Page 5 - Pierce County Lawyer - January February 2025

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
JANUARY/FEBRUARY PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER By Elizabeth Vincent
We’ve turned the page on 2024 and invite in the New Year with a fresh selection of informative and
entertaining perspectives from both seasoned writers and newer contributors. As Director Kit Kasner notes
in her column, we are soliciting stories from members and non-members alike. The Bar Magazine Committee
welcomes diverse points of view, so please consider sharing your ideas and opinions. Start off 2025 with a resolution
to contribute to your local Bar Magazine!
[ PG. 7, 9 & 24 ]
Outgoing Bar President Cathy Case bids a fond farewell to an activity-filled tenure. However,
her enthusiasm for the job will likely be matched by her successor, Elizabeth Johnson. Contributor
Michelle Luna profiles Elizabeth’s background and discusses how it informs her plans to carry forward
Cathy’s strong engagement in community service. Elizabeth Johnson also submitted an interview with
Tacoma Urban League Director Desirée Wilkins Finch, who challenges our community to heed the
call of civil rights and provide a more inclusive and user-friendly justice system.
[ PG. 10 ] Kit’s column is filled with reminders, including paying your membership dues and registering
for the Lincoln Day Banquet, scheduled for Friday, February 7th, 2025. This annual event includes
a very special, locally-sourced Keynote Speaker, Washington Supreme Court Justice Salvador Mungia.
[ PG. 16, 12 & 20 ]
Perennial contributor Professor John Weaver spoke with Tacoma Municipal Court Judge Steven
Krupa, who provides his perspective on the hard work of campaigning for judicial office and the
experience it takes, particularly as a pro-tem, to be a competent judge. John Cain offers his opinion
on the homeless crisis and critiques our civic and legislative leaders’ inadequate responses. Several
innovative approaches to this complicated issue are discussed by Habitat for Humanity’s Mark
Holcomb and Sheranna Kildun, who also list ways our members can help with affordable housing.
[ PG. 18 ] Our Seattle University Law School 2L reporter Owen Leopold collaborated with
Seattle U to share how Artificial Intelligence programs are being incorporated into legal education
and innovating the practice of law. The sage advice to readers is to become familiar with next-gen
legal technology, because it’s here!
[ PG. 30 ]
Having delved into mysteries of the deep, including the Titan submersible tragedy and a phantom
sea creature, Nigel Malden shifts his focus to unexplained activities in the night skies. He investigates
the thousands of reported sightings of unidentified drones over Virginia and New Jersey in the Fall of
2024 and the efforts of government officials to minimize these reports. To further pique our suspense, he
promises a follow-up article discussing alternate theories to explain these unusual sightings. Will there be
a “big reveal?” In the meantime, he writes, “keep all eyes on the mysterious night skies.”
[ PG. 34 & 22 ] The New and Young Lawyers section’s Christopher Walsh invites you to meet
Patrick Brown, who explains why he chose to practice Personal Injury law and how his background
equipped him to assist clients who have endured traumatic events. Michelle Luna shows us some moves in
the Mediation Dance, presenting Part 1 of her tenets of mediation practice from an expert’s perspective.
[ PG. 37 & 38 ]
We also have updates from Pierce County Law Librarian Stephen Seely, who lists some of their newly-
acquired print and digital publications, and Laurie Davenport from Tacomaprobono with the final chapter
in their transformation from a scrappy, no-budget “legal aid bit” to a financially sound, dynamic voice
for the under-represented in our community. Take a moment from your post-holiday catch-up to browse
through our choice selections!
J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 5 | P I E R C E C O U N T Y L A W Y E R 5