved in litigation resulting from a Cryptosporidium outbreak at a spray park in central New York. Mr. Marler travels several days per month, speaking to food industry groups, fair associations, and public health groups about the litigation of claims resulting from outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the issues surrounding it. He is married and has three daughters. He is a board member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers, a member of the board of directors of Bainbridge Youth Services, a former regent at Washington State University, and a member of the Children's Hospital Circle of Care.

Nick Mitchell currently works for Media Tech Law Group, a downtown boutique firm specializing in strategic advice and creative solutions to clients in the intersecting fields of media, entertainment, technology and online services. Nick’s practice focuses on strategic business development and negotiation and licensing of online media content. Prior to joining MTLG, Nick was an Intellectual Property Licensing Manager with Microsoft Game Studios, where he focused on negotiating and drafting in-bound copyright and trademark licenses with national and multi-national corporations for video game project development and marketing. Additionally, he oversaw Microsoft Game Studios' music strategy and worked on such franchises as Halo, Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing. His gamertag is warehouse23k. While in law school at SU, Nick was a legal extern for the Corbis Corporation in its copyright enforcement legal team and was an intern for Federal Magistrate Judge, the Honorable Monica J. Benton. Prior to law school, Nick was co-owner of a music events and promotion company in Seattle.

John Monahan is a principal of the international law firm of Monaghan & Biagi, P.L.L.C., and has responsibility for the firm’s international tax and corporate practice. His practice includes international trade, structuring for investment in the U.S. and abroad, estate planning, U.S. and international tax planning and complex corporate transactions. He has extensive experience representing clients in the areas of corporate and international law with an emphasis in international taxation. In addition to his law degree, he was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant and holds a degree as a Master of Laws (in taxation). After serving as the international tax specialist for the Northwest region for the accounting firm of Touche Ross& Co., he practiced at the law firm of Carney, Stephenson, Badley, Smith, Mueller & Spellman, P.S., where he was the Managing Partner and principal lawyer in charge of the fifty lawyer law firm. In addition to experience in Canada and in the Caribbean Islands, Mr. Monahan has worked with many enterprises in Asia and Europe in the areas of international taxation. He has an extensive network of contacts in Canada, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe to assist in developing and structuring corporate transactions and tax planning. Mr. Monahan was the Founding Chairman of the Seattle International Tax Roundtable, and is past Chairman of the International Law Section of the Seattle King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association. He has taught many seminars in the U.S. and abroad where he has lectured on international taxation and import/export transactions. Mr. Monahan holds degrees from Seattle University, B.C.S., magna cum laude, 1968; Gonzaga University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1974; New York University School of Law, L.L.M. cum laude, 1975.

Rajiv Nagaich is an attorney licensed to practice in Washington. He is a 2002 graduate of Seattle University Law School, where he graduated cum laude and is currently an adjunct professor of law. He received a Bachelors Degree from Government College in India and is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Business Law at the University of Washington. Rajiv is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the South King County Bar Association, the Pierce County Bar Association, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. With 20 years in the insurance and financial service industry, he has achieved distinction as a Certified Insurance Counselor.

Shankar Narayan is Policy Director at Hate Free Zone, a Seattle-based organization that advances the fundamental principles of democracy and justice at the local, state and national levels by building power within immigrant communities, in collaboration with key allies. Shankar's role at Hate Free Zone puts him on the frontlines of the immigrant rights struggle on a daily basis. Shankar currently serves on the City of Seattle's Immigrant and Refugee Advisory Board, and formerly co-chaired the steering committee of the Detention Watch Network, a national coalition of organizations and individuals working to reform the U.S. immigration detention system. Shankar is past president and a board member of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, a board member of the Asian Bar Association of Washington, and formerly co-chaired the Ethnic Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee of the King County Bar Association. Shankar was previously with Preston Gates and Ellis LLP (now K&L Gates), where he built a practice in technology and intellectual property law. Shankar’s work experience includes stints at the ACLU’s Drug Policy Litigation Project, the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre in New Delhi, and Lawyers for Human Rights in Pretoria, South Africa, as well as clinical experience in federal court. Shankar holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a B.S. in Economics from Bates College. Shankar was born in the former Soviet Union, grew up in the U.S., the Maldives, India, the former Yugoslavia, Thailand, and Russia, and enjoys climbing, travel, and writing.

Professor Laurel Currie Oates has been the director of Seattle University’s Legal Writing Program since 1984 and is one of the co-founders of the Legal Writing Institute. With Professor Anne Enquist, Professor Oates has authored five books on legal writing: The Legal Writing Handbook, which is in its fourth edition; Just Memos, Just Briefs, and Just Writing, which are in the second edition; and Just Research. Professor Oates has also authored numerous law review articles, including articles on legal reading, writing to learn, the transfer of learning, and the outsourcing of legal work. During the spring semester 2007, Professor Oates worked in India, Uganda, and South Africa, providing workshops on effective writing for judges, magistrates, attorneys, and law students. In June 2007, Professor Oates received the Burton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

Karen Pillar is a staff attorney with TeamChild, a civil legal services agency representing youth 12 to 18 years old, addresses the underlying causes of juvenile delinquency by advocating for education, mental & medical health services, safe living situations and other supports. Karen has been with TeamChild since 2001. She started the Snohomish County office and then after four years in Snohomish County, transferred to the King County office. Prior to TeamChild, Karen advocated for abused and neglected children with a CASA program in Pennsylvania and with Washington State CASA. She has advocated for homeless youth in Pittsburgh and children of domestic violence in Denver, CO. She received her law degree from Duquesne University School of Law in her hometown, Pittsburgh, PA. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Price currently serves as counsel to the Democratic Caucus for the Washington State House of Representatives’ Judiciary and Environmental Health Committees. He advises committee members regarding policy implications and helps draft and amend proposed legislation. In addition, Mr. Price meets regularly with citizens to address concerns regarding proposed legislation. Previously, Mr. Price was a law clerk for the Honorable Christine Quinn-Brintnall in the Washington State Court of Appeals. He has also been a part-time lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law and has taught Family Law, Mental Health and Law and Legal Issues at Beginning and End of Life seminars.

Mr. Robinson is a founding partner at Gall Robinson & Associates, a firm that offers a full range of proven conflict avoidance and resolution services to organizations and businesses. He is an experienced mediator and arbitrator who specializes in labor and employment disputes, and he regularly volunteers with King County Interlocal Conflict Resolution Group. Mr. Robinson is committed to addressing conflict within the workplace through education and the development and implementation of individualized dispute resolution systems. Mr. Robinson got his J.D. from Northwestern College of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. He went on to serve as General Counsel for the Port of Portland District, and represented the Port before regulatory agencies and legislative bodies. Additionally, he represented the Port in all labor matters including negotiations in all collective bargaining agreements. Since leaving the Port, he has been President and CEO of several companies, and has served on numerous boards of directors.

Lawrence Schwerin, a Walla Walla native and graduate of the University of Washington Law School where he served as an editor of the Washington Law Review (1966-1968), is coordinating partner of Schwerin Campbell Barnard & Iglitzin LLP. His practice, spanning over 35 years, focuses on litigation for individuals as well as unions. Mr. Schwerin also arbitrates and mediates employment disputes and lectures on employment and labor law issues. He is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and listed in numerous editions of The Best Lawyers in America. He is a member of the Washington State Trial Lawyer's Association, the King County Labor Law Section, the National and Washington Employment Lawyers Associations, is past chair of the King County Bar Association's Pacific Coast Labor Law Conference planning committee, and serves on the WSBA Labor & Employment Law Section executive committee.

Erin Shea is an Equal Justice Works fellow at the Seattle office of Columbia Legal Services, a nonprofit organization employing lawyers and legal workers who provide legal assistance to low-income and special needs people and organizations in Washington. The long-term goals of Erin’s project are to establish a system of adequate court representation for all Washington’s foster youth; facilitate full participation of stakeholders in all geographic regions of the state in the foster care reform process; and publish and disseminate a foster youth rights handbook. At Seattle University School of Law, Erin served as President of the Public Interest Law Foundation, as an Article Editor with the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, and participated in the Youth Advocacy Clinic at Seattle University School of Law, representing accused juveniles at various court stages, including detention hearings, motion hearings, trial and sentencing.

Nadine Shiroma has worked in finance administration and financial systems development at the University of Hawai`i, the University of Washington, and Symetra Financial (formerly SAFECO Life Insurance Company). She focuses on community projects that are innovative and transformative. Nadine co-founded Eastside Asian Pacific Islanders and the Institute for Community Involvement to encourage civic involvement in local communities. She is also a founding member of ROAR -- Raising Our Asian Pacific American Representation – -which has coordinated voter registration and outreach, community input on statewide and county redistricting, the Federally-mandated bilingual Chinese ballot, and other voting rights issues in order to insure ballot access and participation by minority communities. She and husband Dennis have 3 children and a sweet granddaughter.

Nancy Talner has been working at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU) since 1995. She works as a Staff Attorney four days a week on a wide variety of issues, including police accountability, other criminal justice issues, racial disparity in education, and voting rights. In addition to working at the ACLU-WA, she works as a public defender for the Suquamish Tribe and does criminal appeals. She is a volunteer member of the King County Law Library Board. Nancy has been practicing law in Seattle since 1980; the first 5 years at an appellate defender agency and the following years prior to the ACLU in private practice.

Since joining CELP in 2006, Patrick has worked extensively with water resource management and public interest issues. Patrick has worked on FERC hydropower dam relicensing, instream flow rules, and assisting grassroots organizations with water resource issues. Most recently Patrick was co-counsel on an appeal of water right permitting decision by the Department of Ecology for water rights held by Washington State University. This appeal was the first to challenge the application of the Municipal Water Law.

Since 2001, Roger Wynne has been an Assistant City Attorney in the Land Use Section of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, where he gets to practice the law he most enjoys for the city he loves. Roger began his career with the Seattle office of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, where he practiced both environmental and land use law. After graduating from Yale University with a degree in history, Roger earned a master’s degree in environmental policy and a law degree from the University of Michigan. Roger currently chairs the WSBA Court Rules and Procedures Committee, serves on the Executive Committee of the WSBA Environmental and Land Use Law Section, is a director on the Board of the Northwest Justice Project, and volunteers with the King County Neighborhood Legal Clinic program.

Ryan Vancil's professional experience emphasizes land use and environmental litigation on behalf of citizen groups, individuals, and environmental organizations. His firm, Vancil Law Offices, is dedicated to the development of sustainable communities and to the conservation of the natural environment. Mr. Vancil has represented clients in cases involving the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Western District of Washington federal court, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Washington State Shorelines Hearings Board, Pollution Control Hearings Board, Growth Management Hearings Boards, Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council, Washington Superior Court, and a variety of county and local municipal jurisdictions across Washington State.

Janet Varon is the Executive Director of Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), a nonprofit consumer health advocacy and training organization based in Seattle. NoHLA works closely with Washington Citizen Action and NWFCO to provide policy analysis and support. NoHLA also serves as a consultant on consumer health law and policy for Columbia Legal Services and other organizations, and was formerly a staff attorney at Evergreen Legal Services. She co-chairs Washington State's Medical Assistance Advisory Committee. Much of Janet’s and NoHLA’s work focuses on low-income health access, including a successful effort to slow Washington massive section 1115 Medicaid waiver; protecting immigrants access to health coverage as state-funded programs are eliminated; and reinstating Medicaid for former TANF recipients. NoHLA is a member of Washington’s Prescription for Action Coalition, the Don’t Waiver on Health Care Coalition, the Health Coalition for Children and Youth, and others.

Wyman Yip graduated from Santa Clara University in 1994 and received his JD from Lewis and Clark College in 1998. He has been a deputy prosecuting attorney for King County since 1998. During his time at the prosecutor’s office he has tried everything from misdemeanors to homicides. Mr. Yip is currently in charge of the Juvenile Unit, which consists of 18 attorneys. Mr. Yip grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has a great wife and 2 rambunctious kids.