BOG Swearing In 0911 - WSBA

Washington State Bar Association 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 Seattle, WA 98101-2539

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 23, 2011

Contact Stephanie Perry Communications Specialist/Publications Editor 206-733-5932; [email protected]

New WSBA President, President-elect, and Governors Sworn In

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) is pleased to announce that Cashmere attorney Stephen R. Crossland was sworn in as 2011–12 WSBA president at the WSBA Awards Dinner on September 22, 2011, in Seattle. Crossland was sworn in by Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara A. Madsen, and outgoing President Steven G. Toole passed him the gavel. 2011–12 President-elect Michele G. Radosevich, of Seattle, was also sworn in.

Also at the dinner, Chief Justice Madsen swore in this year’s new WSBA governors: James W. Armstrong, of Kent; Daniel G. Ford, of Seattle; Brian J. Kelly, of Chehalis; and Wilton “Bill” S. Viall III, of Seattle. New governor Vernon W. Harkins, of Tacoma, was unable to be present and will be sworn in at the WSBA Board of Governors meeting in October.

A Cashmere native, Stephen Crossland received his undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University, and his law degree from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark University, in Oregon. He served as Chelan County deputy prosecuting attorney from 1974–75, and has worked in private practice since then; he has had his own practice, Crossland Law Office, since 2001. He served on the WSBA Board of Governors from 1995–98, representing the 4th District. In 2002, he received the WSBA Award of Merit, the Association’s highest honor, which is presented in recognition of long-term service to the Bar and/or the public.

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Working Together to Champion Justice Washington State Bar Association • 1325 Fourth Avenue, Suite 600 / Seattle, WA 98101-2539 • 206-727-8200 / fax: 206-727-8320

New WSBA President, President-elect, and Governors to Be Sworn In, page 2 of 4

Michele Radosevich is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, where she has worked in the commercial litigation department since 1995. Her primary focus is on state and local tax litigation. One of Radosevich’s areas of expertise is working with the legislature and on legislative issues. A former Wisconsin state senator, Radosevich spent 10 years on the WSBA Legislative Committee, where she served as chair and vice-chair. She is currently an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law and serves on the University’s Alumni Board of Governors.

James Armstrong served for four years in the United States Marine Corps, received his undergraduate degree in political science from Western Washington University, and earned his law degree from Seattle University School of Law. He currently has his own firm, Armstrong Law Offices, where he focuses his practice on workers’ compensation and Social Security disability. Armstrong has been particularly active in the Loren Miller Bar Association (LMBA), the oldest minority bar association in Washington state. He served for six years on the LMBA Executive Board, including a term as president. While LMBA president, Armstrong represented the organization on the community panel established by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn to assist in selection of the next Seattle Police chief, and was involved with ongoing discussions with the WSBA and Washington’s three law schools regarding diversity.

Daniel Ford is statewide advocacy coordinator for the six offices of Columbia Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm that protects and defends the legal and human rights of low-income people. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, and received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he was born and raised. Ford began his practice in Wenatchee and the Yakima Valley, and has practiced in Seattle for the past 25 years. Most of his career has been focused on litigation, legislation, and rulemaking to protect the rights of immigrants. He has been an active member of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, serving on its board and as co-chair of its Judicial Evaluation Committee. Ford has served as chair of the Access to Justice Technology Committee and as a member of the WSBA Civil Rights Committee. He has participated in the Seattle University School of Law mentorship program. He has been honored with the Sea Mar Community Health Centers Leadership and Community Service Award, the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington President’s Award, and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Achievement Award.

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Vernon Harkins, currently a partner at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, LLP, has practiced law for 35 years. He focuses his practice on plaintiff personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He received both his undergraduate degree and law degree from Gonzaga University, and began his career in Spokane as a deputy prosecuting attorney. A Tacoma native, his ties to his community are strong. He has served as president of the Alumni Association and as chairman of the Board of Directors for Bellarmine Prep High School. He has been active in the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, including a term on its Board of Trustees. He has served as a volunteer hearing officer for WSBA disciplinary proceedings.

Brian Kelly is a principal in the law firm Hillier Scheibmeir Vey & Kelly P.S. His practice focus is business, tax, real property, probate, and municipal law, with an emphasis on business succession and estate planning. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of South Dakota. Both a lawyer and a certified public accountant, Kelly is a member of the American Institute and Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Since 2005, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Olympia Chapter of the Washington Society of CPAs. His previous WSBA service includes the Budget and Audit Committee, Client Security Fund Board, Judicial Recommendation Committee, and the Limited Practice Board. A member and former president of the Lewis County Bar Association, Kelly has also served on the Board of Directors of Lewis County Bar Legal Aid. Since its inception, he has been a Legal Aid attorney providing pro bono (volunteer) legal services on its behalf.

Bill Viall received his undergraduate degree cum laude and his law degree from the University of Washington. His practice experience includes jury and bench trials in district and superior courts, practice in U.S. district and bankruptcy courts, and appeals to the Washington Court of Appeals and Washington State Supreme Court. For more than 20 years he served as the City Attorney for Normandy Park. Since 1997, he has served as chief operations officer and counsel at Williams Kastner in Seattle. Viall was a Washington State Senate candidate, in addition to serving as a King County District Court pro tem judge.

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About the Washington State Bar Association The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state’s 34,470 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association — all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.

The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Stephen R. Crossland, of Cashmere. The president-elect is Michele G. Radosevich, of Seattle, and the immediate past-president is Steven G. Toole, of Bellevue. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division with its many committees.

The Washington State Bar Association’s mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice. ###
