Briefly:
Ron received his BA degree from the University of Washington in 1969 and his Juris Doctorate from Willamette University College of Law in 1972. He was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1972, but immediately went to Alaska to work for the State Attorney General. He was admitted to the Alaska State Bar in May, 1973, and was a prosecuting attorney and, later, in private practice in Anchorage until returning to this area in 1976. He was in private practice in Bellevue and then worked at Boeing from 1980 through 1992, when he returned to private practice. Family Law has always been a major part of his practice and, since joining this firm, has thrived on focusing almost entirely on this area. He also enjoys acting as mediator or arbitrator and is currently expanding that area of his practice.
Ron’s Approach to Family Law:
One of the main reasons I was attracted to the legal profession was that I did not want to be doing the same thing, day in and day out. I wanted to have a variety of issues and disciplines to address every day. The old saying that “variety is the spice of life” comes to mind when I think of the general practice of law and, more particularly, Family Law. In this practice, we are faced with issues that require us to be conversant with: accounting principles for business and stock option valuations, the real estate and stock markets, child development and psychology, alcohol and substance abuse identification, traits and treatments, financial statements and how to spot manipulations of them, as well as stay current with continuing developments and trends in all aspects of Family Law, including non-married parents and same sex couples and relationships.
Most of my clients, because of the nature of the matters they have brought to me to resolve, are going through very high stress, high anxiety, and emotionally and psychologically trying times. I keep this in the forefront of my mind throughout my interactions with them. It is also something our firm constantly strives to do; as stated in our Pillars of the Bar piece: “In this age of competition and hostility in the practice of law, we provide an environment that is supportive of the highest quality work for our clients. When dealing with the grief and discord of family law practice, it is a pleasure to surround yourself with those with whom you get along and whose experience and advice you respect.”
Our firm is one of the best Family Law firms in the Puget Sound area. Our overarching objective is to obtain for our clients a fair and equitable resolution of their issues in any and all areas that their individual cases present: property, maintenance, parenting plans, support, and protection, where necessary and warranted. When you hire one of us, you are also hiring a TEAM comprising some of the best Family Law lawyers in town.
Ron’s Legal Biography (not so briefly):
Although I was born in Eastern Washington, I have lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, and most of that in the Puget Sound area. I went to Willamette University College of Law (“WUCL”) after graduating from the University of Washington in 1969. I graduated from WUCL in May, 1972.
After taking the Washington State Bar exam in July, 1972, (admitted in October), I moved to Juneau, AK, where I was a Legal Assistant to the Attorney General. I took the February, 1973, Alaska Bar exam and was admitted in May of that year, at which time I became an Assistant Attorney General. Because I wanted to do trial work, I took an opening in the Anchorage District Attorney’s office and moved there in September, 1973. After a year of prosecuting misdemeanors and felonies, I accepted an offer to join a small trial firm (criminal defense/personal injury/divorce). Two years later, the climate finally got to me and I moved back to the Northwest.
I was in private practice in Bellevue for four years (1976-80), doing criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and divorce and family law. In November, 1980, I went to work for The Boeing Company. I worked in various capacities in the Commercial Airplane Division Contracts organization. This included government contracts and purchase and sale agreements for used aircraft. During my last two years at Boeing, I had responsibility for all contracts for the purchase of the engines Boeing puts on its airplanes and successfully managed and directed the Boeing team as we simultaneously negotiated three new major contracts with Pratt & Whitney, GE, and Rolls Royce for the production and delivery of the engines for the Boeing 777 Model Airplane.
I re-opened my office for the general private practice of law in Renton in December, 1991. My practice there included criminal defense, family law, estate planning and probate, and a broad range of work in corporate, real estate, commercial, contract drafting and litigation areas. As time passed, my practice seemed to migrate to a greater and greater number of divorce and family law practice areas. By 2003, my practice was chiefly Family Law, Criminal Defense, and Probate/Estate Planning, in descending order of workload.
It was during my early practice in Renton that I became very active in the King County Bar Association, serving as a Trustee and as Chair of several Committees and Sections. One of my favorites has always been the Judicial Screening Committee that I chaired or co-chaired for about six years. After my three years on the Board of the KCBA, I served on the Board of the King County Bar Foundation for four years and was Secretary of that group for a year.
In January, 2006, I accepted an invitation to join the Wechsler Becker firm and was not only happy to join such a stellar group of lawyers, but also to be able to focus virtually all of my energies on one area of the law that had always been a major, if not primary, part of my practice.
My pro bono activities include volunteering at the South King County and Southeast (Seattle) Legal Clinics, as a South King County Settlement Conference Master and, of course, individual cases. I also continue to support the activities of the local bar associations.
Bar Admissions and Memberships:
Washington State: October 1972 to present
Alaska: May, 1973, (resigned in good standing: December, 1996)
Federal District Courts, Washington and Alaska
United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 1973
United States Supreme Court, March, 1998
Professional Activities:
Trustee, King County Bar Foundation 1999 – 2004; Secretary, 2002 - 2004
Trustee, King County Bar Association 1996 - 1999
Special District Counsel, WSBA Disciplinary Board: 1989-96
Service on many KCBA and WSBA Committees and Sections, including:
Judiciary and Courts Committee, 8/93 - 2003;
Judicial Screening Committee, 5/94 - 5/00;
Bench/Bar Conference Committee: 2001 and 2008
Solo/Small Practice Section (Founding co-chair, 10/93 - 6/96);
Family Law Section, 6/93 - present;
Judicial Recommendation Committee (WSBA), 10/95 - 2/97;
LAP Standing Committee (WSBA), 2002 – 2007;
Court Funding Task Force (BJA/AOC effort) 2002 –2004.
Settlement Conference Master (Volunteer), RJC, 1998 – present
Volunteer, South King County Legal Clinic, 1993 – present; and Southeast Clinic, 2001 - present
Arbitrator, King County Mandatory Arbitration Program, 1980 – present
Publications/Articles:
“New Work for Existing Clients: Applicability of RPC 1.8(2)(a),” KCBA Bar Bulletin (Sep. 1996)
“The Board’s Work” Column, KCBA Bar Bulletin, 9/96 - 6/98
Several Book Reviews for WSBA LAP program
Reported Decisions on Appeal (sole counsel):
Wacek v. State, 530 P.2d 751 (Ak., 1975); holding that the State was not obligated to maintain signs denoting Park boundaries for purposes of hunting restrictions.
In the Matter of L.A.H., 597 P.2d 513 (Ak., 1979); establishing the right of a father to notice when the unmarried mother of his child commences adoption proceedings with another man.
State v. Lutman, 26 Wn.App. 766, 614 P.2d 224 (Div. I, 1980); holding that negligent driving is not a lesser included offense of ‘hit and run occupied.’
LaPine, et al., v. Shinaberger, 34 P.3rd 1253, 109 Wn.App. 304 (Div. I, 2001); establishing that there is no blanket exception to anti-harassment orders for teachers assistants.
Community Activities:
South Lake Improvement Committee (Neighborhood/Community Council), 1996 – present; Chair, 2002 – present
Renton Rotary Club (Jan. 1994 - Jun. 2000):
Chair: Adopt-a-Road Project, 5/96 - 5/00; Scholarship Committee, 2/95 - 9/98
Southeast Bellevue Citizens Advisory Council, 1980 – 82
Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, 1976 - 1982
Past Boy Scout Scoutmaster
Past Coach, Junior League Soccer
