I live in Seattle.  I am a graduate of Seattle University School of Law and Georgetown University.  I am also a member of the Washington State Bar Association. Until recently, I was a law clerk for the Honorable Marywave Van Deren of the Washington State Court of Appeals. My primary duties with Judge Van Deren were drafting rehearing recommendations for the three-judge panels on which she sits and drafting opinions for the judge. That position gave me exposure to a wide variety of criminal and civil matters, extensive research and writing experience, and the opportunity to work closely with a Court of Appeals judge.

Since graduation, I have been volunteering at the Legal Action Center, part of Catholic Community Services, and the Housing Justice Project, providing critical legal needs--in the form of homelessness prevention--to low income residents of King County. This experience has exposed me to virtually everything about law practice that the Court of Appeals does not--extensive client contact, client advocacy, and oral advocacy.  Through these activities, I have become an very experienced in Washington landlord-tenant law.

I hope to practice commercial & real estate litigation as well as publish on property issues.  I am also interested in related areas such as landlord-tenant, construction/development, land use, and takings.  I have a second article titled Independent Judicial Determination: How Courts can use the Standards of Review to Uphold Private Property Rights Without Undermining Public Use that will be published in the Arizona Law Issue of the Phoenix Law Review this spring.

One of my goals is to be well read; to that end, I am working my way through the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, somewhat indirectly. Since July, I have been writing brief reviews on the books I read; these reviews were formerly available on my blog [Tolled Peculiar] but are currently not online.

I am interested in fine coffee and beer but I don't bother learning any of the technical language.  I enjoy movies, owning over 100 DVDs. I try to keep up on world events.  I think occasionally about puns, men's style, grammar, & politics. I also enjoy spectator sports and (very) occasionally do triathlons.