2026 July Hearsay

HearSay THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

July 2026

December 2019

Welcome, Commissioner Lopez!

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JESSE JACOBS OTLA Guardian / WSAJ Eagle Past President, Clark County Washington Bar Association

DON JACOBS Past Trial Lawyer of the Year, Clark County, WA Past President, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association

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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.

July Hearsay Contributors Jeff Sowder Sowder Law Office, PLLC

Jeff Sowder’s practice focuses on real estate and criminal law. Jeff has been practicing law for 47 years.

Jean Mccoy Landerholm, P.S Jean McCoy’s practice focus is real estate transactions and conflict resolution, landlord/ tenant and creditors’ rights.

Grant Gehrmann Gehrmann Personal Injury

Gra nt

Gehrmann

is

a

Va n c o u v e r

persona l injur y attor ney focused on serious injur y a nd wrongful death cases.

Judge Abigail Bartlett Clark County District Court

Judge Abigail E. Bartlett was appointed as a District Court Judge in July 2021, after ser ving as a District Court Commissioner and a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.

Quarter Centurions page 10

IN MEMOR JAMES H

By Jeff

In Memorium: Jim Hamilton aka James Ham James passed away Easter day, Apri Hamilton complications during heart s

page 14 California on August 10, 1948 and attorney. He is survived and Christina, by his stepson marriage to Ann. He was luc with Pauline Stalnaker, a gre companion to the end. He o and master’s degrees from C University - Chico. His educa

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was diverse. He fought fires for the Forest Service in California, for Areias Dairy Farms, and was a pilot. He frequently flew out

Inspiring the Next Generation page 16

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Keri Lindstrom

CCBA

President’s Message

By Nathan Petersen

Thank you to everyone who came out for the special meeting on June 18th. We appreciate the support and participation f rom everyone who appeared and voted.

The Fourth of July is always a fun holiday. We got together with f riends and set off a few f ireworks. Our f riends’ neighbor put us all to shame and put on a near professional-level display.

Summer is a little quieter with events, but I encourage everyone to come out to the Summer Soiree on August 29th and the Clark County Volunteer Lawyer Program Garden Party on August 2nd.

Reading: Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk Listening: As Is by Josiah and the Bonnevilles.

NATHAN PETERSEN | CCBA PRESIDENT 8 NATHAN@THEPRLAWFIRM.COM | 360.326.4577

Let's retire an old image: a referral service as a phone tree that spits out a name and a number, no context, no care. That's not what we're running here. And let's retire a second myth while we're at it — SWLR is not legal aid, and it's not a favor you're doing for f ree.

The Southwest Washington Lawyer Referral is one of the quieter things CCBA does — and one of the most useful, for the public and for our members alike. When someone in our community doesn't know where to start, doesn't know what kind of attorney they need, or has been putting off a call because the legal world feels like a locked door, SWLR is the key. For $125, they get a real 30-minute conversation with a real attorney, matched to their actual issue. No guessing, no cold search results, no wondering if they picked the right specialty out of a directory.

Here's the part some members haven't clocked: this is a paying-client pipeline, not a pro bono program. Every person who calls SWLR has already decided they're willing to pay for representation — they just don't know who to call. That's where the confusion usually lives. The general public doesn't have a mental map of who handles what; they don't know a family law attorney f rom a real estate attorney f rom a personal injury attorney, and most of them have never needed to know until now. We do the sorting. You get the client.

For members, that means SWLR isn't a request for your time — it's a source of new business, pre-qualif ied and ready to engage. Every referral is someone who's already cleared the hardest hurdle: deciding to call a lawyer. They're not shopping for a discount or a handout. They're shopping for the right person, and we can put you in f ront of them.

How it works: A member of the public calls or emails the SWLRS with a general description of their legal issue — no conf idential details, no attorney-client relationship formed yet, just enough for us to make a good match. We connect them to a participating attorney in the right practice area, and that attorney offers an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for no more than $125 — a real, paid f irst meeting, not a giveaway.

How you can participate: Joining the referral panel puts your name and practice area in f ront of a steady stream of people actively looking for representation and ready to pay for it. It's one of the most direct ways to grow your client base through CCBA. Want in? Full sign-up details, including how it ties into your membership renewal, are coming in next month's issue. For now, just know: the clients are calling. We just 9 need more of you on the other end of the line.

CC B A H E A R S AY

QUARTER CENTURIONS

BY JEAN MCCOY There are 438 Members of the Clark County Bar Association (CCBA), and of those 127 have been practicing 25 years or more, and some (like me) MANY more! Excluding those who have officially retired or became inactive, a list of these “Quarter Centurions” is included in this article (some are emeritus!) If you see someone on the list walking around out in the “wild” congratulate them on sticking with this crazy gig for so long.

You all responded so thoroughly to the concept of this article that we are going to honor each person that responded with their content in the coming publications. There were too many for one article alone. If you didn’t respond to me, but wanted to, and you have been practicing more than 25 years, it is not too late!

Your thoughts, pictures, memories, etc. can be shared with me at jean.mccoy@landerholm.com. I will put together what you send me with your other comrade-in-arms and it will be really great.

In reflecting on my 34 years in practice, I almost can’t believe it has been this long, but yet it also seems like forever. Many of you have lamented that life was simpler 25 years ago and before. A lot of you talked about technology, phones and computers. When I first started practicing in 1992 cell phones were moving from the “brick” to a smaller device that cost a fortune. In the early 90’s I took over a long-term firm client who had small District Court collection matters all around the Columbia River Gorge: Skamania, Klickitat (East and West), Hood River and Wasco counties. Before we became savvy and did not book hearings for December or January, I was stuck in many a storm heading to court early in the morning finding ice or snow blocking my way. Can you imagine today not being able to communicate with your office or the courts driving down the highway? No up-to-the-minute forecasts and road conditions? Well, my first 10

Until the mid-90’s email was mostly inter-office with a dumb-box monitor and a server room connecting you to other employees in your firm. Wi-fi – what is it?

When a letter came in through the mail, it didn’t usually warrant a fire drill. It was put in a stack and two weeks was the norm for follow up. Things moved in a normal pace; no one was usually in the office after 5:00 pm (our firm, however, was open on Saturdays from 8 am to noon, mostly to hand out disability checks), but no one I knew was killing themselves to get it all done. There was more time for thoughtful response, congeniality, lunch with colleagues, public service projects.

We all volunteered for the advice clinics at the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers program and attended the Annual Meeting for CCBA. We had a July barbeque in the public service courtyard, usually with Judge Melnick at the grill, and the Red Lion at the Quay was our usual haunt for meetings and seminars. (We would sometimes have cocktails at lunch – gasp)! The Judges knew all of us, and the Friday morning docket was a meet-and-greet with all your favorite (and maybe not so favorite) practitioners. Court was in person – only the brazen Seattle lawyers would dare to try and attend a hearing via phone. You could tell out-of-town attorneys with their polished wing-tips and super dark suits (with two associates in tow dressed identically). Steve Horenstein recalls when women lawyers would not dare to show up in court in a pants suit (I still won’t!) and the ground would swallow you up if you ever forgot a tie or a jacket.

Some things have progressed for the good of the order – our local judiciary is a diverse group and there is a lot of interest in making sure our jury system is as fair as we can make it. Dockets seem to be less hectic with so much done via email before the hearing and Zoom hearings take a lot of traffic out of the courtroom. I think the young ones are tired of us bemoaning the advent of the sad little rectangles we carry around everywhere but there is no argument that the reliance on the cell phone, email and the internet has sped up society to the point where we can’t get a decent vacation without being chased around by client expectations. And heaven forbid you take too long to respond or your client will try to DIY the project with Chat GPT and mess it all up because these programs are no substitute for our intellect and experience. Retirement is sometimes being delayed because health insurance is cost prohibitive prior to the age of 65, or it is difficult to keep attorneys and staff around to take over a lifetime practice when the population is so much more mobile and there is a shortage of experience. There is also the fear of what else might be out there that could be as rewarding as this?

But, didn’t we have the best music!?! As we honor those who have contributed so many years to the practice of law, please enjoy some comments and reflections from those among us with a lot of life experience over the next several episodes of Hearsay.

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Neil C. Anderson Neil C. Anderson John R. Bachofner Jason C. Bailes Hon. Camara Banfield William V. Baumgartner Heather C. Beasley Michael G. Beaty J. Marvin Benson Michael W. Bortz Christopher M. Boyd Barry W. Brandenburg LeAnne M. Bremer Rachel Brooks Steven L. Busick Louis B. Byrd, Jr. Julie C. Carmena Mark A. Carter Jane E. Clark Hon. Suzan Clark Winniferd Clements Hon. Scott Collier (Ret) Sharon D. Cousineau Ivan Culbertson James E. David Adam L. Dean William J. Eling Donald A. Esau Maggie Evansen Hon. John Fairgrieve Gregory D. Ferguson Karen E. Feulner Thomas J. Foley Debbie L. Fong-Uribe Russell D. Garrett Charles D. Gazzola Grant A. Gehrmann Cindy Gideon Anthony F. Golik Hon. Gregory Gonzales Alison Greene Ronald W. Greenen Hon. David Gregerson Robert M. Gregg David Gross 12

Gregory E. Price T. Randall Grove Kari Reardon Frances R. Hamrick Julie L. Reed Wesley Lincoln Harvey Jeffrey Renshaw Jeffrey J. Hatch Hon. Nancy Retsinas Marla R.L. Heikkala Marilyn K. Reynolds Matthew R. Hoff Michael V. Roe Scott A. Hogan Tonya R. Rulli Kathryn E. Holland Robert C. Russell Scott J. Horenstein Scott E. Russon Stephen W. Horenstein Megan Sawyer Evan D. Hull Craig F. Schauermann Donald L. Jacobs Darcy J. Scholts Philip B. Janney Bradley Schrock Scott L. Jensen Hon. Barbara D. Johnson Kyle D. Sciuchetti James D. Senescu (Ret) Hon. Emily Sheldrick Eric P. Johnson Carolyn A. Simms Victoria A. Kesala Hon. Jennifer Snider Jeremy Krauel Steven M. Sowards Le Ann S. Larson James J. Sowder Comm. Juliet Laycoe Clayton L. Spencer Stephen G. Leatham Kevin G. Staples Damien Lee Chris R. Sundstrom Hon. Robert Lewis Christopher Swaby Kristin Lince Kalkadora Thangkhiew Pamela Loh William K. Thayer Alicia L. Lowe Marie N. Tilden Laura L. Mancuso Hon. Derek Vanderwood Sheryl Manley Kathleen M. McCann Michael W. Vaughn Kevin J. McClure Kasey Vu Jean M. McCoy Robert M. Vukanovich Vernon H. McCray Laurence R. Wagner Brian A. Walker Jon J. McMullen Loren Waxler Hon. Rich Melnick (Ret) Lawrence S. Merrifield, Jr. Curtis A. Welch Douglas O. Whitlock David W. Meyer Judith Zeider Arthur D. Miller Steve C. Morasch John D. Nellor John Nichols Meridee Pabst Thomas C. Phelan Donald B. Potter Devin Poulson

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IN MEMORIUM: JAMES HAMILTON

By Jeff Sowder and friends Jim Hamilton aka James Hamilton, Attorney at Law, passed away Easter day, April 5, 2026, due to complications during heart surgery. Jim was born in California on August 10, 1948. He was a great friend and attorney. He is survived by his children Justin and Christina, by his stepson Tommy from his marriage to Ann. He was lucky to find love again with Pauline Stalnaker, a great lady who was his companion to the end. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University - Chico. His education and experience was diverse. He fought fires for the Forest Service in California, was a financial officer for Areias Dairy Farms, and was a pilot. He frequently flew out of Pearson Air Park in Vancouver. Jim attended law school at Lewis and Clark Law School. He was a public defender in the original Public Defender’s office in Clark County started by J. Dean Morgan and Jack Welch in 1978. J. Dean Morgan later became Judge Morgan of the Clark County Superior Court and Justice Morgan of the Court of Appeals, Division II. At the Public Defender’s office Jim formed a close knit group of life-long friends with the attorneys and staff. When the Public Defender’s office closed in 1980 and the indigent contract system began, Jim went into private practice focusing on personal injury, commercial and real estate law, aviation law, and business law. Jim was one of the original members of the “Banana Slugs” soccer team made up primarily of attorneys, including Tom Phelan, Jeff Sowder, Barry Brandenburg, Scott Collier, Don Jacobs.

Chuck Buckley, Bill Thayer and Bob Yoseph. Many of their children cheered the team on from the sidelines. Judge Skimas was an occasional referee. Jim went on to serve on the state and national level in adult soccer associations. He was inducted into the USASA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the USASA Region IV Hall of Fame in 2016 – honors that reflect both his longevity and the depth of his influence on the game. In 2025 he was named an Honorary Life Member of U.S. Soccer, one of the organization’s highest distinctions. I office shared with Jim, Gerald Wear, Bill Kittelson and Paul Bruce. We were magnificently assisted by Legal Assistants Katherine Laurie, Teresa Christensen, Pat Wendt, Linda Busch, Stephanie Dunnigan and others . Jim was an understated and modest man. He led a highly successful and diverse life, touching many with his intelligence, warmth and service. He will be greatly missed.

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Inspiring the Next Generation

By Judge Abigail Bartlett

Working in the justice system is uniquely rewarding because you can see the impact you are having on someone else’s life, immediately. Whether you are advocating for a client in court, getting someone the paperwork they need at court public services, or assisting someone in accessing treatment through the probation department – you have helped someone that day in a meaningful way.

On May 12th of this year, the CCBA DEI Committee brought local professionals to Fort Vancouver High School to talk about the many amazing careers in the justice system.

The event began with a career panel, which was emceed by two outstanding students from Fort. Panelists shared information about their training and education, what a typical day looks like at their jobs, and why they find their jobs rewarding.

Attendees then met in smaller breakout groups, divided by career-type, where questions could be answered on a more personal level. Lunch and snacks were provided by the CCBA Family Law Section and Butchard Law. One of the highlights of the event was when panelist Irma Gomez-Hernandez shared her story. Irma, who is the daughter of immigrant parents, graduated from Fort Vancouver High School as well. She has gone on to help countless members of our community as a probation case manager and recently earned her master’s degree.

Irma was a powerful, real-life example of what is possible after graduation.

Pictured above from left, Derek Beach, LaQuinta Daniels, Irma Gomez-Hernandez, MichelleGonzalez, Heather Kahl, Lev Kouliachov, Kayla Rogers, Rolando Santiago, Eric Schmidtke 16

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Connections were also made at this event. In fact, one of the students attending has since been placed in a summer internship with the Mabry Work Crew Center. Another student, who hopes to become a human rights lawyer, is actively looking for volunteer or internship opportunities in our community. If you need an intern or volunteer at your law firm, please contact Judge Abbie Bartlett or Deb Wechselblatt and we will work on connecting you!

Special thanks to Elizabeth Prager (Fort Vancouver faculty and civics/college U.S. History teacher) for making this event possible. Thank you as well to our participants for lending your time and expertise, and for the phenomenal work you do.

Participants included: Stephanie Stephenson - Probation Services Case Manager / Mental Health Court Case Manager; Heather Kahl – Family Services Coordinator, Clark County Superior Court; Alicia Hensley – Management Analyst and ADA Coordinator, Clark County District Court; Irma Gomez-Hernandez: Probation Services Case Manager; Michelle Gonzalez: Judicial Assistant, Vancouver Defenders; Derek Beach – Court Assistant Senior, Clark County District Court; Lev Kouliachov – Court Assistant II, Public Service, Clark County District Court; Eric Schmidtke – Senior Public Defender, Clark County Public Defense; Kayla Rogers – Defense Attorney, Clark County Public Defense; LaQuinta Daniels – Program Coordinator, Clark County Juvenile Court; Rolando Santiago - Crew Chief Lead, Mabry Work Crew Center; Grayce Goddard – Judicial Assistant, Clark County District Court; Bailey Truax – Court Assistant II, Public Service, Clark County District Court; Lisa Biffle – Program Manager II, Mabry Work Crew Center; Chelsey Butchard – Owner, Butchard Law; Judge Abbie Bartlett.

Eric Shmidtke

Kayla Rogers

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Student emcees: Hector Varela Bentancourt and Jose Aragunte.

Kayla Rogers, Eric Shmidtke, Michelle Gonzalez, Chelsey Butchard

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Bailey Truax, Alicia Hensley, Lev Kouliachov, Derek Beach

JURY TRIALS AND THOSE PESKY

“yellow gremlins”

BY GRANT GEHRMANN There is no doubt that clients benefit when their attorneys are willing to go to trial and can capably take a case to trial. Arguing a case to a jury is, perhaps, the highest manifestation of our training as attorneys. Your client hired you to be their champion and sometimes it is necessary to be that champion in court. In front of 12 strangers that we call the jury.

“Trial Brain” is real. Your mind races, you sleep less, adrenaline courses through your body. But trial brain is a good thing. You become focused, you sharpen your arguments, you buttress your defenses, and you anticipate attacks. I like to think that trial is like getting ready to mow a large lawn.

Your trial brain is the lawnmower and it runs better if you regularly start it up.

As I get older, I sometimes wonder if my lawnmower will start properly. At least for now, my lawnmower still gets running, but it does take a few more pulls to start up, warm up, and smooth the idle than it used to. Once your lawnmower is started, it’s time to tackle the lawn of the trial itself.

What about “yellow gremlins”? This is what I call the nasty little critters that show up as you prepare for trial. They are fears and doubts, issues and conclusion, and last-minute panic about things that you feel are sure will knock you off your game and wreck your trial. Understand that yellow gremlins happen to every lawyer before trial.

Those gremlins are sneaky and their presence drills into your brain. If you have OCD (all lawyers seem to have some) then those gremlins spike up OCD and manifest themselves as URGENT TROUBLE in your trial brain. But they are not URGENT TROUBLE, they are just gremlins making a lot of noise in your head. You can learn to turn down this gremlin noise, but it takes work. Some good news -- The more you encounter pre-trial yellow gremlins, the easier they become to ignore.

Some advice to newer attorneys? Simple, go to trial more and hone your skill set. As I look back over my career of 33 years, I have completed about 60 trials to conclusion – still not enough. If I could go back and tell the younger me some advice it would be this – Ignore the yellow gremlins, start the lawnmower, learn to love trial brain, and keep taking that walk to the courthouse to face the jury -- and be your client’s champion.

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Clark County Bar Association

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CLARK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING

June 2, 2026

Minutes for the CCBA Board of Trustees Meeting June 2nd, 2026 1. Called to order 12:13 pm Petersen, Rapp, Melnick, Larson, Mendoza, Sherman, Wechselblatt, and Executive Director Darco in attendance.

2. Approval of April 14, 2026 Board Meeting minutes: (Mendoza/Petersen) Approved 3. Approval of May 5, 2026 Board Meeting minutes: (Sherman/Rapp) Approved (those not in attendance abstained) 4. Treasurer’s Report (Melnick) A. Motion: With regard to the Clark County Bar Association accounts at KeyBank. The current duly elected Board of Directors hereby revokes all prior account signatory authority and authorizes the following individuals to act on behalf of the organization with respect to all deposit and banking relationships: Nathan Petersen, Marla Rapp, and Benjamin Melnick.

Any prior resolutions or signer authorizations inconsistent with this resolution are rescinded effective immediately. Additionally, former authorized signers are no longer affiliated with the organization and are unavailable to participate in banking updates. (Melnick/ Wechselblatt) Approved B. CCBA finances have taken a quick downturn in the last three months. The situation is urgent to address. Melnick indicates July and August will be deficit months. Revenue is down from projections and expenses up, causing us to use reserve funds. At the rate we are going, Melnick predicts as much as $25k in losses. Trends causing this are 1) revenue down this fiscal year 2) unexpected federal taxes due to legislation change 3) Family Law Section funds were recently separated from CCBA reserve funds (an old accounting issue straightened out) resulting in a significant reduction in CCBA reserves and 4) Advertising revenue is in the low part of the annual cycle.

4. To Discuss A. Dues Increase: Lengthy discussion. Motion to propose an increase in CCBA member dues to $295 a year. (Melnick/Petersen) Approved. The dues increase must be voted on by the membership. A Special Meeting will be held 6/18/26 at noon via Zoom. Notice to CCBA members of the meeting and vote will be emailed 6/3/26.

B. Executive Director Compensation Review: Last increase to ED hourly rate was July 2017. It has not been adjusted for nine years. Discussion. Motion to raise Executive Director hourly rate to $37 an hour effective 8/1/26. (Melnick/Mendoza) Approved. When this raise is effective, Lisa Darco will have served as our ED for 15 YEARS. 20

C. Member versus Non-Member prices at events: will discuss at July meeting 5. Upcoming Events a. Bowling with the Judges: 6/11/26 at Big Al’s b. Jim Mayhew Memorial Golf Tournament “The Mayhew” 7/17/26 c. Summer Soiree 8/29/26 at Hidden House d. Annual Meeting: 9/14/26 at Artillery Barracks at Fort Vancouver e. Membership Kickoff Coffee event will be in early September Adjourned 1:10

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