Lawyer Magazine, Spring 2024

LAWYER

A

MAGAZINE OF SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW / SPRING 2024

Breakthrough in International Human Rights Clinic case

Belonging as a fundamental legal value

Alums helm state's indigent defense agencies

THE GOOD FIGHT

ATTORNEY VONDA M. SARGENT ’94 TAKES TOUGH CASES THAT EXPOSE RACISM IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

LEADING OFF

Three weeks before Major League Baseball's opening day, Fred Rivera, Seattle Mariners executive vice president and general counsel, took the stage at the Dean's Luminaries in Law Lecture and Conversation Series and attended the launch of Seattle U Law’s new Sports Law Program. In conversation with Dean Anthony E. Varona and Kelli Rodriguez, director of Seattle U Law's MLS and Sports Law programs, Rivera spoke about his career path, the ways that technology is changing the legal and sports industries, how sports teams can be a unifying force for good in the community, and his advice for students interested in pursuing a career in sports law.

DEAN'S PERSPECTIVE

As the 2023-24 academic year, the second year of my deanship, draws to a close, our law school has been a hive of productive activity that is achieving pathbreaking results, as the pages that follow demonstrate. That is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the many leaders in law — our faculty, staff, students, and alumni — who comprise the Seattle University School of Law community.

Of the many recent developments, I would like to highlight a few. Perhaps most significant are the recent orders from the Washington Supreme Court creating alternative pathways to bar licensure in Washington state. I am immensely proud that our community members were integral in leading and achieving this positive outcome.

Now, our law students and others can gain licensure in new ways, including completion of 12 skills credits and 500 hours of work as licensed legal interns. These changes play to our law school’s strengths, given that we have been a national leader in emphasizing experiential learning opportunities and creating a skills-based curriculum.

Another significant development is the announcement last month that we have forged an innovative partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma as part of the Seattle U Law South Sound Hybrid Hub, the first of our three new hubs (the other two will be in the Yakima Valley and in Anchorage, Alaska).

I am particularly excited about this partnership because our law school has deep roots in the area; it is our birthplace and home for the first 25 years of our existence. Since Tacoma is one of the largest U.S. cities without a law school, my vision is that our presence once again will make legal education more accessible to South Sound residents — especially those from underrepresented communities.

Other recent highlights include the recordsetting Public Interest Law Foundation Auction and Gala. Thanks to your generous donations, we raised the most funds in the event’s history, providing

crucial support for more of our students to pursue public interest summer internships.

Our faculty, always the law school’s strength, has become stronger, with three momentous hires — Professors Angela Harris, Nazune Menka, and Kathryn Boling. As dean, I am fortunate that I will be able to witness the positive impacts these new faculty members will have on teaching, scholarship, and service, both at the law school and nationally.

Over the last few months, we have welcomed several distinguished legal luminaries to Sullivan Hall to impart their wisdom to our community. They include: Dahlia Lithwick, bestselling author and longtime legal commentator with Slate; Fred Rivera, executive vice president and general counsel for the Seattle Mariners; Benes Aldana, president and CEO of the National Judicial College; Abhishek Manu Singhvi, an Indian Parliament member and India’s leading Supreme Court litigator; and Julie Anne Nordstrom ’90, a lawyer and non-profit executive. In May, American Bar Association President Mary Smith, a national leader in law and in STEM education and accessibility, will deliver the keynote address at Spring Commencement, the only such event in which she is speaking this year.

In April, we kicked o the inaugural Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic Distinguished Lecture, which was delivered by nationally-renowned UCLA Law Professor Devon Carbado. I can think of no better way to celebrate their impressive legacy than by spotlighting exceptional scholars like Devon who follow in their footsteps.

Finally, Seattle U Law hosted and sponsored an important national event, the ABA Conference on Language, Justice, and Technology, where I had the honor of introducing the featured speaker, Rachel Rossi, director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s O ce for Access to Justice. She and others spoke about the need to ensure people have access to justice no matter their language or culture, which directly intersects with work our law school has been leading.

These are just a few of the many recent highlights at your law school. With all that we have accomplished so far, I am confident that the best that Seattle U Law has to o er is ahead of us.

Warmly,

Anthony E. Varona, JD, LLM Dean and Professor of Law

LAWYER

A MAGAZINE OF SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW / SPRING 2024

Nicole Jennings EDITOR/WRITER

Neil Griffith DESIGNER

David Sandler

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

DEAN’S EXECUTIVE

CABINET

Anthony E. Varona DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF LAW

Deborah Ahrens

VICE DEAN FOR INTELLECTUAL LIFE AND PROFESSOR OF LAW

Steven W. Bender

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR PLANNING AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND PROFESSOR OF LAW

Brooke D. Coleman

VICE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND FREDRIC C. TAUSEND PROFESSOR OF LAW

Kristin DiBiase

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STUDENT LIFE, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

Matt Etter

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR THE CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Erin Fullner

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

Gerald Heppler

ASSISTANT DEAN OF ADMISSION

Paul Holland

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW

Sital Kalantry

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR INTERNATIONAL AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND PROFESSOR OF LAW

Diogo Magalhães

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR INTERNATIONAL AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Jeffrey Minneti

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND BAR SUCCESS AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW

Feven Teklu

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS

Colin Watrin

ASSISTANT DEAN FOR ADMINISTRATION AND CHIEF OF STAFF

Angela

The

Larry

The Good Fight

Vonda M. Sargent '94 has become one of the state's most brilliant and pathbreaking civil rights litigators.

12 YEARS IN PURSUIT OF VINDICATION

The International Human Rights Clinic scores a victory for a Tacoma man who was wrongfully imprisoned abroad.

BY NICOLE JENNINGS

More than a decade a er U.S. citizen Jason Puracal experienced a nightmare of wrongful imprisonment and abuse at the hands of the Nicaraguan government, he is closer to seeing justice served in his case. This is thanks in large part to the years-long effort of Seattle University School of Law Professor Thomas Antkowiak and students in his International Human Rights Clinic to hold the government accountable.

This past winter’s 50-page decision from the Inter-American Commission (IAC) on Human Rights affirmed that Puracal’s human rights had been violated. That decision has been sent to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is almost certain to uphold it.

“The IAC is part of the Organization of American States, which is similar to the United Nations, but just for the Americas,” explained Antkowiak. “The IAC is very influential and has had success in bringing about changes and reparations in other countries.”

This victory would not have been possible without the clinic, which provides pro bono legal representation to clients who have suffered wrongful imprisonment, torture, and displacement. More than a dozen of Antkowiak’s students spent two semesters 11 years ago creating a 100-page complaint detailing the inhumane treatment of Puracal, who grew up in Tacoma.

“The commission’s decision was the first time that Jason’s whole story and everything his family su ered was formally and o cially recognized to be wrong and illegal,” Antkowiak said. “This has been long-awaited. It’s a testament to the dedication and hard work of our clients and the students.”

The saga began in 2010, in the coastal Nicaraguan city of San Juan del Sur, where Puracal had settled after a stint in the Peace Corps had initially brought him to the area. The "tropical paradise," as he called it, was now his home, where he met his wife, had a son, and built a business. As Puracal was wrapping up his work one evening, a dozen armed, masked, and Kevlar-clad men burst into his o ce.

Puracal first thought he was being robbed, until a police ocer placed him under arrest. Held at gunpoint for hours, with no idea what he was accused of and no ability to contact an attorney, Puracal watched as the men seized his computers, files, and even his car before they violently hauled him to jail.

“I thought, ‘They have the wrong person, they have me confused with someone else,’” he recalled.

Puracal was taken to El Chipote, a notorious prison used by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to silence his political opponents.

“Jason’s is one of many cases where people are wrongfully convicted, repressed, and persecuted in Nicaragua,” said Antkowiak.

Puracal was stripped of his clothing and forced into a windowless cell filled with garbage, excrement, and insects. Women down the hall screamed that there was a snake in their cell.

“I could hear people being tortured and beaten,” he recalled.

It was days before Puracal learned he was charged with international drug tra cking, money laundering, and organized crime, even though he did not possess any drugs, could vouch for the funds his business earned, and had never met the individuals with whom he allegedly conspired.

than a decade ago.

Le : Puracal snuck a camera inside of a pen into his cell to document the horrific conditions of the prison. Here, he demonstrates the number of days he had been locked up at that point without any credible evidence linking him to the crimes with which he was charged.

“Even waiting for trial, I thought they had me confused with someone else,” Puracal said. “If you come from the U.S., you have this sense that the justice system will operate in a way that is fair and equitable, it will sort this out, and they'll let me go, because I haven’t done anything wrong.”

After a trial nine months later in which Puracal’s attorney was not allowed to present photo or video evidence, the prosecution could put forth false stories obtained from unidentified witnesses, and the judge was himself wanted for fraud in another case, Puracal was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years.

A year later, after international media drew attention to Puracal’s plight, the decision was reversed on appeal. However, the government seized his property and deported him. This meant tearing Puracal’s wife from her relatives and country, and his son from the only home he had ever known.

THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CLINIC STEPS IN

Spearheading an international media campaign for her brother's release inspired Janis Puracal ’07 to transform her career from a civil law practice.

Above: Jason Puracal and Professor Thomas Antkowiak, who directs the International Human Rights Clinic, have remained good friends ever since the clinic first took on Puracal’s case more

“Now I focus on preventing wrongful convictions before they happen,” said Janis Puracal, who directs the Portland-based Forensic Justice Project. “On days when it’s really di cult, I’m reminded that there’s somebody’s family member on the other end of that.”

Post-release, she was not done seeking justice, so she turned to her alma mater.

The clinic asserted violations of six articles of the American Convention of Human Rights to seek reparations for Jason Puracal and his family. In preparing the 100-page complaint, students interviewed the Puracals, prepared declarations, drafted legal arguments, and conducted research into international legal precedents and human rights reports in Nicaragua, all of which was translated into Spanish.

“They were doing some really sophisticated legal work,” Antkowiak said. “Aspects of the case concerned novel areas of the law.”

Students created groups to each tackle a di erent convention article to prove that Puracal’s rights had been violated.

Molly Matter ’15 reported on Article V, the right to humane treatment in prison, describing the horrors that Puracal faced. Housed alongside violent offenders and forbidden from going outdoors for seven months, Puracal was confined in crowded cells with just a hole for a toilet and an insect-infested bucket of water for drinking and washing. Deprived of adequate nutrition, he lost 40 pounds, incurring malnutrition-related health problems. After burning himself while attempting to boil water, he contracted sepsis from unsanitary medical instruments and nearly lost his legs.

Interviewing Puracal about the inhumane prison conditions was not easy, but it prepared Matter for the secondhand trauma that often accompanies a career in human rights.

“I go into prisons and immigration detention centers. I see human su ering,” said Matter, who now runs a solo human rights practice, Amend Law. “It was helpful to get that real lawyering experience and test out if I really could do this.”

Whitney Phelps ’13 worked on Article VII, the right to personal liberty.

“A lot of what I learned in the clinic, being trauma-informed in how we interact with clients, is something I’ve carried into my practice,” said Phelps, who now works as a Portland-based immigration attorney and often counsels Nicaraguan asylum seekers.

It took a decade — drawn out, in part, by COVID delays — but the IAC's decision was “exactly the type of result we were hoping for,”

according to Antkowiak. In validating each of the clinic’s points, the commission called for reparations, such as fully compensating Puracal for all material and personal damages, including physical and mental health care costs, and, importantly, ordering the government of Nicaragua to adopt laws ensuring similar human rights violations can never happen again.

The Inter-American Court, where the case will be heard, is likely to order more expansive reparations than the IAC, including specific amounts of money, with a one-year timeline for Nicaragua to obey.

“The court has more force because it’s a binding court, the highest authority in the Americas, and there’s no appeal,” Antkowiak said, noting that he is hopeful because the court has a successful track record of obtaining compliance from many countries.

For Puracal and his family, who to this day struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, the ruling does not truly compensate for their su erings, but it does provide a sense of justice.

“Once you’re incarcerated, whether rightfully or wrongfully, there’s always a stigma that follows you around. I’m still struggling to put my life back together, to get my family the financial stability and peace of mind we used to have,” Puracal said. “This decision feels like a vindication. I hope the government of Nicaragua will do the right thing and implement the recommendations.”

Jason Puracal is led into court in Nicaragua in 2012. He was jailed for nearly two years for crimes he did not commit.

Jason Puracal (right) discusses his case with Professor Thomas Antkowiak and students in the International Human Rights Clinic that Antkowiak teaches.

LAW SCHOOL LEADERS, ALUMNI HELP DRIVE HISTORIC BAR LICENSURE REFORM

Seattle University School of Law leaders and alumni played key roles in developing and advocating for reforms to the state’s licensure process for new attorneys that culminated in sweeping changes ordered by the Washington Supreme Court in March.

For the first time ever, aspiring lawyers will no longer be required to take and pass a traditional bar examination to practice law in Washington state.

This seismic shift resulted from e orts by theBar Licensure Task Force, formed in 2020 by the court and co-chaired by Seattle U Law Dean Anthony E. Varona, to develop a set of recommendationsfor bar licensure reform after studying the e cacy of the Washington bar exam. Task force members presented their recommendations to the courtin October of 2023.

"I am very pleased that the Washington Supreme Court adopted the task force's recommendations,” Varona said. “This was a multiyear endeavor that involved a lot of research, consultation, and deliberation, which resulted in new licensure pathways that protect the public, address our serious legal deserts problem in Washington, help remedy the fairness and bias concerns with the traditional licensure methodology, and give students a choice of licensing modalities to best demonstrate their competencies."

In agreeing with many of the task force’s recommendations, the court found that the bar exam “disproportionately and unnecessarily blocks marginalized groups from entering the practice of law, and the traditional bar exam is at best minimally e ective

for ensuring competent lawyers,” according to the court’s announcement.

Among several specific reforms, law students now have the option to complete skills credits and a certain number of hours as legal interns to become licensed.

“Given Seattle U Law’s longtime strengths in legal writing and experiential education, and the faculty's commitment to providing a client-centered approach to their courses, our law school is well-poised to equip students for success on each licensure path,” said Je rey Minneti, associate professor of law and assistant dean for Academic Excellence and Bar Success.

Learn about the specific reforms ordered by the court at law.seattleu.edu

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2023!

During December Commencement, dozens of excited graduates received their hard-earned JD, LLM, and MLS degrees in front of a packed Pigott Auditorium filled with jubilant family and friends.

More commencement photos: flickr.com/photos/sulaw

Dean Anthony E. Varona has been recognized as one of the 20 most influential legal educators in the nation byThe National Jurist. The publication characterizes the featured leaders as “major forces in shaping legal education.”

An award-winning teacher and scholar, and longtime leader in legal education, Varona is especially known for spearheading curricular and programmatic innovations in technology and the law, internationalization, faculty recruitment, and diversifying the legal profession and legal education itself.

“It is gratifying to see Dean Varona receive this well-deserved national recognition of his innovative leadership. Seattle University is fortunate to have such an energetic and visionary leader guiding our law school,” said President Eduardo Peñalver.

DEAN’S GIFT TO CREATE LAW STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP, SUPPORT KEY AREAS DEAN’S LEGAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP SPARKS INCLUSION IN MOST INFLUENTIAL LIST

Dean Anthony E. Varona has pledged $100,000 over the course of two years to support the law school’s students and several initiatives.

Half of his gift will establish a scholarship to honor the legacy of his parents. The Edelmira and Eudelio Varona Scholarship will be given to one law student each year, with a preference for a first-generation student who demonstrates financial need.

The other half has been earmarked for several areas, including the Family Law Center, various scholarship endowments, and civil rights and antiracism initiatives.

"It is wonderful to see the dean step up to support our law school and its students at this extraordinary level,” said Aubrey Se ernick ’06, the Law Alumni Board president and an attorney with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. “This gift sends a powerful message to our alumni community that he is all in on Seattle U Law, and it will hopefully spur others to support programs and initiatives that they are similarly passionate about.”

Varona donated $50,000 during the 2022-23 academic year, the first year of his deanship, to commemorate the law school’s 50th anniversary. He has pledged to donate an additional $50,000 this year to mark the beginning of the law school’s next 50 years.

“This gift demonstrates how much I believe in the law school and how enthusiastically committed I am to its success. I want to do my part to ensure that our students are able to thrive during their time with us and beyond,” he said.

PROFESSOR HONORED WITH SALT 2024 GREAT TEACHER AWARD

Professor Steven Bender, associate dean for Planning and Strategic Initiatives, has received the 2024 Society of American Law Teachers’ (SALT) Great Teacher Award for his significant contributions to teaching, legal education, and mentoring.

The society’s highest honor celebrates educators for “the incorporation of social justice themes in the classroom and innovative curricular design in order to incorporate diversity and access to justice,” as well as for their commitment to “advance social justice and equality through advocacy and mentoring.”

“Professor Bender, of course, has exemplified all of these qualities beautifully, for decades,” said Dean Anthony E. Varona. “I am proud to work with him every day on fulfilling Seattle U Law’s mission of promoting social justice, academic excellence, and diversity in our classrooms as we educate the next generation of lawyers, judges, and policymakers.”

Legal luminaries such as the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have received the award. Seattle U Law Professor Emerita Lisa Brodo was also a recipient in 2019.

FATHER LUCAS SHARMA, S.J. TO SERVE AS LAW DEAN’S JESUIT ADVISOR

Dean Anthony E. Varona has appointed Father Lucas Sharma, S.J. to the role of Jesuit advisor. Sharma, who was ordained a Jesuit priest in 2022, is a Seattle University trustee, former chair and current member of the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture Advisory Board, and a former university lecturer.

The Jesuit advisor provides advice to the dean, at his request, on matters of institutional mission and priorities, programming, and curriculum. The role was previously held by Fr. John Topel, S.J., Emeritus Stamper Professor of Catholic Traditions, whoretired last year.

“As a law school rooted in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition, it is very helpful to have thepresence of an ordained member of the Jesuit Order in Sullivan Hall,” Varona said. “Just as Father Topel before him, whose advice was invaluable in my first year as dean, Father Sharma possesses a keen interest in law and social justice. He will bring a distinctly Jesuit perspective to guide our decision-making.”

The advisor presides over law school Masses during the year, including Red Mass in the fall and the Law Baccalaureate Mass in the spring, and officiates commencement, a task that Sharma performed at the December Commencement Ceremony in his first o cial engagement as Jesuit advisor.

FACULTY TRANSITIONS

Three faculty members who have collectively spent decades at Seattle University School of Law will leave at the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

Professor Lily Kahng is set to retire with emerita status after spending 23 years at the law school. A nationally-recognized expert in tax law, she has taught courses on federal income taxation, corporate taxation, partnership taxation, and tax policy, among others. Her research interests include taxation of women and families, tax administration, comparative tax, and critical tax theory.

Before joining the faculty in 2001, she she was an associate professor at Cornell Law School and served as an attorney advisor in the O ce of Tax Legislative Counsel in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. From 1991 to 1993, she was acting assistant professor at New York University Law School. She began her legal career as an associate at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and then was vice president of mergers and acquisitions at the investment bank of Solomon Brothers in New York.

Associate Professor Gregory Silverman, an enrolled member of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, will also retire with emeritus status. He joined the faculty in 1999 and became faculty director of the Center for Indian Law and Policy in 2014.

An expert on federal Indian law, intellectual property, electronic commerce, and property, Silverman has taught courses on property

law, tribal law, intellectual property, the law of trade secrets, video game law, and the law of electronic commerce, among others.

Prior to beginning a career in legal academia, Silverman practiced law in Massachusetts with a focus on land use, fisheries, and environmental law.

Professor Robert Chang, who created the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality 15 years ago and serves as its executive director, has accepted a position with the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

LAW SCHOOL PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY

Seattle University School of Law has recently earned recognition from two prominent national legal publications, The National Jurist’s prelaw Magazine and Bloomberg Law.

PreLaw Magazine named the law school a top school for international law and employment law in its Winter 2024 issue. Sullivan Hall, the law school’s home for nearly 25 years, was also included in the issue’s cover feature on “Best Law School Buildings.”

Seattle U Law also received anhonorable mention in “Immersive Experience” from Bloomberg Law’s Law School Innovation Programfor developing a new program to help law students, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, succeed on the bar exam.

The innovation behind the “Preparing Students for Success on the NextGen Bar Exam” program is found in its unique approach to fusing instruction on the skills tested by the bar exam with instruction and assessment on substantive law.

Three Seattle U Law programs were rated in the top 25 nationally in the latest U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, including #8 for Legal Writing and #23 for both Clinical Legal Education and Part-Time Education. Additionally, Intellectual Property is ranked #53.

“This is welcome recognition and further validation that our law school provides exceptional legal education in a wide range of legal disciplines,” said Dean Anthony E. Varona.

Le to right: Professor Lily Kahng; Associate Professor Gregory Silverman; Professor Robert Chang.

COMMUNITY MOURNS THE LOSS OF TWO BELOVED FACULTY MEMBERS

In March, the Seattle University School of Law community lost two trailblazing emeriti faculty members.

Professor Emeritus Henry “Hank” McGee, Jr., became the law school’s first tenured professor of color when he joined the faculty in 1994 after a long tenure at UCLA School of Law. He entered law teaching as one of the first African American faculty hires at UCLA School of Law, teaching Criminal Law and Housing Law. While there, he directed the Center for Afro-American Studies.

A prolific scholar, McGee co-authored a casebook on housing law and more than two dozen law review articles, including a widely-cited and impactful article on displacement in Seattle’s Central District. He also wrote on community development, land use and gentrification, environmental law, and

other topics. He won many awards, including the Association of American Law Schools' prestigious Clyde Ferguson Award.

Upon McGee’s retirement from Seattle University in 2015, the Metropolitan King County Council honored him for what it aptly characterized as “a career and life dedicated to racial and economic justice.”

Professor Emerita Julie Shapiro, who taught for more than three decades at the law school and who was beloved by students and colleagues alike, passed away unexpectedly. A nationally-celebrated scholar and advocate in LGBTQ law and policy, she leaves behind her wife, Shelly Cohen, a son, Eli McClintock-Shapiro, and a daughter, Leah McClintock-Shapiro.

A gifted and sought-after teacher, Shapiro taught Civil Procedure, Family Law, and Law and Sexuality, one of the first professors in

the nation to o er such a course. Her scholarship was some of the earliest and most widely cited on issues pertaining to LGBTQ family law and was relied upon by both litigators and courts in breaking new legal ground and recognizing significant new rights.

“We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families of Professor McGee and Professor Shapiro,” said Dean Anthony E. Varona. “Though it is always heartbreaking to lose a colleague, a friend, and a loved one, this difficult moment is also an opportunity to celebrate the many ways that both of these distinguished and pathbreaking professors and scholars have changed the world for the better for so many.”

A more thorough account of the lives and careers of McGee and Shapiro will appear in the Fall 2024 issue of Lawyer.

Professor Emeritus Henry “Hank” McGee, Jr.

Professor Emerita Julie Shapiro

Four outstanding first-year JD students have been selected as Gregoire Fellows — named in honor of former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire — in recognition of their academic and professional achievements, unique perspectives and experiences, and leadership potential to diversify the Washington legal profession.

This year’s cohort is exceptionally diverse.

Emmi Bella ’26, who immigrated from the Philippines with her family, hopes to

ACCOMPLISHED PROFESSORS TO JOIN LAW FACULTY

Seattle University School of Law has selected three accomplished professors to join the faculty beginning July 1.

Angela Harris will become a distinguished professor. She was most recently on the faculty at the University of California Davis School of Law, where she was also a distinguished professor of law. She is one of the country’s most influential scholars of critical legal theory and the author of many influential articles and essays on the topic.

Harris, a former visiting professor at Stanford, Yale, and Georgetown law schools, was previously a professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Law and acting vice dean of Research and Faculty Development at the University of Bu alo School of Law. She is also the founder and co-editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Law and Political Economy.

use her law degree to advocate for workers, especially those experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Tyler King ’26, a gay and first-generation student, was inspired to be a voice for the underprivileged when he saw how the legal profession can be lacking in diversity. Emily Masangcay ’26, who hails from a half-Filipino, half-Chinese family, is motivated to be a legal trailblazer in her community. Liem Tu’s ’26 desire to practice immigration law comes from the sacrifice of

STUDENTS EARN PRESTIGIOUS GREGOIRE FELLOWSHIPS

his father, who left his own legal career to move from Vietnam to the U.S.

After completing their first year of law school, fellows spend the summer clerking at both a major law firm and either a Seattle-based corporation or government agency. In addition to summer employment, Gregoire Fellows receive full law school scholarships, stipends for bar exam study and first-year summer activities, and mentorship from Gregoire and legal community members.

Kathryn Naegeli Boling will lead the law school’s esteemed Legal Writing Program, regarded as one of the top such programs in the nation. Currently the program’s associate director and a visiting assistant professor of lawyering skills, Boling will become director and a tenuretrack assistant professor of law beginning this summer.

“I am incredibly excited to lead us into a bright future of educating students in the skills they will need to be excellent legal counselors and advocates,” Boling said.

Nazune Menka will become the next faculty director of the Center for Indian Law and Policy(CILP) beginning July 1.

Menka, who will also serve as a tenuretrack assistant professor of law, is Seattle U Law’s first Alaska Native faculty member. She arrives from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where she is the inaugural director of the Center for Indigenous Law and Justice.

“I’m excited to increase the impact the Center for Indian Law and Policy can have in the Pacific Northwest. There is a huge opportunity to build on what the center does and create awareness of Indigenous peoples’ legal issues,” Menka said. “I hope we can broaden our impact and be of service to Native nations in both Washington and Alaska.”

Emmi Bella Tyler King

Emily MasangcayLiem Tu

Angela Harris

Kathryn Naegeli Boling

Nazune Menka

NEW HYBRID HUB PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT, BROADEN ACCESS TO LEGAL EDUCATION

The University of Washington Tacoma and Seattle University School of Law have forged a new and innovative partnership with the goal to increase access to legal education, careers, and legal services for residents of Tacoma and the South Sound region, including those from underrepresented populations.

UW Tacoma is the founding principal partner of Seattle U Law’s new South Sound Hybrid Hub. This hybrid initiative will provide significant in-person and virtual programming, counseling, networking, employment, and experiential learning opportunities and resources for both UW Tacoma undergraduates and students in Seattle U Law’s pathbreaking Flex JD hybrid-online degree program.

“We are excited to inaugurate this collaboration between Seattle University Law School and UW Tacoma, which will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen that relationship,” said Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver.

“Both UW Tacoma and Seattle University School of Law share a goal of bridging the equity divide and making law school an attainable goal for first-generation and underrepresented students,” said Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange, chancellor of UW Tacoma.

Anthony E. Varona, dean of Seattle U Law, conceived the Hybrid Hub concept after conducting a listening and learning tour with stakeholders throughout Washington and Alaska. Outside of Seattle and Spokane, both states have many “legal deserts,” where there is no law school, great demand for legal education, and a shortage of lawyers to provide essential legal services.

Varona said, “The time is right to respond to the urgent need for a law school presence in the South Sound with a 21st century, post-COVID hybrid-online solution.

“We are proud to launch our Hybrid Hubs Program in partnership with UW Tacoma, our founding principal Hybrid Hub partner in Tacoma and the inaugural institutional partner across all three regions.”

In addition to serving Seattle U Law’s Flex JD students, the Hub is exploring a variety of programming that will benefit UW Tacoma’s undergraduate students, including an accelerated “Pathway to Admission” program. The law school’s faculty and administrators will also support

and

University of Washington

and Assistant Chancellor for Community Engagement Ali Modarres to celebrate the launch of the South Sound Hybrid Hub during an event on UW Tacoma's campus in March.

pre-law academic advising. A variety of events held on UW Tacoma’s campus — including public lectures, legal employer gatherings, Seattle U Law alumni receptions, legal career panels, and more — will help undergraduate students build their legal knowledge and connections.

Seattle U Law is also rolling out Hybrid Hubs in Anchorage, Alaska, and in the Yakima Valley to improve access to legal education across the Northwest. Each Hybrid Hub will have a founding principal partner institution that will connect with other participating universities in the area to create the greatest impact.

In April, the law school signed an agreement with Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage to develop a dual MBA/JD program. Since Alaska does not have a law school, this program provides the ability for residents to remain in Alaska to earn both degrees on an accelerated path by enrolling in Seattle U Law’s Flex JD program and APU’s MBA program.

Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver (le )

School of Law Dean Anthony E. Varona (on screen — attended remotely due to COVID) joined

Tacoma Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange

IMAGINING A JURISPRUDENCE OF BELONGING

BY DANIELI EVANS

Belonging is a fundamental human need, like food or water. People deprived of it have adverse physiological, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Hundreds of social science studies show that ostracism, or social exclusion, threatens people's need to belong and related needs for control, meaningful existence, and self-esteem. Studies also show that ostracism triggers the same part of the brain that is activated when a

person experiences physical pain. Indeed, pain medications, like opioids, work to numb such “social pain” as well as physical pain. Ostracism may impair self-regulation and cognitive functioning, and ostracized people may cope in ways — like withdrawal or aggression — that beget further ostracism.

Though a large body of social science literature indicates that belonging is vital

to functioning and wellbeing, United States constitutional jurisprudence largely overlooks the value of belonging. In recent and forthcoming work, I argue that belonging should be considered a fundamental legal value, on par with other fundamental legal values, such as equality and fairness. It follows from this that ostracism, or social exclusion, should be recognized as a significant and cognizable legal harm, and that

law ought to protect people from it whenever possible.

This would be a stark change from current jurisprudence, which supports ostracism in various contexts. Consider three ways in which courts have upheld and facilitated ostracism:

DEFINING DISCRIMINATION IN TERMS OF MOTIVATION

Courts have allowed ostracism by defining discrimination in terms of the perpetrator’s motives, rather than the e ect of a policy. Ostracism is defined by the experience of being excluded, not the reason or motivation for it. By defining discrimination in terms of motivation rather than the exclusionary or stigmatizing e ect of a policy, courts have upheld various ostracizing policies, such as laws banishing unhoused people from public space, zoning rules that segregate neighborhoods by income and race, and segregation between and within schools.

EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE AND PUNISHMENT

Courts have also endorsed ostracism by unquestioningly accepting the prevalent approaches to school discipline and criminal punishment. Each year, millions of students are disciplined through exclusionary measures, such as seclusion, suspension,

Danieli Evans is an assistant professor of law whose research and scholarship focuses on law, inequality, and social welfare. Her work investigates how people develop their sense of citizenship and belonging, and how this impacts their relationship to government and their social opportunities.

A full version of this article, complete with cited sources, is posted online: law.seattleu.edu/evans-belonging

and expulsion. Likewise, the routine criminal punishments of arrest and incarceration, and the lasting, stigmatic label of a criminal record, are quintessentially ostracizing. Courts regularly impose and uphold these ostracizing measures without considering that such ostracism threatens a basic need and may be as hurtful as physical violence, with potentially more lasting behavioral e ects. Recognizing this should lead courts to scrutinize ostracizing punishments more — at least to ask whether they are necessary and proportionate means of achieving the goals of punishment.

STRIKING DOWN ANTI-OSTRACISM POLICIES

Without recognizing the value of belonging, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down policies designed to protect people from ostracism. Two important cases from last term illustrate this, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA) and 303 Creative v. Elenis.

In 303 Creative, the majority held that the First Amendment protects a web designer’s right to refuse to sell a wedding website to a same-gender couple, though this violated the state’s anti-discrimination law. The majority concluded that the web designer’s First Amendment interests trumped the state’s interest in protecting people from discrimination. In reaching this conclusion, it failed to consider the severe harm of ostracism — that experiencing ostracism may be tantamount to experiencing physical violence. Recognizing this suggests that the state’s interest in protecting people from ostracism may be as compelling as its interest in protecting

people from physical violence (or threats thereof), which is not protected by the First Amendment.

In SFFA, a majority held that race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) violate the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The majority reasoned that the educational benefits of diversity are “not su ciently coherent” to satisfy strict scrutiny. In dismissing the educational benefits of diversity, the court failed to recognize that belonging is integral to well-being and thriving, and that students who experience ostracism have less opportunity to thrive and succeed in the domain. As the District Court in the UNC case observed, members of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups report “feeling isolated, ostracized, stereotyped and viewed as tokens.”

A jurisprudence that recognized the fundamental importance of belonging would recognize that diversity-oriented policies are integral to remedying this institutionalized ostracism and the hostile (and unfair) educational environment that it creates. Because ostracism inflicts pain and su ering comparable to physical violence, this interest should be as compelling as protecting people from physical violence — an interest the Supreme Court has recognized as compelling.

Creating a humane and just society, where all people have fair opportunities to thrive, requires doing more than protecting equal rights or formal equality of opportunity; it requires a jurisprudence more attuned to the need to belong and the harm of ostracism or social exclusion.

ALUMNI LEAD WASHINGTON’S INDIGENT LEGAL SERVICES

BY NICOLE JENNINGS

For those who find themselves in need of an attorney but cannot a ord one, indigent legal services provided by Washington state are a critical lifeline.

Two Seattle University School of Law alumni — Larry Je erson ’94 and Sara Robbins ’07 — are at the helm of the state agencies responsible for making equal justice a reality in Washington, and they are working to ensure that their dedicated lawyers remain e ective and accessible, regardless of clients’ ability to pay, both now and in the future.

A longtime public defender, Je erson was appointed in 2021 to serve as director of the Washington State O ce of Public Defense (OPD), which contracts with attorneys around the state to provide free legal representation for people charged in criminal matters.

Meanwhile, this past winter, Sara Robbins ’07 was appointed head of the civil counterpart

to Je erson’s o ce, the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA).

“Each of these entities plays a very important role — one is the state voice for public defense, and the other is the state voice for legal aid,” said Paul Holland, associate dean for Experiential Learning. “The role of these o ces is to champion the importance of equal justice for all, to promote careers in indigent defense, and to find ways to support those who have dedicated themselves to working in the field.”

Although they operate in di erent spheres, both organizations have much in common.

“Even for general access to the legal system, if you are low-income or indigent, there are quite a few barriers — the biggest being how expensive it is,” Robbins said. “Access to our courts and legal system is often out of reach.”

In criminal matters, the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright af-

firmed that the U.S. Constitution guarantees every defendant the right to an attorney, with counsel provided by the state for those who cannot a ord one.

While there is no equivalent case for civil legal aid, the federal Legal Services Corporation was established in 1974 to send funds from Congress to civil legal aid programs around the nation. The Washington State Legislature set up a similar statewide program in 2005 with the creation of OCLA, which distributes state funds to legal aid groups in every county. Although the stakes in criminal cases may seem more obvious to some, obtaining cost-free legal representation for civil matters can still be lifechanging.

“Having an attorney who makes sure the law is followed can mean the di erence between somebody being able to stay in their home, or being able to maintain their source

In Olympia, Larry Jefferson '94 and Sara Robbins '07 head the state agencies responsible for providing legal representation for clients who cannot pay.

of income, or their health care, or their social security,” Robbins said.

Despite the guarantees of Gideon, Washington state has a severe public defender shortage, resulting in long waits for lawyers and frequent attorney turnover on existing cases. For lawyers, higher caseloads lead to stress and burnout, causing them to leave the field and worsening the problem for those who stay.

Je erson recently wrote a letter to the Washington Supreme Court advocating for relief, including lowering caseloads “to save the public defenders we have left.” The court denied the request, reasoning that with lower caseloads, there would not be enough public defenders to meet demand.

However, the Legislature passed a bill this past session to set up an OPD program that creates opportunities for recent law school graduates and law students to work in and intern with public defense o ces in rural areas of the state, sometimes called “legal deserts,” where there are not enough legal providers. Seattle U Law will serve as a partner school in the program.

Another Seattle U Law-involved e ort to strengthen the legal infrastructure in underserved communities is the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program, a partnership between Heritage University (near Yakima), the Northwest Justice Project, and the state’s three law schools that encourages Latinx, Indigenous, and other underrepresented students from Central Washington to consider law school and legal careers. One goal of the initiative is to educate Spanish-speaking attorneys to alleviate critical shortages in the region.

“Those e orts work to change the world. You’re getting a more diverse student body, more diverse attorneys, and then more diversity of action in court,” Je erson said. “And if we bring it to where people live, it will completely change that community, because they’ll have more access to legal services.”

Resources are also a constant issue for OCLA. Robbins spends many days at the Legislature “relaying what the impact of civil legal aid is on our state and informing legislators of its importance.”

“We know that we don’t have enough attorneys on the ground to fully assist in all of the legal issues that low-income individuals around the state are facing,” Robbins said

One of the most critical areas of need is in evictions. With statewide eviction filings up considerably since pandemic-related protections lapsed, the Legislature recently granted OCLA’s funding request to add 10 additional attorneys to its Right to Counsel Program, which assists low-income tenants facing eviction.

WORKING TOGETHER

There is frequent overlap in the services provided by OCLA and OPD. Because a person in need of a public defender often also needs help with civil issues, Je erson said he is working to create a one-stop-shop at OPD, where clients can obtain public defense counsel along with aid for other issues, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation, housing support, or immigration services.

“Clients come in with all sorts of needs,” he said. “If I can connect people with support, then we can win without going to trial.”

Robbins’ o ce also helps with these civil issues.

“What OCLA tries to do is be there as a resource for people who have civil legal problems and need advocacy and assistance through that legal problem — someone being evicted from their home, someone needing protection order advocacy, family law or consumer law issues,” Robbins said.

SEATTLE U LAW VALUES

In Holland’s view, it is no coincidence that these two statewide voices for equal justice are Seattle U Law graduates. Both embrace the social justice values emphasized in their

legal education.

“It directly reflects on the kinds of people who attend our law school and the kinds of careers that our graduates pursue and succeed at,” he said. “They know that Seattle U Law values this work because of our Jesuit mission and our genuine dedication to public service.”

“I chose Seattle U Law because I wanted to be in a school with peers and professors who cared about the same issues that I cared about,” Robbins said. “There’s definitely a culture around using your law degree for social justice that was influential.”

Seattle U Law has a long tradition of cultivating graduates who pursue public interest careers. Both statewide and nationally, Seattle U Law alumni are employed at many legal aid organizations. Malou Chávez ’10 directs the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which helps immigrants obtain legal residency. Twyla Carter ’07 heads the New York Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of legal aid. Seattle U Law students are supported by prestigious programs like the Justice John Paul Stevens Fellowship, Scholars for Justice, the Pro Bono Pledge, and Public Interest Law Foundation grants.

“Historically, our graduates have done community-based, public service work before they even get here,” Holland said. “That equips them for success, and to know that these very di cult but rewarding careers are the place where they want to go.”

Je erson noted that public defenders do not choose their line of work for money or fame.

“It’s because they love their work, they love their clients, and they love the Constitution,” he said.

Larry Jefferson ’94

Sara Robbins ’07

OUT & ABOUT

Highlights from recent events

A. In November, the law school celebrated the installation of Brooke D. Colemanas the Fredric C. Tausend Professor of Law. To honor Tausend, a former dean and professor, Coleman led an all-women panel of alumni in a discussion about the ways in which lawyers can show up every day. The panel consisted of (from left): Kasha Roseta ’14, associate director and program attorney at the O ce of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Equity and Civil Rights O ce; Sarah Elerson ’12, founder of Elerson Law, PLLC; Kiran Gri th ’13, a partner at Stoel Rives LLP; Joan Miller ’12, CEO of the Washington Council for Behavioral Health; Coleman; and Maria Wiederkehr ’21, a deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's O ce, who is not pictured.

B. In April, the Seattle University and Seattle U Law community convened to celebrate the installation of Professor Russell Powell as the Father John Topel Endowed Scholar in Catholic Social Thought and Justice, in honor of the years of service Father John Topel, S.J. devoted to the university, including as acting president, vice president for Academic A airs, a Board of Trustees member, a member of the theology faculty, and, most recently, advisor to the law school dean. Pictured from left: Seattle U Law Dean Anthony E. Varona; Seattle University Vice President for Mission Integration Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos; Powell; Topel; and Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver. All five spoke about the way that Catholic social thought influences Seattle U Law's commitment to justice for all.

C. A reception celebrating the launch of the new Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics Program was held in October, featuring nationally renowned technology evangelist Gigi Sohn, executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband. The program o ers a variety of courses, special events, and experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for careers in the exciting tech law field. Pictured from left: Professors Steven Bender and Margaret Chon, TILE faculty co-directors; Sohn; and Dean Anthony E. Varona.

D. Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) members Molly Gunther (Tlingit/Haida) and Kevin Burdet placed in the top 3 of the Sweet 16 (out of 51 teams) for oral advocacy and won overall best brief at the 32nd National NALSA Moot Court Competition at the University of Montana. NALSA supports law students around the country who are interested in studying tribal law, Native American law, and related areas.

E. The 2023-24 Dean’s Luminaries in Law Lecture & Conversation Series kicked o in September with a visit from nationally-renowned legal journalist and author Dahlia Lithwick (right). Professor Deirdre Bowen, director of the Family Law Center, served as interviewer to discuss a variety of topics, including recent U.S. Supreme Court cases. A senior editor at Slate, MSNBC correspondent, bestselling author, and podcast host, Lithwick has analyzed the courts and the law for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, CNN, and many other prominent media outlets.

F. The Seattle U Law Black Law Student Association Mock Trial Team, consisting of Ashley Raines ’25, Ariel Archie ’25, Bradley Marshall ’25, and Lincoln Marino ’24, took first place at the Western Regional Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition in Los Angeles in January, enabling them to compete at nationals in Houston in the spring. From left, Raines, Elinor Jones Toutant, Archie, Marshall, and Marino were all smiles at the national competition and conference.

G. Bree Black Horse ’13 was draped in a ceremonial blanket by her mother, Catherine Black Horse, and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Chairwoman Amber Caldera (left) during a ceremony to celebrate Black Horse's selection as the 2024 Woman of the Year. Her father, Terrance Gaurdipee, explained to the packed room of family, friends, colleagues, and law school faculty and sta that Indigenous communities give blankets to honor achievements of loved ones. Black Horse was awarded Woman of the Year for her incredible legal career, as well as her commitment to working on behalf of Indigenous and Native communities and equal justice.

H. A large group of law school community members gathered in January to celebrate the retirement of Associate Dean for Finance and Administration Rick Bird, who spent 40 years working at the university, including 25 at the law school. Dean Varona presented Bird with the inaugural Richard C. Bird, Jr. Dean's Medal for Extraordinary Sta Leadership and Institutional Service, named in his honor.

F

H G

THE GOOD FIGHT

WITH COURAGE AND DETERMINATION, ATTORNEY VONDA M. SARGENT ’94 HAS BECOME

ONE OF THE STATE’S FOREMOST CIVIL RIGHTS LITIGATORS BY TAKING TOUGH CASES

THAT EXPOSE RACISM IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM.

BY DAVID SANDLER

Toher clients, Vonda M. Sargent ’94 is a fierce and unrelenting advocate for justice. To her fellow attorneys, she is a highly skilled, strategic, and principled attorney who is a virtuoso in the courtroom. To opposing counsel, she is a formidable and fearless opponent whom they underestimate at their peril.

Of the many qualities that make Sargent an exceptional lawyer, one quality in particular explains why she is among Washington state’s most brilliant and pathbreaking civil rights litigators — her courage.

“Vonda is one of the most courageous people I know. She takes on some of the most powerful institutions, which is a tall order. When she takes a case, she gives it everything she has. That’s what champions are made of,” said William S. Bailey, a close friend and colleague who has known Sargent for more than 20 years.

As a Black woman in a mostly white profession who has successfully managed her own practice for nearly two decades, Sargent’s willingness to accept tough

cases — often representing clients of color with limited means and virtually no voice — has helped force the legal system to reckon with continuing and persistent racism and bias, and implement necessary and overdue reforms.

LAW AS A CALLING

Sargent and her family knew from an early age that she was wired to fight injustice. At just 4 years old, she remembers seeing footage of a civil rights protest on television in the late 1960s.

“What struck me was when we watched police officers beating and hosing down Black people. I turned to my father and asked him, ‘How is this happening? What is going on?’ And he said, ‘This is happening because we don’t have any Black judges,’” she said. “He knew that there was no one in the system to protect us. There were just white prosecutors, white juries, and white judges.”

Ken Sargent, her brother and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, remembers the qualities his sister displayed when they were growing up that foreshadowed her career as a tenacious advocate.

“She was small back then, but she never backed down. If she believed that something was right, she would stand by it,” he said. “That’s the way she is built. She sees the underdog, things that are not right or correct, both morally and ethically, and she feels a visceral need to fight on others’ behalf.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree on a full scholarship from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington — where she was one of just nine Black students — Sargent later enrolled in Seattle University School of Law (then University of Puget Sound School of Law) after a break to travel and work. Her start was a bit rocky.

“It was di cult, in part because I didn’t have a sense of what to expect. It took me awhile to figure out the concepts,” she said.

To succeed in law school, Sargent cultivated a circle of trusted faculty who

encouraged her along the way, including Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita Annette Clark, who taught Sargent in a firstyear Civil Procedure class.

“I don’t remember all of my students, but I definitely remember Vonda, and her grit and willingness to wrestle with di cult subject matter,” Clark said. “In her first semester, she struggled, which is not at all unusual for first-year law students, since Civil Procedure is one of the most challenging courses.

“But what I remember is her absolute determination that she was not going to let the material defeat her. She worked really hard at it, and by the time the second semester rolled around, Vonda had become one of my best students.”

CHARTING A NEW COURSE

For close to 20 years, Sargent has owned and operated her own solo practice, where she represents plainti s in civil rights, police misconduct, insurance bad faith, and personal injury cases.

Reaching this point in her career — where she can take cases that feed her passion for the law — has required courage both to try new areas of practice and to pivot when she felt it was necessary.

During and after law school, Sargent clerked with the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, and the Washington Supreme Court under then-Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, after which she received an employment o er from a large law firm.

“Before I left [the clerkship], Justice Alexander told me this was not the right job for me,” she recalled. “He said, ‘You are a trial lawyer, you need to be trying cases.’ But the money enticed me.”

Sargent quickly realized that her mentor had been correct. As a young associate, she wasn’t given much work, and in the early '90s, the law firm culture was not particularly welcoming to people of color, so she left.

Following this, Sargent served for several years as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Thurston County, where she gained her first significant courtroom experience, prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases. Something clicked, and although Sargent was

initially “scared to death” after being tossed into court during her first week, she quickly found that litigation energized her.

“I enjoyed being in the courtroom,” she said. “It was kind of like a battle. I liked engaging in strategy and having to persuade a jury of the strength of my cases.”

Sargent then transitioned to the civil realm as defense counsel for insurance companies. She credits fellow attorneys and friends Steve Fury and Bailey for helping her realize that representing plainti s in civil actions better aligned with her interests and values. They both encouraged her to make a change.

A NATURAL

In 2005, she took a leap of faith and o cially launched her own firm, The Law O ces of Vonda M. Sargent.

“Striking out on my own was terrifying at first,” she said. “I wasn’t getting paid, and it can be years when you start a practice before you get paid. Thankfully, my brother stepped in and loaned me money so I could keep at it, and Steve and Bill were crucial.”

They each referred complex cases to Sargent in the beginning, which provided steady revenue, giving her time to establish her practice. She focused initially on personal injury cases, and then started accepting clients with bad faith insurance claims.

“What Vonda has achieved is incredible. She has proved that she was destined for better things and has worked hard to capitalize on her natural gifts to reach this point,” said Bailey, who formerly co-taught courses with Sargent at Seattle U Law and is now an assistant teaching professor at the University of Washington School of Law.

With each passing year, Sargent burnished her reputation by winning cases, enabling her practice to flourish.

“She is simply spectacular in the courtroom,” said Susan Mindenbergs, a fellow attorney who has served as co-counsel

Top: Vonda Sargent with her client, William Wingate, in 2015. Sargent successfully sued a Seattle Police Department officer for violating Wingate's civil rights. Photo courtesy of The Seattle Times.

Bottom: Vonda Sargent with fellow attorney Susan Mindenbergs, who has served as Sargent's co-counsel on several cases, including Wingate v. Whitlatch. Photo courtesy of Tacoma Weekly.

VONDA M. SARGENT ’94

BIRTHPLACE

The Azores, a Portuguese island archipelago

HOMETOWN

Raised in multiple places as part of a military family. Attended Lincoln High School in Tacoma.

PRACTICE AREAS

Plaintiff’s attorney specializing in:

➔ Civil rights

➔ Bad faith insurance claims

➔ Personal injury

➔ Police misconduct

CURRENT POSITION

Owner, The Law Offices of Vonda M. Sargent

Established 2005, based in Seattle

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

➔ In-house insurance defense counsel for two major insurance companies

➔ Deputy prosecuting attorney, Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

➔ Associate at a Washington-based law firm

EDUCATION

➔ JD, Seattle University School of Law

➔ President and Founding Member, William L. Dwyer

American Inn of Court

➔ Member, William B. Bryant American Inn of Court

➔ BA, Whitman College

➔ Graduate, Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College

TEACHING POSITIONS

➔ Adjunct Professor, Seattle U Law

➔ Guest Lecturer, University of Washington School of Law

➔ Instructor, Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College

CLERKSHIPS

➔ Washington Supreme Court

➔ Washington Court of Appeals, Division II

“What Vonda has achieved is incredible. She has proved that she was destined for better things and has worked hard to capitalize on her natural gifts to reach this point.”

on several cases with Sargent. “She is able to connect with juries in all aspects. And she doesn’t hesitate to call out judges and others in open court if she feels there may be bias. That takes a great deal of courage.”

“I think she is a remarkably capable lawyer who has excellent instincts for what is persuasive in arguing a case,” Fury said.

SERVICE

➔ American Board of Trial Advocate: Member, 2018; Fellow, 2020; Executive Committee, 2022; Treasurer, 2024

➔ Member, WSBA Judicial Recommendation Committee, 2020-present

➔ Member, ABA Tort Insurance Practice Group – Ethics Committee, 2000

➔ Member, Board of Trustees, WSBA Young Lawyers Division, 1998

AWARDS AND HONORS

➔ Gerhard Letzing Public Justice Award, Washington State Association of Justice, 2023

➔ Excellence in the Law Award, Loren Miller Bar Association, 2021

➔ Recognized as a “Super Lawyer,” 2012-present

➔ Carl Maxey Award, Washington State Association of Justice, 2018

➔ Inductee, American Board of Trial Advocates, 2017

➔ Top Women Attorneys in Washington, Super Lawyers, 2015, 2018

TAKING ON CIVIL RIGHTS

In the last 10 years, Sargent has expanded her practice to include di cult, complex, and high-profile civil rights cases. She often represents Black clients who come from the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. This work is now at the heart of her practice, and two landmark cases are emblematic of her courage in taking on thorny, systemic issues such as racism in law enforcement and in the judicial system.

In the case of Wingate v. Whitlatch, Sargent filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Seattle and a Seattle Police Department o cer over a highly publicized 2014 incident in which her client, William Wingate, a then-69-year-old Black veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was arrested and jailed for allegedly threatening a police o cer with a golf club he was using as a walking cane as he crossed a street.

Sargent discovered racist email and text messages sent by the o cer after the arrest, and at trial, she systematically dismantled

the officer’s account and ensuing testimony, arguing that the arrest was racially motivated.

The federal jury ultimately agreed with Sargent that the o cer had violated Wingate’s 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law, and the judge awarded substantial damages to her client (the city had been dropped as a defendant).

“Attorneys like Vonda are vital to holding the system accountable and making it more just by bringing cases like this that expose racism and bias,” Bailey said.

EVERYTHING IS A FIGHT

The most significant case of Sargent’s career so far was initially a routine personal injury matter, but it became much more consequential when overt racial discrimination was exhibited during the trial.

The case, Henderson v. Thompson, began when the car driven by Sargent’s client, Janelle Henderson, was rear-ended by

Vonda Sargent consults with client Janelle Henderson about next steps in Thompson's case. A new trial was ordered a er the Washington Supreme Court ruled that racial bias was a factor in the initial trial's verdict.

another driver. Despite admitting fault, the opposing legal counsel refused to o er any compensation for the defendant’s negligence. In response, Sargent filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for Henderson’s extensive and permanent physical injuries, loss of her vehicle, and other damages.

“From the beginning, the defense hotly contested this case, accusing my client of overstating her injuries. They followed her around, filming her and gathering 80 hours of surveillance footage, and then cherry-picked 17 minutes that depicted her in a way favorable to the defense,” Sargent said.

They were two Black women, seeking justice in a case where the defense counsel, defendant, jury, and judge were all white. As the trial progressed, the defense attorneys resorted to using racist tropes to win over the jury.

“They painted my client as being combative, and painted me as being fearsome, arguing that Black women are inherently untrustworthy,” Sargent said.

The jury returned a verdict of only $9,200 for Henderson. Flabbergasted by such a tiny amount in relation her client's substantial damages, Sargent moved for a new trial on the grounds that racial bias had a ected the verdict, but the trial judge refused to grant an evidentiary hearing on her motion.

According to a transcript of the proceedings, the judge stated that she could not “require attorneys to refrain from using language that is tied to the evidence in the case, even if in some contexts the language has racial overtones.”

Sargent viewed this shocking result through the lens of her experience as a Black woman working in the legal profession, which can invite implicit, and sometimes explicit, racism and sexism.

Carol Farr, her co-counsel on the case, explained, “Vonda gets a lot of gu in our legal system because of who she is. Everything seems to always be a fight for her. People seem to respond to her with fear and dislike just because she’s Black. They look down on her and her clients, and she often gets insanely low settlement o ers as a result.”

“It’s di cult for a Black woman in our system to get justice for clients,” Bailey said. “It’s not fair. Vonda knows what she’s up against, but she doesn’t shy away. She is always willing to fight for what is right.”

It is this history of racism that drives Sargent to seek greater equity in the justice system for people of color. In this case, she was determined to obtain a ruling that would change the system by acknowledging that racism is still prevalent in courtrooms across the state. She took her argument directly to the Washington Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case.

In a di erent case, the court had established a new test for when a hearing is required on a new trial motion – whether an “objective observer” could identify racial bias as a factor in who is selected for juries, who is convicted, and/or who wins in court. Until Sargent brought her case before the court, the new standard only applied to criminal cases.

Now, as a result of Sargent’s e orts, the court in Henderson extended the “objective observer” test to civil trials: “A trial court must hold a hearing on a new trial motion when the proponent

makes a prima facie showing that this objective observer could view race as a factor in the verdict, regardless of whether intentional misconduct has been shown or the court believes there is another explanation,” Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis wrote in the majority opinion.

Crucially, as part of the decision, the court ruled that the burden of proof now falls on the prevailing party to prove that racism did not factor into the jury’s verdict. Before, the losing party bore this burden.

“This ruling is so important. It recognizes the issues in our judicial system as they relate to Black people,” Sargent said. “And it found that explicit, racially-charged language is not necessary for racism to be present. The defense never used this kind of explicit language, but it was clear what they were trying to do.”

“Vonda’s main goal has always been to put me back together and heal my spirit, to make me better than I was before the accident. She really cares about what she’s fighting for, and she will never stop fighting until she gets justice.”

MOVING FORWARD

Although the court ordered a new trial in October of 2022, a trial date has still not been set. And recently, Sargent’s record of winning motions in other cases has significantly worsened. Both may not be coincidental.

“Since Henderson, there has been what appears to be retaliation from the courts,” Farr said. “In some of our recent cases, the judges have seemed hostile. Vonda has definitely experienced fallout as a result of this ruling.”

According to Bailey, “Vonda has to be twice as good because of the headwinds of discrimination blowing against her and other attorneys of color, as the Washington Supreme Court has acknowledged. But she has a composure and a dignified bearing and strength that always come through even in the face of this discrimination.”

Despite the larger racial issues she has confronted throughout her career, Sargent always remembers whom she is fighting for — her clients.

Henderson, Sargent’s client, said it best. “This case has changed my life, both physically and emotionally. Vonda’s main goal has always been to put me back together and heal my spirit, to make me better than I was before the accident. She really cares about what she’s fighting for, and she will never stop fighting until she gets justice.”

JUSTICE FOR VICTIM-SURVIVORS

First as a domestic violence prosecutor and now as a judge, Angela Kaake ’00 continues to seek justice in the courtroom.

BY NICOLE JENNINGS

Receiving a summons for jury duty o en elicits groans. For Angela Kaake ’00, it was service on a jury as a young adult — combined with a high school field trip years earlier to watch a trial at the King County Courthouse — which ignited a desire to study law.

Since graduating from Seattle University School of Law in 2000, Kaake has spent 23 years as a King County prosecutor, specializing in gender-based violence and violence against children.

“I wanted to become a prosecutor to let victim-survivors have that peace of mind knowing that they have someone working on their behalf, making sure that they have their voices heard in the justice system,” Kaake said.

Kaake is now taking on a new role as a King County Superior Court judge. In appointing Kaake, Gov. Jay Inslee called her a “well-respected, dedicated public servant” with “integrity, a work ethic, trial experience, and compassion.”

“I’m excited for this new step. It’s a di erent position, but one where I’m still able to give everyone access to the justice system,” Kaake said. “It’s important that everyone is heard and treated with respect.”

The goal to give everyone a voice has fueled Kaake to advocate on behalf of victim-survivors. She especially connects with those she helps as a fellow woman.

“It’s something that speaks to me about victims in that position, really wanting to do a good job for them,” Kaake said. “It hits di erently than a victim of a stolen car. It’s very personal.”

Kaake said that Seattle U Law’s Jesuit values, including “the cause of justice,” guide her to this day. Instead of jailing o enders as the first and only option, Kaake and her fellow prosecutors use a progressive, social justice-oriented approach to identify alternative solutions that provide opportunities for o enders to turn their lives around.

An example is a first-of-its-kind program developed with the YWCA called SurvivorsFIRST, which helps women — especially women of color — charged with crimes related to abusive relationships, such as violent retaliation (not in self-defense) against abusers, or participating in their partners’ crimes, like burglary. Instead of jail time, the women receive support services such as substance abuse and mental health treatment, housing assistance, job counseling, and more. The former pilot project now receives federal funding. Kaake believes this “big picture” way of looking at a case will help prepare her for a career on the bench.

“Sometimes people forget that prosecutors want justice, too," Kaake said.

Inspired by the importance of “leadership and mentoring,” also themes of Kaake’s Seattle U Law experience, she has spent the past several years as a supervisor of new attorneys. It is especially rewarding for her to mentor young women and show them that there is a place for them in a sphere traditionally dominated by white men. This diversity also sends a powerful message to victim-survivors.

“Many of them are people of color, and for victim-survivors to see strong women of color is really important,” she said. “Representation matters.”

USING LAW TO BRING JOY

Taking risks has helped Nick Mitchell ’04 build a successful career in the games industry.

BY DAVID SANDLER

Nick Mitchell ’04 is living almost every child’s fantasy. Hard work and calculated risk have made it a reality.

He works for Hasbro, one of the world’s largest toy and game companies, which owns iconic brands such as Transformers, Magic: The Gathering, Scrabble, Monopoly, Potato Head, Clue, and Dungeons & Dragons, among many others. Most everyone — kids and adults alike — has played with a Hasbro product at least once.

To his young children’s disappointment, Mitchell doesn’t actually build toys. Nevertheless, he plays an essential role in bringing joy and connection to people of all ages. As senior vice president of Legal and Business A airs for Hasbro’s Games division, he drives business and legal strategy for digital and tabletop games, as well as manages a global team supporting privacy, data, artificial intelligence, and more.

“Working in this industry is an incredible honor and privilege. We make experiences for fans of all ages that last a lifetime. It’s a unique and rewarding aspect of my practice,” he said.

Mitchell’s career arc first took shape as a University of Washington undergraduate

when he worked in event management, which involved negotiating agreements with venues and artists.

“I thought, ‘Maybe I’d like to try this legal thing.’ I initially thought I would go the constitutional lawyer route, but I discovered at Seattle University School of Law that my real interest was in intellectual property and business,” he said.

After a brief stint in general practice, he joined Microsoft to assist with content and technology licensing for the Xbox 360 and Zune music service. He then spent the next five years as an attorney for the Hughes Media Law Group, launched by alumna Joleen Hughes ’99, with clients in music, interactive entertainment gaming, and technology.

“Nick’s demeanor is perfect for a transactional attorney. He’s fair, balanced, even-keeled — but also fun, engaging, and thoughtful,” Hughes said.

Mitchell got his start at Hasbro — which is heavy on intellectual property — as an in-house attorney with Wizards of the Coast, the Renton-based Hasbro subsidiary that produces the hugely popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game

and Magic: The Gathering trading card game.

When the opportunity arose to become chief of staff for Hasbro’s new CEO, he left the practice of law and Washington state. Though it was not an easy decision to move his family across the country to Rhode Island, where the company is headquartered, the role helped him continue to evolve and add value.

“You have to sometimes do new things and take risks in your career,” Mitchell said. “Because I was able to learn so much about the business side, the new experiences and skills I gained have made me a far better lawyer,” he said.

The move also helped him land his current role, where he once again flexes his legal muscle by practicing at the intersection of law and business to guide business operations, negotiations, and overall strategy.

“What I have found over the course of many years is that if you have a passion for a certain area of the law, the best thing is to understand the business of that area. This helps you serve as a strategic partner and e ective counselor who enables business to move forward,” he said.

CLASS NOTES

▲

ART WANG ’84

received the Kay Treakle Lifetime Achievement Award from Communities for a Healthy Bay. The environmental organization works with community groups to clean up and protect Tacoma’s Commencement Bay from pollution.

1984

ANNE KIRKPATRICK '89

has been appointed superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department. She most recently served as the first female police chief of the Oakland Police Department in Oakland, California. In Washington, she has served as chief of the Spokane, Ellensburg, and Federal Way police departments, and chief deputy of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Andy Becker was a presenter at “Write in the Harbor,” an annual writers’ conference held at Tacoma Community College’s Gig Harbor campus in November. His book “The Kissing Rabbi” won a Chanticleer Review award for Best Humor or Satire in 2021. This was Becker’s third book and first novel.

1997

Larry Woolford has been appointed to the Juneau Superior Court in Juneau, Alaska. He has been an Alaska resident for more than 52 years and has practiced law for more than 25 years, most recently in private practice in Juneau.

1998

Martha Collins was hired as executive director of

Healthy Gulf, a regional environmental nonprofit advocating for the health and sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal communities. She has more than two decades of experience in public interest environmental advocacy and previously served as vice chair of the board of Healthy Gulf, overseeing the organization's strategic planning and fundraising.

1999

Matthew Segal has rejoined Pacifica Law Group as a partner in the Public Law and Finance practice group. One of Pacifica’s founding partners, Segal returns after serving as a King County Superior Court judge since 2021.

2000

Angela Kaake was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the King County Superior Court to replace retiring Judge Chad Allred. Read more about Kaake on page 28.

2005

Jedidiah “Jed” Dooley was named of counsel for litigation and dispute resolution at Spencer Fane’s San Jose, California o ce. Dooley focuses his practice on business litigation and routinely assists clients in handling an array of business issues, including landlordtenant issues, brokerage commission disputes, partnership and shareholder dissolutions, trade secret protection, and licensing and contract disputes. His clients have included a wide variety of

entities, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.

2007

Sara Robbins was named director of the Washington State O ce of Civil Legal Aid, which is responsible for administering and overseeing state funds that are appropriated by the Washington State Legislature to provide civil (not criminal) legal aid services to lowincome people in the state. Read more about Robbins' work on page 18.

2008

Eric Miller was elevated to shareholder at Boutin Jones Inc. in Sacramento, California.

2009

Laura Lemire joined Schwabe, Williamson, and Wyatt as of counsel in Seattle, continuing her practice in privacy and security. She helps clients in a variety of industries navigate the dynamic legal landscape that regulates their collection and use of data.

2011

Koustubh

“K.J.” Bagchi was named vice president of the Center for Civil Rights and Technology at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in Washington, D.C.

Kathryn Burke was appointed to serve as an Okanogan County

Superior Court judge by Gov. Jay Inslee. Burke had been the elected Ferry County prosecutor since 2015.

2013

Bree Black Horse was selected as the first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) prosecutor for the United States Attorney’s O ce for the Eastern District of Washington. This position is a central component of the U.S. Department of Justice’s new MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which

provides specialized support to U.S. Attorney’s o ces to address and combat MMIP issues.

She was also named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, chosen from among more than 170 applicants.

Megan McNally of Doyenne Strategy was elected 202324 chair of the King County Bar Association Business Law Section.

Paolo Sy was named a 2024 Washington Leadership Institute Fellow. The Washington Leadership Institute — a partnership between the Washington State Bar Association, Seattle University School of Law, the University of Washington School of Law, and Gonzaga University School of Law — helps attorneys from underrepresented backgrounds develop their careers. Sy is corporate counsel and a senior business program manager at Microsoft.

JONATHAN SPROUFFSKE '07

an attorney at Connolly Tacon & Meserve in Olympia, received the Washington State Bar Association's Local Hero Award for his many contributions to the Thurston County community. Sprouffske is a volunteer EMT and firefighter for the Southeast Thurston Fire Authority, where he is also chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners.

He has served on the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board and helps raise funds for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services, and to pay off school lunch debt at local elementary schools.

CLASS NOTES

▲

DEREK RED ARROW FRANK '18

received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development's 40 Under 40 Award for demonstrating exemplary leadership, initiative, and commitment to both his profession and community. As an associate at a Yakimabased law firm, Derek co-founded and co-led its American Indian Law practice group, advocating for treaty rights and economic development.

Frank now serves as litigation of counsel with Kilpatrick Townsend, assisting tribal governments, enterprises, and nonprofit tribal organizations with addressing a wide array of federal, state, and tribal legal issues, including litigation, land-back programs, treaty rights, taxation, and inter-tribal trade, among others.

2014

Matt Kelly was made a principal at Foster Garvey.

Julie Turley was named a 2024

Washington Leadership Institute

Fellow. She is an assistant attorney general at the Washington State O ce of the Attorney General.

2015

Jocelyn Cooney was named a 2024 Washington Leadership Institute

Fellow. In addition to her role as a Seattle U Law adjunct professor, Cooney is an assistant United States attorney with the

U.S. Attorney’s O ce for the Western District of Washington.

Erika Evans was named to the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40

Under 40” list. Evans is an assistant United States attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s O ce for the Western District of Washington.

Molly Matter started her own human rights/voting rights practice in 2018. In 2021, after three years of investigation, she recruited the UCLA Voting Rights Project and Gibbs Law Group to co-counsel with her to sue Yakima, Chelan, and Benton Counties for vote denial against Latinx voters. All three counties settled in 2023 and changed their practices. During the lawsuit, she mentored law students and undergraduate students every summer. She teaches voting rights and human

rights law to lawyers and students in high school and elementary school. She bellydances and DJs to nurture her spirit.

Andrés Muñoz was named a 2024 Washington Leadership Institute

Fellow. He is an attorney at Columbia Legal Services.

2017

Julie Pendleton was named principal of Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson PLLC, where she serves a wide variety of clients in commercial, real estate, and trust and estates litigation.

2018

David Edwards was elected in November of 2023 to serve a four-year term as a member of the Woodinville City Council.

2019

Angélica María González was named to the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Top Lawyers Under 40 list. An associate at K&L Gates’ Portland o ce, where she counsels corporate clients on a wide range of matters, she currently serves as the HNBA Region 16 president. González is a nationallyrecognized advocate for social justice issues, including child care, early learning, and women’s rights. In 2023, following her participation in multiple news conferences on child care with national leaders, she was invited to President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address as an honorary guest.

2020

Lara Diaconu joined Seattle University’s Advancement team as assistant vice

SHELSEA CHILUMUNA '20

joined Seattle’s Helsell Fetterman LLP as an associate on the Trust and Estate Litigation and General Litigation teams.

Alan Paja ’79

president for Corporate and Foundation Relations in January of 2024. She is happy to be back on campus and supporting Seattle University’s growth.

Noe Merfeld was named a 2024 Washington Leadership Institute

Fellow. She is an associate in Pacifica Law Group's Litigation practice group in Seattle who this year coached the Seattle U Law Black Law Student Association Mock Trial Team to win regionals.

Jessica Peyton Roberts has been elected president of the Northwest Indian Bar Association, a non-profit organization that aspires to improve the legal and political landscape for Pacific Northwest Indian communities. Roberts has served on its Governing Council since 2020.

A er a long recovery from a double lung transplant in Arizona, Alan Paja died unexpectedly and peacefully in a hospital back home in Washington state. A native of Illinois, Alan earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Wisconsin before graduating from Seattle University School of Law (then the University of Puget Sound) in 1979. Alan met his wife, Marilyn, in law school, and they were married for nearly 43 years. Admitted to the bar in 1980, Alan first was a criminal trial and appellate lawyer with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and then was selected by Kitsap County to establish a public defender’s office. For a second job, he was a highly-praised part-time constitutional law professor at Chapman University in California. Within just a few years, Alan was recruited by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries to serve first as a lawyer-mediator and then as a manager, retiring as director of the King County Region. He leaves behind his wife, Marilyn, his children Alexander (Alex), Ian (Carlie), and Katharine, and his brother Ron (Mary Kay).

Sheila FitzGerald Umlauf ’88

Sheila FitzGerald Umlauf was born March 2, 1925, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. A er a year at the University of Denver, Sheila enlisted in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944. While on a tour of duty as a cadet nurse in New Mexico in 1947, Sheila met and married U.S. Air Force Major John L. Umlauf (now deceased), a marriage that lasted 28 years. Sheila earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington in 1965 and a Master of Public Health Nursing degree from the University of Washington three years later. Sheila then pursued a career in public health, mainly with public schools. Later, she was selected to help develop the Washington State School Immunization Manual. In 1985, at age 60, encouraged by her lawyer son, Roy, Sheila retired from nursing and enrolled at Seattle U Law, from which she graduated in 1988. Her entire legal career was centered on pro bono work. She volunteered weekly at the Northwest Women's Law Center (now Legal Voice) and was active with the King County Bar Association, where she supervised a free weekly law clinic and made visits to assist home-bound clients. The American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, King County Bar Association, and Northwest Women’s Law Center all honored Sheila for her service. Sheila o en said that one of the best things in her life was that she and her husband raised a family of four terrific sons: John, Jr.; Mark; Robert; and Roy Umlauf. Sheila was also blessed with five grandsons and three granddaughters.

In Memoriam

HONORING OUR PAST, INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE: THE IMPACT

OF PLANNED GIFTS

by Feven Teklu, Assistant Dean for Development

As we bask in the glow of our recent 50th Anniversary festivities, this moment serves as an ideal juncture for reflection and gratitude. Since the earliest days of our anniversary year, a core group of volunteers, members of the Legacy Society Leadership Committee, have worked diligently to expand and reinforce the far-reaching impact of planned gi s that will help shape the law school’s future.

In welcoming an additional 51 members to the Law School Legacy Society — doubling the size of our group — we extend our thanks to those who have chosen to leave a lasting legacy to SU Law, our Leadership Committee for their tireless efforts, and especially, to Dean Emerita Annette Clark and Committee Chair Joan Duffy Watt, former associate dean, for their pro bono leadership.

Through the foresight and generosity of our alumni, faculty, staff, and friends, these planned gi s lay the foundation for real and lasting change, empowering our school to innovate, evolve, and thrive in an ever-changing world. They provide crucial support for scholarships, academic and co-curricular programs, faculty development, and research initiatives that elevate the educational experience for current and future generations of students.

These planned gi s not only have a tangible financial impact on the quality of our law school, but also leave a less tangle legacy, representing a deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of education and a commitment to producing future leaders of the bar, the bench, and beyond. For most of our Legacy Society members, they serve as a testament to the lasting bond between alumni and their alma mater, forged through shared memories and experiences. For all members of this distinguished group, they reflect a common vision for our mission: fostering academic excellence and a law school community dedicated to scholarship and service.

CREATING A LEGACY

When Professor Emerita Lisa Brodoff and her spouse, Lynn Grotsky, established the Lisa E. Brodoff Endowed Scholarship, they shared remarks representative of many Legacy Society members: “Our gi is an extension of the affection we have for the people at Seattle University and our love for the School of Law’s commitment to community.”

For more information about including the School of Law in your estate plans, contact Associate Director Rachel Whalen at rwhalen@seattleu.edu.

LAW SCHOOL LEGACY SOCIETY LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

Nancy Cahill ’84

Partner

Holman Cahill Garrett Ives Oliver & Andersen PLLC

Annette Clark ’89

Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita School of Law

Steve DiJulio ’76

Principal

Foster Garvey

Sarah Lee ’97

Human Resources Director

Seattle Fire Department

Amy Lewis ’92

Managing Partner Eisenhower Carlson

Megan McNally ’13

Principal Doyenne Strategy

Eva Mitchell

Registrar & Director of Alumni Relations (ret.) School of Law

Colby Parks ’92

Principal, A. Colby Parks Attorney at Law

John Strait

Professor Emeritus School of Law

Linda Strout ’79

Deputy CEO (ret.) Port of Seattle

Feven Teklu

Assistant Dean for Development& Alumni Relations School of Law

Joan Duffy Watt '13, Committee Chair

Associate Dean (ret.) School of Law

Brent Williams-Ruth ’01

Principal, Law Offices of Brent Williams-Ruth

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