Page 12 - Pierce County Lawyer - March April 2025

TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
CELEBRATES LEGACY, SERVICE, AND INSPIRATION
117th Annual Lincoln Day Banquet
Nina Caldwell presents the
Outstanding Jurist Award to
Judge Diana Kiesel.
John Cummings receives the
Community Service Award.
Nina Caldwell is a Pierce
County Prosecuting Attorney
in the Criminal Prosecution
Division, and President-Elect of
the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar
Association.
Lauren Romero receives the
Service by a New Attorney Award.
Liz Johnson passes the
Service to Diversity Award
to James Bates.
Dolores Sarandos acknowledges
the Distinguished Service Award
from Catherine Case.
Pierce County Establishes
Public Defense Conflict Office
On April 15, 2024, Pierce County launched the Public
Defense Conflict Office (PDC) as a new county agency,
created by the County Executive and approved by the
County Council. This office was established to ensure
available attorneys for conflict cases in Pierce County.
Measures were taken to ensure that the PDC is an entirely
separate and distinct agency from the Department of
Assigned Counsel (DAC). While expected to handle a
significant portion of conflict cases, the existence of the
office was designed to supplement, rather than replace, the private bar’s role in public defense.
The agency is led by Chief Defender David Katayama, who brings over 20 years of experience
as a public defender with the Department of Assigned Counsel. The PDC is staffed with four
felony-qualified attorneys, a legal assistant, and an investigator/mitigation specialist, ensuring a
robust and effective defense team.
This strategic initiative reinforces Pierce County’s commitment to a strong and sustainable
public defense system, balancing government resources and private sector engagement to
uphold the constitutional right to legal representation.
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