I recently attended an event celebrating the achievements of Dean Kellye Testy, the outgoing Dean of the University of Washington School of Law.  Everyone in the U.W. School of Law community wishes her well.  She has been a terrific Dean.

I recently attended a retirement dinner for Carole Grayson, my old boss at University of Washington Student Legal Services, who has also served as the head of the Senior Lawyers Section of the WSBA.  I thank Carole for her patience with me as a legal intern, and for the many powerful lessons she imparted to me regarding the practice of law.

I spoke again today at University of Washington School of Law in the Small and Solo Practice Class about a variety of topics related to solo and small firm practice.  Presenting in this class and hearing from the students and instructors always gives me new ideas about how to improve my practice.

I had the privilege of attending the mentor-mentee reception at U.W. Law School again. It was great to meet so many new law students.  I always feel like the caliber of law students continues to increase, which makes me hopeful for the future of the legal profession and of the world.

I am very proud of having graduated from the King County Dispute Resolution Center’s Mediation Practicum, and I look forward to continuing to mediate community mediations at the Dispute Resolution Center.  The Practicum has been a rigorous, but rewarding two-year experience.  I also want to thank all of my instructors in the Practicum for their wisdom, kindness, and patience.

Once again I spoke to the Solo and Small Firm Practice Class at the University of Washington School of Law.  The students are very inquisitive.  The subjects of my speaking were broadly-career paths, business plans, and marketing.  The students presented business plans at the beginning of class which were as detailed and professional as any business plans I have ever seen.  I am strongly encouraged that the next generation of lawyers will be even more talented than their predecessors, and hope that they use this talent to improve the world, both inside and outside of the legal system.

I spoke at the University of Washington School of Law’s solo and small firm practice class recently regarding solo practice, business plans, marketing, ethics, and other topics.  This engagement is always a joy in which to participate and highly rewarding for all involved.

I recently served as a judge for the University of Washington Law School’s mediation moot court competition.  This competition offers a great opportunity for law students to work together on a collaborative basis during a facilitative mediation, as opposed to using the more common adversarial model for negotiations taught in law school and employed in litigation.

I attended the U.W. Law School mentorship reception last evening.  I got to meet my new mentee.  The speaker at this event was Judge Lori K. Smith.  I have now participated in the mentorship program at the University of Washington School of Law for nine years.

I met with one of my mentees from the University of Washington School of Law yesterday.  It is always interesting to hear what is happening in the legal world from a law student’s perspective.