The Clark County Bar Association is a professional organization that serves to support our local attorney community through providing education and networking opportunities designed to enhance and foster better relationships within the local legal community. All business, commercial & family law appeals. Kurt Greg Greg Cheney: 14+ years experience. Dedicated. Meticulous. Strategic. Kurt Rylander: 30+ years. All levels of appeal including before the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Contact us
May & June Hearsay Contributors
Landerholm, P.S
Jean McCoy’s practice focus is real estate transactions and conflict resolution, landlord/tenant and creditors’ rights.
GLP Personal Injury Attorneys
Allison Woodruff is a dedicated personal injury attorney serving clients throughout Vancouver, Washington, and the greater Portland area.
Amanda joined the Beaty Hatch team in February 2025 as a family law attorney. She focuses her practice on dissolutions, modifications and prenuptial agreements.
NW Injury Law Center
Jesse Jacobs is a trial attorney representing personal injury clients in Southwest Washington.
Josh Sherman dedicates his practice to representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases.
Brad Andersen
Brad Andersen is a trial attorney and litigator representing a broad range of clients in a wide variety of litigation and trial disputes.
Amanda Hartman
Beaty Hatch
Josh Sherman
Jane Clark Legal
Allison Woodruff
Jesse Jacobs
Brad Andersen
faye breitreed partner, vancouver
We protect what our clients value most.
McKinley Irvin attorneys are known for their relentless pursuit of successful results, whether representing individuals in financially complex divorce or high conflict parenting disputes.
But perhaps our most noted distinction is our steadfast commitment to protecting what our clients value most.
e t o g e t i n v o l v e d . S i g n u p t o r e c e i v e e v e
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e s s i o n a l w o m e n a n d h e l p u s c o n t i n u e b u i l d i n g t h i s p o w e r f u l
Raising the Bar (and the Weights): Doug Foley’s Fountain of Youth
u n i t y. B e c a u s e w h e n w o m e n s u p p o r t o t h e r w o m e n , i n c r e d i b l e t h i n g n .
page 10
t t p s : // l p . c o n s t a n t c o n t a c t p a g e s . c o m /s l / 9 6 XYd 9 K / L B Va n c o u v e r
Lady Boss
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i n t h e s u m m e r , a t l e a s t f o r t h e f i r s t h a l f o f s u m m e r . I t r y to w o r k f r o m
h o m e t w o d a y s a w e e k i n t h e s u m m e r , j u s t s o m y k i d s a r e n ' t h o m e a l o n e
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m i n u te s . I t i s l i ke p r i m i n g t h e p u m p f o r t h e m to g e t i n . I t g e t s t h e m o f f
t h e i r s c r e e n s , a n d t h e y u s u a l l y s t a y i n f o r a n o t h e r h o u r a f te r I j u m p o u t
f o l l o w i n g a s h o r t te n - m i n u te s w i m We a l s o l o v e g o i n g to K l i n e l i n e ,
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n o t h i n g b e a t s a h o t d a y a t Pr o v i d e n c e P a r k
C C B A g o l f to u r n a m e n t - I d o n ' t g o l f o f te n , a n d i f y o u g o to t h e C C B A g o l f
to u r n a m e n t o n J u l y 1 1 t h , y o u w i l l s e e w h y. I t i s j u s t f u n to g e t o u t w i t h
c o l l e a g u e s a n d e n j o y t h e g r e e n s a n d s u n f o r a n a f te r n o o n .
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B e n n e t t B r a n d e n b u r g i f y o u ' r e i n t e r e s t e d i n s p o n s o r i n g .
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O f f i c e t o r e g i s t e r !
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RAISING THE BAR (AND THE WEIGHTS):
D O U G F O L E Y ’ S
F O U N T A I N O F Y O U T H
By Jesse Jacobs
An inside look at how one Clark County attorney is defying age, lifting heavy, and building a fitness community in Battle Ground.
F
The Eagles Wall: A fitting piece of decor for an attorney's gym, featuring a bronze eagle proudly clutching the U.S. Constitution, serving as the backdrop for Doug's lifting sessions
Room to Work: A look down the gym ' s turf sled mat alongside rows of Rogue equipment, showcasing the impressive 12,000-square-foot space built by Doug two years ago.
Revisiting Old Friends
By Jean McCoy and Jesse Jacobs
Some of our die-hard readers will recall that your intrepid drinkers (I mean repor ters) have already covered local haunts “ The Elbow Room” and “ The Grocer y ” in our publication. Well, like old f riends we looked them up again because of some exciting developments.
Those of you who read The Columbian know that The Elbow Room is under new ownership/management since our 2024 visit, and that The Elbow Room was a James Beard semi-f inalist for “Best New Bar ” . While the Bar did not advance to the semif inals, the fact that it was the only Bar in Washington nominated this year is a big deal (beating out even Seattle). In their comments after being told of the nomination, the owners told The Columbian repor ters that they were ver y focused on the craft of the cocktail and were doing specialty drinks with potions concocted ahead of time so that the bar tenders weren’t spending so much time mixing and shaking, but taking a few ingredients with premade mixes to create a perfect cocktail.
What did we f ind? Ordering three drinks off the elevated cocktail menu had “ mixed” results The Penicillin had whiskey with a ginger mix that was pretty tasty. The form of Manhattan and Boulevardier that also used pre-made mixes along with the spirits were not tasty and were diff icult to f inish. And this is f rom us – two who will drink pretty much any thing!
The food menu is approachable and down home, but execution is nothing special. The bare tots were not overflowing and not a bargain Ordering was at the bar and the bar tenders were not ver y welcoming and at one point loudly complaining about a competitor bar (although maybe that is a Por tlandesqe vibe of being unapproachable they were going for) The décor is better and it doesn’t smell like old carpet anymore, but it was not the ecstatic event we expected.
The Grocer y, on the other hand, was more amazing than usual The owners have turned the “ whiskey ” room upstairs and in the back into a little hidden bar with fun memorabilia and pinball machines You could have an incognito private par ty spilling out into the mezzanine area that would be unique. The coconut shrimp were superb and they have a great rotating cocktail list with items mature adults will remember f rom when their parents had a par ty (Brandy Alexander anyone?) The staff was ver y attentive and the tunes were spot on for the vibe. If you are going to spend money on alcohol in this economy you want to leave with a good taste in your mouth and not too sad your card has a little higher balance Both are true with the Grocer y!
So what is the moral of the stor y ? First is that consistency is key to bringing people back to your location. If things are good one time and not so good the next the public may not tr y the third time Attitude counts also Some of our readers may like to have a little snark with their cocktails, but we like to have the warm blanket wrapped around our shoulders with a little kiss on our forehead That may be the alcohol talking but if given the choice, I would go back to the Grocer y ever y time!
Do you have a fun place that makes you feel glad you went ever y time? Let us know and we will join you!
FROM SEATTLE, WITH FEELINGS
By Lisa Darco
L a s t w e e k , C C B A V P M a r l a R a p p a n d I
p a c k e d o u r b a g s a n d h e a d e d n o r t h f o r t h e
W S B A B a r L e a d e r s S u m m i t a g a t h e r i n g o f
c o u n t y a n d a f f i n i t y b a r l e a d e r s f r o m a c r o s s
W a s h i n g t o n , n o w i n i t s s e c o n d y e a r . T h e i d e a
i s b e a u t i f u l l y s i m p l e : b r i n g b a r l e a d e r s
t o g e t h e r , s h a r e w h a t ' s w o r k i n g , l e a r n f r o m
e a c h o t h e r , a n d g o h o m e b e t t e r t h a n y o u
c a m e
R e a d e r , w e c a m e h o m e b e t t e r .
W e s a t i n o n s e s s i o n s c o v e r i n g d a t a - d r i v e n m e m b e r e n g a g e m e n t , f u n d r a i s i n g ,
c o m m u n i t y b u i l d i n g , a n d s m a r t e r d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g I t w a s a l o t I r e t u r n e d t o
V a n c o u v e r w i t h a f u l l n o t e b o o k , a l o t o f f e e l i n g s , a n d a p p r o x i m a t e l y o n e m i l l i o n
i d e a s ( M a r l a ’ s s e e n t h e l i s t S h e ' s c o n c e r n e d W e ' r e f i n e )
O n e t h i n g t h a t r e a l l y s t r u c k m e : h o w i n t e n t i o n a l t h e S t a t e B a r h a s b e c o m e a b o u t
c o n n e c t i n g v o l u n t a r y b a r s t o e a c h o t h e r a n d t o W S B A O u t h e r e i n C l a r k C o u n t y , i t ' s
e a s y t o f e e l l i k e w e ' r e d o i n g t h i s w o r k i n o u r o w n c o r n e r o f t h e s t a t e f a r f r o m
S e a t t l e , f i g u r i n g i t o u t a s w e g o T h i s s u m m i t i s c h a n g i n g t h a t I t ' s b u i l d i n g a r e a l
b r i d g e , a n d w e a r e g e n u i n e l y b e t t e r f o r i t
S o w h a t d o e s a l l o f t h i s m e a n f o r y o u ? A f e w t h i n g s w o r t h k n o w i n g :
Y o u ' r e g o i n g t o h e a r m o r e a b o u t o u r C o r e V a l u e s W e ' r e g o i n g t o s p e n d s o m e t i m e
a s k i n g t h e b i g q u e s t i o n s w h o a r e w e a s a b a r , a n d w h a t a r e o u r n o n - n e g o t i a b l e s ?
W e ' d l o v e f o r y o u t o b e p a r t o f t h a t c o n v e r s a t i o n
W e ' r e g o i n g t o t a l k m o r e a b o u t w e l l n e s s . T h e l e g a l p r o f e s s i o n i s n ' t e x a c t l y k n o w n f o r p r i o r i t i z i n g i t , a n d w e ' d l i k e t o h e l p c h a n g e t h a t s t a r t i n g w i t h y o u
A n d w e ' r e g o i n g t o a s k y o u m o r e q u e s t i o n s P l e a s e a n s w e r t h e m I w i l l c o n s i d e r i t a
p e r s o n a l f a v o r W e o n l y w a n t t o d o w h a t ' s u s e f u l , w h a t ' s p o s i t i v e , a n d w h a t m a k e s y o u b e t t e r l a w y e r s a n d b e t t e r p e o p l e I f s o m e t h i n g i s n ' t w o r k i n g , w e ' l l s u n s e t i t I f s o m e t h i n g n e w i s n e e d e d , w e ' l l b u i l d i t . W e a r e n o t a f r a i d o f c h a n g e .
M a r l a a n d I c a m e h o m e e n e r g i z e d , g r a t e f u l , a n d r e a d y M o r e t o c o m e s t a y t u n e d
L i s a D a r c o , C C B A E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
By Allison Woodruff
S o m e t h i n g B i g i s H a p p e n i n g i n Va n c o u v e r
W h a t b e g a n a s a s m a l l g a t h e r i n g o f p r o f e s s i o n a l w o m e n h a s q u i c k l y g r o w n
i n to o n e o f Va n c o u v e r ’ s m o s t e xc i t i n g a n d s u p p o r t i v e n e t w o r k i n g
c o m m u n i t i e s L a d y B o s s l a u n c h e d i n S p o k a n e i n 2 0 2 0 b y J a n e l l e C a r n e y
B o s to n f r o m G L P A t to r n e y s a n d R a n d i J o h n s o n o f G r a v i s L a w a s a r e g u l a r
g a t h e r i n g o f w o m e n to n e t w o r k , s o c i a l i z e , c o l l a b o r a te , a n d s u p p o r t o n e
a n o t h e r . T h e i r v i s i o n w a s to c r e a te a c e n te r o f i n f l u e n c e f o r p r o f e s s i o n a l
w o m e n i n t h e i r a r e a – a h u b f o r c o n n e c t i o n , e d u c a t i o n , a n d d e v e l o p m e n t .
T h a t v i s i o n c o n t i n u e s to g r o w a c r o s s Wa s h i n g to n , i n c l u d i n g i n Va n c o u v e r ,
w h e r e L a d y B o s s Va n c o u v e r s t a r te d l a s t y e a r u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f A l l i s o n
Wo o d r u f f o f G L P A t to r n e y s . W h a t s t a r te d a s a s m a l l c i r c l e o f c o n n e c t i o n s
q u i c k l y e x p a n d e d i n to a n e t w o r k o f n e a r l y 1 0 0 p r o f e s s i o n a l w o m e n w h o a r e
p a s s i o n a te a b o u t b u i l d i n g m e a n i n g f u l r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d c r e a t i n g
o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r o n e a n o t h e r a c r o s s S o u t h w e s t Wa s h i n g to n .
L a d y B o s s i s m o r e t h a n a n e t w o r k i n g e v e n t I t i s a d y n a m i c c o m m u n i t y
w h e r e w o m e n f r o m a l l i n d u s t r i e s a n d b a c kg r o u n d s c o m e to g e t h e r to
e xc h a n g e i d e a s , s u p p o r t e a c h o t h e r ’ s g o a l s , a n d f o s te r b o t h p e r s o n a l a n d
p r o f e s s i o n a l g r o w t h . E v e r y g a t h e r i n g i s d e s i g n e d to c r e a te a n e n v i r o n m e n t
w h e r e w o m e n f e e l w e l c o m e d , e n c o u r a g e d , a n d e m p o w e r e d to s h o w u p
a u t h e n t i c a l l y a n d c o n n e c t i n m e a n i n g f u l w a y s
W h e t h e r y o u a r e a n e n t r e p r e n e u r , a t to r n e y, h e a l t h c a r e p r o v i d e r , b u s i n e s s
o w n e r , n o n p r o f i t l e a d e r , c r e a t i v e p r o f e s s i o n a l , o r j u s t b e g i n n i n g y o u r c a r e e r
j o u r n e y, L a d y B o s s c r e a te s s p a c e f o r w o m e n to b e s e e n , h e a r d , a n d
s u p p o r te d . T h r o u g h e n g a g i n g c o n v e r s a t i o n s , e d u c a t i o n a l p a n e l s , n e t w o r k i n g
o p p o r t u n i t i e s , a n d c o m m u n i t y - f o c u s e d e v e n t s , m e m b e r s a r e b u i l d i n g
r e l a t i o n s h i p s t h a t i n s p i r e c o l l a b o r a t i o n , m e n to r s h i p , a n d a d v a n c e m e n t
T h e m o m e n t u m b e h i n d L a d y B o s s Va n c o u v e r r e f l e c t s t h e i n c r e d i b l e i m p a c t
t h a t h a p p e n s w h e n w o m e n i n te n t i o n a l l y s u p p o r t o t h e r w o m e n T h e
c o m m u n i t y c o n t i n u e s to g r o w b e c a u s e o f t h e e n e r g y, e n c o u r a g e m e n t , a n d
c o n n e c t i o n s s h a r e d a t e v e r y e v e n t .
B e s t o f a l l , a l l L a d y B o s s e v e n t s a r e c u r r e n t l y c o m p l i m e n t a r y, a n d t h e r e i s n o
c o s t to j o i n . N o w i s t h e p e r f e c t t i m e to g e t i n v o l v e d . S i g n u p to r e c e i v e e v e n t
i n v i t a t i o n s , u p d a te s , a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s to c o n n e c t w i t h t h i s g r o w i n g n e t w o r k
o f p r o f e s s i o n a l w o m e n a n d h e l p u s c o n t i n u e b u i l d i n g t h i s p o w e r f u l
c o m m u n i t y. B e c a u s e w h e n w o m e n s u p p o r t o t h e r w o m e n , i n c r e d i b l e t h i n g s
h a p p e n .
L I N K h t t p s : // l p . c o n s t a n tc o n t a c t p a g e s . c o m /s l / 9 6 XYd 9 K / L B Va n c o u v e r
PORTUGAL PORTUGAL BOUND, PART 5: BOUND, PART 5:
VISITING EVORA & LISBOA
By Amanda Hartman
M a y 7 – 8 , 2 0 2 5 E v o r a :
A f t e r P o r t o w e s t a r t e d o u r d r i v e t o t h e
s o u t h e r n p a r t o f P o r t u g a l . W e s t o p p e d
a t t h e h i s t o r i c v i l l a g e o f P i o d ã o , t h e n
c o n t i n u e d o n t o E v o r a t o s p e n d t h e
n i g h t T h i s p o r t i o n o f t h e t r i p w a s m o r e
t o s e e t h e c o u n t r y a n d e x p l o r e t h e
v a r i o u s h i s t o r i c s i t e s a v a i l a b l e t o t o u r .
W h i l e t h e s e l e s s - u r b a n a r e a s a r e l e s s
e x p e n s i v e t h a n L i s b o a o r C o i m b r a , t h e y
a l s o a r e f u r t h e r f r o m m a j o r a i r p o r t s
a n d t h e o t h e r b e n e f i t s o f l a r g e c i t i e s
T h e h o t e l w e s t a y e d a t i n E v o r a w a s
i n s i d e a s t o n e c i t y w a l l b u t h a d g o o d
w i - f i . W e a l s o k e p t e x c e l l e n t c e l l -
s e r v i c e t h r o u g h o u t t h e d r i v e a n d t i m e
s p e n t a r o u n d t h e t o w n ( s ) e x c e p t f o r
a b o u t t e n m i n u t e s w h i l e w e d r o v e o v e r
a m o u n t a i n
CHAPEL OF BONES
W e s p e n t t h e n i g h t i n E v o r a , a n d s t o p p e d b y t h e C h a p e l o f B o n e s i n t h e
m o r n i n g b e f o r e w e r e s u m e d o u r d r i v e t o t h e s o u t h A l g a r v e s r e g i o n . T h e l o n g
d r i v e f r o m t h e n o r t h e r n p a r t o f t h e c o u n t r y t o t h e s o u t h w a s g e n e r a l l y
p o s i t i v e D u r i n g t h e d a y t h e r e a r e b e a u t i f u l v i e w s , t h o u g h t h e r e a r e n o t
m a n y l i g h t s a f t e r d a r k B e p r e p a r e d f o r f a i r l y h i g h t o l l s o r u n l i t a l t e r n a t i v e
r o u t e s ( s a i d a l t e r n a t i v e r o u t e s w e r e u s u a l l y b e t w e e n 1 5 m i n u t e s a n d a n h o u r
l o n g e r f o r u s o n t h e l o n g d r i v e ) .
SUNSET IN PORTO PARK
HEADER (CHANGE ON MASTER B)
M a y 8 – 9 , 2 0 2 6 S a g r e s L i s b o a :
O u r s o u t h e r n m o s t d e s t i n a t i o n w a s S a g r e s . W e a r r i v e d o n t i m e a n d t o o k a
b o a t t o u r o u t t o s e e s o m e s e a c a v e s . I f y o u ’ r e c o n s i d e r i n g m o v i n g t o
P o r t u g a l , t h e s o u t h e r n r e g i o n i s a p o p u l a r p i c k a s t h e r e i s a l a r g e e x p a t
c o m m u n i t y t h e r e . T h e p r i c e s r e f l e c t i t a s w e l l . L i v i n g o n a s u n n y b e a c h w i l l
c o s t a b i t m o r e t h a n r a i n y P o r t o N e v e r t h e l e s s , i f y o u i n t e n d t o e x p l o r e
P o r t u g a l i n t h e f u t u r e – g i v e y o u r s e l f t i m e t o e x p l o r e t h e r e g i o n
W e w e r e n o t p e r s o n a l l y
c o n s i d e r i n g i t a s a p l a c e t o
l i v e – o u r g o a l i s t o i n t e g r a t e
a s m u c h a s p o s s i b l e , s o w e
w a n t t o a v o i d t h e d e n s e e x p a t
a r e a s . B e y o n d t h a t , S a g r e s
w a s s e v e r a l h o u r s a w a y f r o m
t h e a i r p o r t a n d l i v i n g c l o s e t o
t h e a i r p o r t i s i m p o r t a n t t o u s .
HEADER (CHANGE ON MASTER B)
O n t h a t n o t e , a f t e r t h e b o a t t o u r w e r e a l i z e d t h e h o t e l w a s f a r t h e r f r o m
L i s b o a a n d t h e a i r p o r t t h a n w e h a d t h o u g h t ( a l i t t l e o v e r t h r e e h o u r s ) S o , w e d e c i d e d t o d r i v e t o L i s b o a t h e n i g h t o f t h e 8 t h a n d g e t a n e w r o o m c l o s e r t o t h e a i r p o r t . W e w e r e a b l e t o r e n t a r o o m i n a l a r g e a p a r t m e n t c o m p l e x , t h a t i n v o l v e d g e t t i n g k e y s a n d c o d e s t o t h r e e d i f f e r e n t d o o r s t o g e t i n t o t h e r o o m i t s e l f .
T h e n e x t m o r n i n g , w e d r o v e t o t h e a i r p o r t ( o r r a t h e r t h e c a r r e n t a l p l a c e ) i n w h a t w a s p l a u s i b l y r u s h h o u r t r a f f i c I ’ m n o t a c t u a l l y s u r e b e c a u s e t h e t i m e o f d a y a l i g n e d , b u t t h e t r a f f i c i t s e l f w a s n ’ t t o o b a d . D r o p p i n g t h e c a r o f f w a s e a s i e r t h a n p i c k i n g i t u p . T h e y i n s p e c t e d i t t h e n a n d t h e r e a n d c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e r e w a s n o d a m a g e w e ’ d b e c h a r g e d f o r . T h e s h u t t l e t o t h e a i r p o r t w a s e a s y , a n d o n c e w e a r r i v e d i t d i d n o t t a k e l o n g t o g e t t h r o u g h L i s b o a s e c u r i t y a n d i n t o t h e t e r m i n a l i t s e l f N a v i g a t i n g t h e a i r p o r t w a s g e n e r a l l y p o s i t i v e b e y o n d a l a c k o f a v a i l a b l e s e a t s G i v e n h o w l o n g w e w e r e a b o u t t o s i t o n o u r f l i g h t ( s ) b a c k , s t a n d i n g a r o u n d f o r a n h o u r w a s a f i n e w a y t o e n d o u r t r i p .
N e x t S t e p s :
P o r t u g a l h a s o f f i c i a l l y p u b l i s h e d t h e A m e n d m e n t s t o t h e i r N a t i o n a l i t y L a w ,
w h i c h m e a n s a n y o n e l o o k i n g t o m o v e t o t h e c o u n t r y a s o f M a y 1 9 , 2 0 2 6 f a c e s
a n e x t e n d e d p r o c e s s . R a t h e r t h a n f i v e y e a r s t o c i t i z e n s h i p , t h e t i m e l i n e h a s
b e e n e x t e n d e d t o t e n y e a r s . B e y o n d t h a t , t h e t i m e l i n e s t a r t s a s o f t h e i s s u a n c e o f t h e r e s i d e n c y p e r m i t r a t h e r t h a n t h e d a t e o f s u b m i s s i o n f o r t h e
a p p l i c a t i o n . T h a t m a y n o t s o u n d l i k e a l a r g e d i f f e r e n c e , b u t a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p r o c e s s i n g d e l a y s m e a n s c o u n t i n g f r o m t h e d a t e o f i s s u e w i l l l i k e l y a d d s i x m o n t h s a n d m a y a d d o v e r a y e a r t o y o u r w a i t
W e w i l l n o t b e c h a n g i n g o u r p l a n s t o m o v e t o P o r t u g a l , d e s p i t e t h i s o b s t a c l e t o c i t i z e n s h i p . W e a l w a y s p l a n n e d t o s t a y i n P o r t u g a l f o r m o r e t h a n t h e f i v e y e a r s p r e v i o u s l y n e e d e d f o r c i t i z e n s h i p , s o w h i l e i t ’ s d i s a p p o i n t i n g t o h a v e a c c e s s t o a n E U p a s s p o r t d e l a y e d i t ’ s n o t n e a r l y e n o u g h t o d i s s u a d e u s f r o m p u r s u i n g o u r m o v e
The Trial Whisperer A series of articles by Brad Andersen
F o r m o r e t h a n t h r e e d e c a d e s , I ’ v e s t o o d b e f o r e j u r i e s , j u d g e s , a n d o t h e r
d e c i s i o n - m a k e r s - f i r s t a s a p r o s e c u t o r , a n d
W h a t I ’ v e l e a r n e d i s t h a t s u c c e s s a t t
G o w d y p u t s i t , “ c h a n c e f a v o r s t h e p r e p a r e d m i n d . ” E x p e r i e n c e i s t h e g r e a t
t e a c h e r , t h o u g h t o o o f t e n i t i s w h a t w e g a i n r i g h t a f t e r w e m o s t n e e d e d i t
M a n y o f t h e l e s s o n s I s h a r e h e r e a r e t h i n g s I w i s h I h a d d o n e b e t t e r , e a r l i e r ,
a n d m o r e o f t e n .
T h i s f i v e - p a r t s e r i e s i s a b o u t t h o s e c h o i c e s a n d m i s s e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s . M y
g o a l i s n o t t o o f f e r t h e o r y f o r t h e o r y ’ s s a k e , b u t p r a c t i c a l g u i d a n c e d r a w n
f r o m e x p e r i e n c e , m i s t a k e s a n d f r o m s o m e o f t h e g r e a t t r i a l t e a c h e r s o f o u r
t i m e o n h o w t o p i c k t h e r i g h t c a s e s , f r a m e t h e m w i t h p u r p o s e , c o n d u c t
d i s c o v e r y s t r a t e g i c a l l y , p r e p a r e w i t h c o m p e l l i n g t h e m e s a n d w i t n e s s e s , a n d
f i n a l l y , p r e s e n t a s t o r y t h a t e m p o w e r s t h e j u r y t o w r i t e t h e i r o w n e n d i n g t h a t
f a v o r s y o u r s i d e .
Part 4 – If You Can’t Sing It, You Can’t Win It
A l b e r t E i n s t e i n o n c e s a i d , “ I f y o u c a n ’ t
e x p l a i n i t s i m p l y , y o u d o n ’ t u n d e r s t a n d i t
w e l l e n o u g h ” T h a t p r i n c i p l e a p p l i e s a s
m u c h t o t r i a l l a w a s i t d o e s t o p h y s i c s .
T h e m o s t b r i l l i a n t l e g a l t h e o r y m e a n s
l i t t l e i f j u r o r s c a n n o t u n d e r s t a n d i t ,
r e m e m b e r i t , a n d t h e n r e p e a t i t t o e a c h
o t h e r i n t h e d e l i b e r a t i o n r o o m
J u r o r s l o v e s t o r i e s . I t i s h o w h u m a n
b e i n g s m a k e s e n s e o f t h e w o r l d . L o n g
b e f o r e l a w b o o k s a n d j u r y i n s t r u c t i o n s ,
p e o p l e p a s s e d d o w n t r u t h t h r o u g h t a l e s ,
m y t h s , p a r a b l e s , a n d s o n g s T h e b e s t
t r i a l l a w y e r s u n d e r s t a n d t h a t j u r o r s a r e
n o t l e g a l t e c h n i c i a n s t h e y j u s t l o v e a
g o o d s t o r y w i t h a h a p p y o r a t l e a s t a
e x p l a i n i t s i m p l y , y o u d o n ' t
u n d e r s t a n d i t w e l l
e n o u g h . "
A l b e r t E i n s t e i n
HEADER (CHANGE ON MASTER B)
g o o d e n d i n g . I f y o u r c a s e i s a s t o r y t h e y c a n c a r r y w i t h t h e m , y o u h a v e g i v e n
t h e m a w a y t o d o j u s t i c e . I f i t i s a j u m b l e o f d e t a i l s a n d j a r g o n , y o u h a v e g i v e n
t h e m n o t h i n g .
T r i a l l a w y e r s a r e p a r t m o v i e p r o d u c e r s a n d s o c a n l e a r n a t h i n g o r t w o f r o m
s c r e e n w r i t e r s , l i k e R o b e r t M c K e e w h o w r o t e : “ A t r u e t h e m e i s n o t a w o r d , b u t a s e n t e n c e o n e c l e a r c o h e r e n t s e n t e n c e
t h a t e x p r e s s e s a s t o r y ’ s i r r e d u c i b l e m e a n i n g i t i m p l i e s f u n c t i o n : t h e
c o n t r o l l i n g i d e a s h a p e s t h e w r i t e r ’ s s t r a t e g i c ch o i c e s I t ’ s y e t a n o t h e r
c r e a t i v e d i s c i p l i n e t o g u i d e y o u r a e s t h e t i c c h o i c e s t o w a r d w h a t i s
a p p r o p r i a t e o r i n a p p r o p r i a t e i n y o u r s t o r y , t o w a r d w h a t i s e x p r e s s i v e o f
y o u r c o n t r o l l i n g i d e a a n d m a y b e k e p t v e r s u s w h a t i s i r r e l e v a n t t o i t a n d
m u s t b e c u t T h e m o r e b e a u t i f u l l y y o u s h a p e y o u r w o r k a r o u n d o n e c l e a r
i d e a , t h e m o r e m e a n i n g s a u d i e n c e s w i l l d i s c o v e r i n y o u r f i l m a s t h e y t a k e
y o u r i d e a a n d f o l l o w it s i m p l i c a t i o n s i n t o e v e r y a s p e c t o f t h e i r l i v e s
C o n v e r s e l y , t h e m o r e i d e a s y o u t r y t o p a c k i n t o a s t o r y , t h e m o r e t h e y
i m p l o d e u p o n t h e m s e l v e s , u n t i l t h e f i l m c o l l a p s e s i n t o a r u b b l e o f
t a n g e n t i a l n o t i o n s , s a y i n g n o t h i n g . ”
T h e o r i e s a n d T h e m e s : D i f f e r e n t T o o l s , S a m e G o a l
A t r i a l t h e o r y i s t h e l a w ’ s s t r u c t u r e ( a n d h o w y o u c a n g e t p a s t t h e j u d g e t o t h e
j u r y ) : t h e l e g a l c l a i m , t h e e l e m e n t s , t h e f r a m e w o r k t h a t m u s t b e p r o v e n . I t i s
n e c e s s a r y b u t i t i s n o t e n o u g h .
A t r i a l t h e m e i s w h a t t h e j u r y r e m e m b e r s ( h o w y o u w i n y o u r c a s e ) . I t i s t h e
s h o r t , s i m p l e t r u t h t h a t a n c h o r s y o u r s t o r y a n d e x p l a i n s w h y y o u s h o u l d w i n .
H e r e a r e a f e w t h e m e s I h a v e f o u n d h e l p f u l , n o n e o f w h i c h r e q u i r e d a l e g a l
d e g r e e :
“ I f y o u b r e a k i t , y o u b u y i t ”
“ G o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d n ’ t p i c k w i n n e r s a n d l o s e r s ”
“ I f i t w a l k s l i k e a d u c k a n d q u a c k s l i k e a d u c k ”
“ T h e t r u t h d o e s n ’ t n e e d a g o o d m e m o r y . ”
“ A d e a l i s a d e a l ”
“ P r o m i s e s a r e n o t m a d e t o b e b r o k e n . ”
“ Y o u r w o r d s h o u l d b e w o r t h m o r e t h a n y o u r l a w y e r ”
HEADER (CHANGE ON MASTER B)
T o m O ’ T o o l e o f S o u n d J u r y C o n s u l t i n g o f S e a t t l e h a s
t r i e d t o t e a c h m e h o w t o d i s c i p l i n e m y s e l f t o
d e v e l o p w h a t h e c a l l s t h e n i n e - p a r t s t o r y . H i s
f r a m e w o r k f o r c e s l a w y e r s t o t r a n s l a t e c o m p l e x i t y
i n t o c l a r i t y I t d e m a n d s y o u k n o w y o u r c h a r a c t e r s ,
y o u r c o n f l i c t , t h e r u l e s t h a t w e r e b r o k e n , t h e h a r m
c a u s e d , a n d t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t h a t m u s t b e r e s t o r e d
b y t h e j u r y . W i t h o u t t h a t s t r u c t u r e , i t i s e a s y t o
w a n d e r . W i t h i t , y o u s t a y f o c u s e d o n t h e s t o r y j u r o r s
a c t u a l l y n e e d , a n d w a n t
R i c k F r i e d m a n ’ s R u l e s o f t h e R o a d b u i l d s o n t h i s
s a m e p o i n t . H i s m e t h o d i s t o r e d u c e a c a s e t o
s i m p l e , u n d e n i a b l e r u l e s t h a t j u r o r s a c c e p t a s
c o m m o n s e n s e . O n c e j u r o r s a d o p t t h o s e r u l e s
“ d r i v e r s m u s t k e e p a p r o p e r l o o k o u t , ” “ c o m p a n i e s
m u s t t e s t p r o d u c t s b e f o r e s e l l i n g t h e m ” t h e
v e r d i c t b e c o m e s a m a t t e r o f h o l d i n g t h e o t h e r s i d e
a c c o u n t a b l e f o r b r e a k i n g t h e m . R u l e s a r e s t i c k y .
J u r o r s c a n r e p e a t t h e m i n d e l i b e r a t i o n s . A n d
r e p e t i t i o n i s p o w e r .
W h y S t o r i e s S t i c k
theory is the law's structure. A trial theme is what the jury remembers."
S t o r i e s s t i c k b e c a u s e t h e y a r e s i m p l e , r h y t h m i c , a n d m e m o r a b l e . T h i n k a b o u t
a d v e r t i s i n g . F o r m o r e t h a n a c e n t u r y , t h e m o s t s u c c e s s f u l p r o d u c t s h a v e b e e n
s o l d w i t h j i n g l e s a n d s l o g a n s t h a t d i s t i l l a n i d e a i n t o a f e w w o r d s :
N i k e : “ J u s t d o i t ” o r “ J u s t s a y n o ”
A l k a - S e l t z e r : “ P l o p , p l o p , f i z z , f i z z . ”
M c D o n a l d ’ s : “ I ’ m l o v i n ’ i t . ”
C o c a - C o l a : “ I t ’ s t h e r e a l t h i n g . ”
N o b o d y r e m e m b e r s t h e f i n e p r i n t a t t h e b o t t o m o f a C o k e b o t t l e B u t e v e r y o n e
r e m e m b e r s t h e j i n g l e T h a t i s w h a t t r i a l t h e m e s m u s t d o : t a k e t h e e s s e n c e o f y o u r
c a s e a n d m a k e i t u n f o r g e t t a b l e .
T h e s a m e i s t r u e i n t h e c o u r t r o o m . O n e o f t h e m o s t f a m o u s e x a m p l e s c a m e f r o m
J o h n n i e C o c h r a n d u r i n g t h e O . J . S i m p s o n t r i a l : “ I f t h e g l o v e d o n ’ t f i t , y o u m u s t
a c q u i t ” W h a t e v e r y o u t h i n k o f t h a t c a s e , t h e l i n e i s u n f o r g e t t a b l e I t d i s t i l l e d t h e
d e f e n s e i n t o a s i n g l e c h o r u s t h e j u r y c o u l d r e p e a t i n d e l i b e r a t i o n s S i m p l i c i t y b e c a m e p e r s u a s i o n .
T h e C o u n t r y C h o r u s T e s t
O v e r t h e y e a r s , I h a v e c o m e t o r e l y o n a s i m p l e t e s t : i f I c a n ’ t r e d u c e m y c a s e t o
s o m e t h i n g a s c l e a r a n d r e p e a t a b l e a s a c o u n t r y - w e s t e r n c h o r u s , I k n o w I ’ m n o t
r e a d y f o r t r i a l
C o u n t r y s o n g s e n d u r e b e c a u s e t h e i r c h o r u s e s c a p t u r e e n t i r e w o r l d s i n a f e w l i n e s : “ D o n ’ t l e t y o u r b a b i e s g r o w u p t o b e c o w b o y s . ” “ A l l m y e x e s l i v e i n T e x a s , “ T a k e
t h i s j o b a n d s h o v e i t . ” “ Y o u w e r e a l w a y s o n m y m i n d . ”
I f a s o n g w r i t e r c a n d i s t i l l l o n g i n g , s t r u g g l e , o r r e g r e t i n t o o n e c h o r u s , a l a w y e r
s h o u l d b e a b l e t o d i s t i l l a c a s e i n t o o n e t h e m e . I f y o u c a n ’ t s i n g i t , y o u c a n ’ t w i n i t .
I o n c e u s e d t h i s a p p r o a c h i n a n a r b i t r a t i o n w h e r e m y c l i e n t w a s c a u g h t b e t w e e n
t w o w a r r i n g p a r t i e s . M y o p e n i n g s t a t e m e n t b e g a n w i t h t h e f a m i l i a r l y r i c : “ F o o l s t o
t h e l e f t o f m e , j o k e r s t o t h e r i g h t , h e r e I a m s t u c k i n t h e m i d d l e w i t h y o u ” I t d r e w
a s m i r k f r o m t h e a r b i t r a t o r , b u t i t a l s o g a v e h i m a n i n s t a n t f r a m e w o r k f o r m y
c l i e n t ’ s p r e d i c a m e n t a n d f r u s t r a t i o n . I n a s i n g l e l i n e , m y c l i e n t ’ s p o s i t i o n w a s
c l e a r .
E i n s t e i n ’ s S i m p l i c i t y , A p p l i e d
E i n s t e i n ’ s p o i n t w a s n ’ t t h a t c o m p l e x i d e a s
a r e e a s y i t w a s t h a t t r u e m a s t e r y r e v e a l s
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Clark County Bar Association
April 14, 2026
Minutes for the CCBA Board of Trustees Meeting April 14, 2026
1. Called to order 12:05 pm; Petersen, Rapp, Melnick, Larson, Mendoza, Busby, Sherman, Wechselblatt, and Executive Director Darco
2. Approval of March 3, 2026 Board Meeting minutes: (Mendoza/Petersen), Approved Approval of March 16,2026 General Meeting minutes : (Mendoza/Rapp), Approved
3. Treasurer’s Report: (Melnick) Barrister’s Ball expenses are in and it was a break even event. Issue is that there is $2k revenue forecast from the event in the budget for this year. Expenses were up and more sponsors were needed. The CCBA is also behind on dues, advertising, and CLE income while expenses have increased. This could result in a $6k-8k loss which is not sustainable.
Motion to close KeyBank account and transfer funds to an investment account at WA Trust. (Melnick/ Wechselblatt) Approved.
Motion to transition lending from KeyBank to Washington Trust Bank with a $10,000 credit limit. Authorized signers are Ben Melnick, Nathan Petersen, and Marla Rapp. Lisa Darco will be authorized to have an active card. (Melnick/Wechselblatt) Approved
4. To Discuss
a. Membership Update: Current quarter 394 members, 81 have not renewed, 22 are new members to the CCBA. First Quarter 2025 there were 420 members. Staff memberships 43, 43 total last year.
b. Barrister’s Ball Recap: Great turnout. Loads of fun. Great speeches. Event space is very nice. See Treasurer’s Report for fiscal impact news.
c. Brainstorming Session: There are 400 Clark County lawyers that are not CCBA members. The board shared ideas on how to reach these attorneys and promote CCBA membership. We need to increase our memberships. Have a good idea or want to help out? Contact Lisa Darco
5. Upcoming Events
a. Swearing In followed by Young Lawyer Section Happy Hour 4/23/26
b. DEI Planting event at Heritage Farms 5/30/26, 9 to Noon
c. Bowling with the Judges will be in June
d. Jim Mayhew Memorial Golf Tournament 7/17/26
e. Summer Soiree 8/29/26
f. Membership Kickoff Coffee event will be in September
Adjourned 1:04 pm
Clark County Bar Association
CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING May 5, 2026
Minutes for the CCBA Board of Trustees Meeting May 5, 2026
1. Called to order: Rapp, Larson, Sherman, and Executive Director Darco No quorum. George, Marla’s sweet dog, offered to participate. Still no quorum.
2. Approval of April 14, 2026 Board Meeting minutes: Tabled to June meeting
3. Treasurer’s Report: Tabled to June meeting
4. To Discuss
a. Brainstorming Session: ideas to increase membership and serve present
5. Upcoming Events
a. DEI Planting event at Heritage Farms 5/30/26, 9 to Noon
b. Bowling with the Judges: 6/11/26 at Big Al’s
c. Jim Mayhew Memorial Golf Tournament 7/10/26
d. Summer Soiree 8/29/26 at Hidden House
e. Annual Meeting: 9/14/26 at Artillery Barracks at Fort Vancouver
f. Membership Kickoff Coffee event will be in early September
HIRING ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY - FAMILY LAW
The Vern McCray Law Firm is hiring a motivated Associate Attorney to join our well-established family law practice. The primary emphasis is on family law, with exposure to criminal defense, estate planning, and probate. We provide an experienced administrative staff and a relaxed atmosphere designed for long-term success. With a large and growing client base, we offer a desirable compensation split with generous bonuses. If you have previous experience in or a passion for family law, we would love to meet you.
Requirements: Candidates must be a member of the Washington State Bar Association in good standing, with technical proficiency in MS365, Adobe, e-filing, and FamilySoft, along with a firm grasp of Clark County Local Court Rules.
Pay: $120,000 - $180,000 per year
Benefits: Health, Dental, and Vision insuyrance. Paid CLEʼs and provided parking.
Location: Camas, WA 98607
How to Apply: If youʼre interested in building a great client base and working in a relaxed atmosphere, please submit your confidential resume to: mccraylaw@vernmccraylaw.com
Clark County Superior Court
BENCH/BAR COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
May 12, 2026
Jessi Anderson Persons in attendance: Judge Camara Banfield (Camera.Banfield@clark.wa.gov), Jessi Anderson (jessi@ccvlp.org), Alex Reaganson (alexander.reaganson@nwjustice.org) Aaron Bartlett (Aaron. Bartlett@clark.wa.gov )
- If you have matters that you would like to bring to the attention of the Bench/Bar, you are welcome to contact the above-mentioned members of the committee. The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 8th at 12:00. Please email Jessi Anderson (jessi@ccvlp.org) for the Zoom link if you would like to attend.
Meeting commenced: 12:01 pm
Meeting Updates:
Court updates: Judge Banfield
Civil department:
Meeting adjourned:12:20 pm
Superior Court Administration is moving to the ground floor of the courthouse. Boxes are still present upstairs for now, but those will be moving downstairs at some point and when they move there there will be a gap before the new boxes are ready. There are also boxes at the clerk’s office where attorneys can leave things for judicial officers and someone from Superior Court will go pick those documents up. You can utilize those boxes now and/or during the gap while boxes from the 3rd floor are relocated to the ground floor.
Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s office: Aaron Bartlett, Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
The prosecutors office will be attending and having a presence at Superior Court Bench Bar again.
Question from CCVLP/NJP regarding pro se petitions to vacate convictions:
One of the barriers that we’re seeing with pro se litigants is that there is a real disparity between the ability of a pro se litigant to get a prosecutor to sign an agreed order to vacate versus the ability of a defense attorney to have contact with a prosecutor and get an agreed order. This is resulting in pro se folks having to set a hearing to get their vacate order every time, even in instances when at the hearing the prosecutor isn’t objecting to the order. This takes more of everyone’s time, including the court. Is there a way to get more engagement from the prosecutor’s office with pro se people on their petitions/orders to vacate, particularly on ones that the prosecutor’s office wouldn’t be objecting to at a hearing?
Judge Banfield states that it would be helpful for the prosecutor’s office to have information on their website for pro se individuals on how best to serve their paperwork on the prosecutor’s office and a process to indicate receipt by the prosecutor.
Mr. Bartlett is going to follow up to determine who the best contact is at the prosecutors office on this issue.
Northwest Justice Project: Alex Reaganson
Regarding Legal Financial Obligations: NJP is still seeing a slow response time of sending things in through ex parte with the clerks office on LFOs. Because of this, NJP will be noting LFO petitions for hearing moving forward rather than utilizing the ex parte process.
Judge Banfield will communicate with Judge Snider to relay that information and still suggests that a meeting with Judge Snider may be useful as she is the only judge handling LFOs at this time.
RTC caseload update: NJP has seen an increased case load for RTC matters as CCVLP is currently down 2 attorneys.
Jessi clarifies that CCVLP has contract coverage to make up for 1 of those FTE caseloads and is currently in the process of rehiring for the 2nd FTE.
NJP was granted a temporary paralegal position which was filled internally leaving one legal assistant position open. Attorneys are working hard to cover matters while short one legal assistant and response times may be slower until that position is refilled. That vacancy does not affect NJP’s Right To Counsel team as they have their own dedicated paralegal staff.
Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program: Jessi Anderson
No further updates from CCVLP
This group takes a break over the summer months and will resume in September. Jessi has facilitated/ been responsible for meeting minutes, Zoom links and calendar invites for the last two years and invites other interested members of the group to switch out with her. Please email Jessi (jessi@ccvlp. org) if you are interested in facilitating Superior Court Bench Bar when it resumes in September.
