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Attorney
By
Attorney
Career Profiles of the Profession
Who?
Name:
Lish Whitson
lawfirm@whitsonlaw.com
What?
Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
Civil trial practice in federal and state court in health care, medical malpractice, construction, complex business litigation and ADR.
When?
Years in Practice Area:
Since 1974
Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1974
Where?
Employer:
Lish Whitson PLLC
http://www.whitsonlaw.com
Size/Sector:
1
City/State:
Seattle, WA
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Law School:
University of Washington School of Law
Undergraduate School/Degree:
B.A., Philosophy
Other Post-Graduate Education:
Two years in Chinese History and Philosophy toward PhD.
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Why?
Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
I enjoy helping people and the intellectual challenge of trial work.
Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
One must know the substantive law, but the more important skills are interpersonal relations and trial skills.
Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice Area:
Get trial experience.
How?
Career Path to Current Position:
Luck. I quit my job in a large law firm for more flexibility and became a solo practitioner. I formed Lish Whitson PLLC after 24 years of civil practice with two other firms, Badgley-Mullins Law Group and Helsell Fetterman, LLP.
Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area:
Statutes and case law that interpret the statutes related to various aspects of health coverage for women.
Bar Affiliations and Activities:
I am a past President of the Boards of Allied Arts of Seattle, the Defender Association, and the Seattle Downtown Emergency Service Center (the largest shelter and advocacy organization for the homeless in the Northwest). I am past chair of the Marrowstone Summer Music Festival, a component of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras. I have been a member of the King County Medical Society/King County Bar Association Medical/Legal Committee. I am currently the President of the Alumni Board of the University of Washington Law School and a member of the Allied Arts Foundation. I was listed in Who's Who in American Law for more than a decade. I also served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan from 1965 to 1967.
I am a member of the Washington State, Federal, American and King County Bar Associations as well as the American Judicature Society (past National Board member). I am a past President of the King County Bar Young Lawyers Section and a past Trustee of the King County Bar. I am a Fellow of the American and King County Bar Foundations. I am a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. I have lectured and written extensively on trial practice, ethics and professionalism.
I have served on and chaired numerous committees with various Bar Associations over the past 25 years, including the Washington Judicial Council Task Force on Evidence. I am a past-chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral & Information Services and continue to work for the committee as a volunteer consultant. I am currently a member of the Commission on Women in the Profession and I am also a member of the ABA House of Delegates. I have recently completed a three-year term as the Governor from Seattle on the eleven member governing Board of the Washington State Bar Association.
Recent Professional Presentations:
I trained attorneys from around the nation on how to represent women with breast cancer who are in need of treatment and care during the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession day-long symposium on the legal needs of women with breast cancer in July of 2000 at the ABA Annual Meeting in New York City. I repeated the program at the ABA mid-year meeting in February 2001 in San Diego, California.
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