An effective relationship between a lawyer and client involves trust. I don't think you can trust someone you don't know. So, here are a few items of personal information.
I originally came from a small farming town in Minnesota with a population of about 1000 called Lake Park. I did most of my growing up in Salem, Oregon. I am married with a son in a Seattle public high school.
Over the years I have been a volunteer fireman, assistant director of a community urban planning organization, delegation chairman to a state political convention, board member of a housing cooperative, ham radio operator and an active member of a variety of community, professional, and political organizations.
Civic:
I have been involved in neighborhood and community issues for years serving as an officer and board member of the Wallingford Community Council. These activities include community planning, advocacy, education, and occasionally litigation.
I have been active as a member of the University Sunrise Rotary Club for 35 years, holding a variety of offices. Our club has engaged in a variety of local and international service projects. In Seattle our focus has been on projects that help children and elderly in need.
Our club has also been directly involved in Rotary international service projects throughout the world. I was able to initiate or be directly involved in several projects of our club in Guatemala, and the Amazon and Northeast regions of Brazil. I had the privilege of being chosen as Team Leader for a Rotary International professional Group Study Exchange to northeast Brazil.
Veterans:
I was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969, and spent almost 14 months in Vietnam. It was an experience I am still learning from. I seemed to have been "drafted" a second time into a number of veterans activities.
When I moved to Seattle and opened a law practice, I organized a free legal clinic for Vietnam and other veterans.
I was one of the founders of the Seattle Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program. The VVLP is a non-political, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to helping veterans and their families. We created and operated two transitional housing programs in King County for homeless veterans for 25 years - the first of its kind in the City. The VVLP has over the years also provided scholarships for children of Vietnam Vets, and provided speakers to college and high school classes on the war.
One of the most rewarding and controversial projects was bringing a half size photo replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) to Seattle Center. The VVLP was one of the first organizations in the country to display a photo mural of the memorial. Its exhibition was attended by tens of thousands: veterans, their families and the public. An emotional controversy played out in the press, locally and nationally, when the VVLP, consistent with its theme of "Coming Together Again", decided to display another plaque recognizing the names of the students killed at Kent State and Jackson State as additional casualties of the war. As chairman, I spent a great deal of time defending the decision on television, in the press and in discussions with vets and their families. In the end, the display was a tremendous experience for all who attended.
