Pacific Point Defense

Slightly late on this post but we are honored to once again be named South Sounds Best in the category of law firm as well as attorney.

Over the years we have experienced a lot of growth. We went from a solo firm (just Angela) to a firm of 10 attorneys and 6 support staff. We’ve also expanded our practice areas to include both criminal and personal injury. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to our clients. Since day one, we have been client centered and every decision we make boils down to “will this advance our client’s interest?”

We are proud of the work we do everyday and we continue to love our work because we also deeply care for each other and strive to ensure our team has a healthy work/life balance.

Many thanks to the voters of South Sound magazine.

Happy International Women’s Day from the lady lawyers at Pacific Point Defense. Not shown (Leanna Mysak and Tori Camire).

The Recent Arrest of TPD Officers Provides a Glimmer of Hope

As Criminal Defense Attorneys who have been practicing in Tacoma Washington for over 10 years, we want the Tacoma community to know that we stand with them. Our office was relieved to hear that last week, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office decided to press charges against the three Tacoma Police Officers involved in the death of Manny Ellis.

We at Horwath Law are hopeful that, Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins and Timothy Rankine will enter and exit the justice system the same way that every other individual accused of a crime in the country does, entitled to the protections afforded by the Constitution, with no special privileges due to their line of work.

To read more about our thoughts on the case click on the link below. We will be periodically updating this blog as the cases move through the justice system.

https://www.horwathlaw.com/police-officers-are-not-above-the-law-and-we-stand-with-the-elliss-family-and-this-community/

We are incredibly honored to once again be voted the Best of South Sound! Being nominated for and then wining the Best Law Firm category when there are so many talented attorneys and law firms in the area is truly humbling. We love our work and our clients! Thank you!

Sometimes you just need an attorney to tell it to you straight. There is a compassion in being honest and direct. So let’s all try to be a little more honest and direct and let’s move forward as humans together. If we can do that, then we got your back.

This week we are giving Attorney Becca Newsom a (long-overdue) shoutout as our Team-Member of the week! But the timing seemed right because yesterday she (along with co-counsel ) had a huge trial victory! Not only did they avoid a conviction for their client, the judge granted their motion for a directed verdict and dismissed 2 of the the counts. The third count went to the jury and came back as a Not Guilty Verdict! So Congratulations to Becca!!!

When Becca is not kicking ass in trial she is planning her next trip. Becca has been all over the U.S. map from California to Boston to NY and finally to her favorite of them all, Tacoma.

Becca graduated from Columbia University with a major in Human Rights and was drawn to working within the criminal justice field out of a desire to truly help others. She found her way to the West Coast where she attended Law School at Seattle University.
Before she even passed the Bar exam (she’s a real go-getter) she was working as a legal intern at the Federal courthouse and with Department of Assigned Counsel in Pierce County. Becca sought us out because she heard we were the best. She’s not wrong there!
Becca, Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to your clients. We are so glad to have you on this strong team of defense attorneys!

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/black-newspaper-delivery-driver-detained-after-pierce-county-sheriff-claims-then-recants-threat-to-life/

Black newspaper delivery driver detained after Pierce County sheriff claims, then recants, threat to life A newspaper carrier on an early-morning delivery route in Tacoma was surrounded by police officers after the Pierce County sheriff called 911 on him, claiming he threatened the sheriff's life.

Today we are excited to introduce our new legal assistant Anuraag Sanga! Anuraag was born and raised in the South Sound and considers the region to be a major part of his identity. After a misguided attempt at a degree in engineering, Anuraag discovered his passion for justice and equity at the University of Washington where he earned a degree in Political Science just last spring. Throughout his undergraduate experience, Anuraag interned for congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s campaign for two summers and most recently completed an internship at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. At these stops he was able to gain experience fighting for justice throughout our communities and develop his skills as a communicator.

In his early life, Anuraag was always drawn to a career as a lawyer due to his penchant for asking too many questions and constantly chattering with his peers in class. During his education and his internships, Anuraag discovered a passion for criminal law and plans to attend law school next fall to pursue a JD in the field. In the meantime, he is working at our office to fill in for Ashley while she is on maternity leave and is excited to show us what he can do and learn as much as he can about Criminal law from our incredible attorneys.

In his downtime when he hasn’t been studying for the LSAT or sitting around frantically refreshing law-school admissions pages, Anuraag is a die-hard Seattle sports fan. In fact, one of his favorite holidays is the inevitable day the Mariners are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs every year. He is also an Eagle Scout, loves hiking and exploring the PNW and traveling the world. Recently, throughout the pandemic he has realized he is god-awful at cooking and has been working diligently to step up his game the past few months.

Welcome to the team Anuraag!

Horwath Law wishes to thank all who have served. For all you have done, we are forever grateful.

Here are some veteran freebie available today.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/11/11/us/veterans-day-2020-deals-trnd/index.html

Veterans served to protect our country. Here's where they can get served with deals and freebies today Veterans Day will be celebrated a bit differently this year, but there are still freebies and deals aplenty for America's veterans and active military members.

Headed into the weekend with some extra happy clients because we kicked some major DOL ass this week! Kelsey got dismissal results back on every single one of her DOL hearings. Stephen also secured a victory and is awaiting results on another that was well argued! Giving us a grand total of an 80% success rate for DOL this week so far!

In the last 2 months these 3 attorneys have obtained 6 DUI DISMISSALS!!! Each of these dismissals were obtained through negotiations and not because the government was missing blood or breath.

Here’s the DUI DISMISSAL LEADERBOARD:

Kelsey
USDC .085 Breath Test

Carly
Lakewood Muni .28 Blood Draw

Angela
Pierce County .158 Breath Test
Tacoma Muni .14 Blood Draw
King County .08 Breath Test
Tacoma Muni .082 Breath Test

Now that’s some phenomenal lawyering and a cause to celebrate!

*** vehicle and alcoholic beverages photographed were props only. Horwath Law does not condone drinking and driving. Results not typical, especially for other firms.

This client was kind enough to point out (in his raving review of Alison Ganem) that her Not Guilty verdict was only the second trial that has been held in COVID conditions in Kitsap County. Our office has not let COVID stop us from obtaining justice for our clients! Great work Alison!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So that’s the team - all 13 of us. We want to thank our members for letting us spotlight each of them over the last few months and sharing a more personal side that the public might not know. It has been such a fun process on this end of things. This place is brimming with talent and charisma and life and we talk about law and our clients 95% of the time so it’s been pretty special to shake things up a bit.

Here’s a photo of a rare moment when we were all together in one space!! We are Horwath Law.

This week, Horwath Law employees are taking over to take a moment to honor Ms. Horwath and tell you a little bit more about the woman who started it all 13 years ago.

Angela has been known to come into the office saying, “God, I love being a lawyer!” Her love for the job is apparent – this woman slays! She truly does it all – manages the business, schedules herself back to back consults with clients, attends court (sometimes 5 hours away!), argues motions, and spends days on end in trial. She expertly juggles everything in great stride and, might we add, style and heels! (Oh, and lots of coffee!)

Many people have asked the question over the years, “Who did she inherit this firm from?” We can proudly say, no one! Angela was the first in her family to graduate from college (Gonzaga University), let alone Law School (Seattle University). She was raised by a single mother of 3, who struggled financially. She knew by the time she was 7 that she wanted not only to pursue a career that would allow her to help others, but specifically, that she wanted to do it as a lawyer. And it makes a lot of sense to us - Angela is a natural at standing up for her clients and never backs down when the other side needs to be put in their place. And really that’s just who she is to her core – we call it being a badass.

In her own words, the best part of being a criminal defense attorney is "realizing you’ve either outsmarted your opponent or humanized your client - either way, you get to give the client good news.” It’s a mic drop moment every time and that’s just how she rolls.

And while she is all of these things, she also happens to be really bad at spelling. Thank God she has an amazing support staff to proofread her motions.😉

This week Horwath Law is privileged to recognize Howard Bess. Howard has a unique role with us here. He is our in-office, and in-court social service cordinator. This role is not taken lightly, well, because it’s not a light job! Thankfully Howard has a lot of experience under his belt!
Howard earned his BA in psychology from Oberlin College where he participated in an experimental peer counseling su***de prevention project. He is qualified in intensive case management including life skills training, chemical dependency treatment, and care coordination. He was instrumental in housing more than 300 chronically homeless members of the Seattle community and is currently a member of the King County Mobile Crisis Team.
And for us, he helps connect our clients with much needed resources, especially those who are marginalized and disadvantaged within the criminal justice system.
In Howard’s own words, “My position with Horwath Law is both challenging and rewarding. This experience rivals all others…the ability to engage and walk through the complex and often extremely difficult justice system…can be near impossible, I have the opportunity to be an equalizer in the struggle for justice.”
Well put Howard! And you do it so well! We are grateful that not only are there still people in the world fighting for the impoverished, homeless and individuals in crisis, but we are very grateful to have someone on our team who has made it their life mission to help clients such as these.

Horwath Law wishes to thank Justice Ginsburg for her invaluable service to this country. Rest In Power RBG.

This week we are proud to be featuring Attorney Abbie Pence! Abbie just returned to work after having her first child and we are so glad to have her back! Abbie is a PNW native and was the first person in her family to obtain a college degree. She was inspired to become a part of the justice system when she had the very scary experience of having to testify in court at the age of 11. She decided there and then that prosecutors shouldn’t play God and that they should truly care about all parties involved.
She was so determined to make this goal a reality that she got right to it and graduated from Seattle University School of Law when she was only 22! She’s a real life Doogie Howser!

Abbie hasn’t forgotten her childhood experience and fights everyday to make sure her clients are treated fairly and feel that their voices matter. And while, she may be the youngest attorney in the office, she is a well-seasoned litigator, and she advocates for her clients as such.

What we love about Abbie is her positive attitude and her never-ending wiliness to help out her colleagues. . . We seriously had to stop her from writing a motion while on maternity leave. 🙄

This week we are proud to honor Brandi Rogers!
Brandi is an Oregon native, and a WA transplant. When she joined the firm, she was just one of two staff members in the office. She has been with Horwath Law since nearly the beginning and has helped us grow into the firm we are today. While she came to us with extensive experience in human resources, she has had to wear many other hats over the last 10 years. We refer to her as the office manager, but really that is just because we can’t fit her many roles into an email signature. :)

Her pride and joy outside the office are her two young boys and teenage daughter. In her spare time, she has cultivated an indoor garden that would put most others to shame, and an outdoor vegetable garden that she says she’s actually allergic to, but loves it anyways.

Brandi has been our go-to person for so many years and we are lucky to have her! Thank you Brandi!

This week we are honoring attorney Carly Hansen. Carly first started working for us in 2014 and after a brief break to be home with her kids, she came back to us!

Carly brings so much to the firm, both as an attorney and as a colleague. First of all, she’s genuinely one of the nicest and happiest people you’ll ever meet and it’s contagious! Needless to say, Carly makes the office an all-around better place for clients and attorneys alike, also…she has zero frown lines.

She is one of the most gifted, and persuasive writers that any of us have ever come across and she is our go-to-attorney when any of us have an important writing project. Her most notable accomplishment with our firm was when her motion to suppress a confession on a first-degree murder charge led to the suppression of the confession! Not many attorneys have achieved a similar result.

Her vibrant personality and her genius writing skills are not all she brings to the table though… she's also the only one in the office that has performed during the superbowl half time show. That’s right, Carly was a SeaGal for our very own Seattle Seahawks when they went to the 2006 Super Bowl! Pretty impressive considering she was in her second year of law school at the time. This might explain why she can perform the famous lift from the movie "Dirty Dancing" upon request. Seriously, she does.

Carly Cozine Hansen, we love you and we are so thankful you're on our side!

This week we get to honor Megan Campbell, not only because she is a fantastic attorney but also because it just so happens that Megan obtained a Not Guilty verdict today! WooHoo!! This is not an easy thing to do in a face masks but she did it with skill and grace. Megan Campbell joined the firm as supervising criminal defense attorney after extensive practice in Snohomish County. Megan loves the South Sound! She never backs down from a legal fight and demands justice for her clients. When Megan is not being creative in the courtroom, she is creative at home—she into to creating outdoor spaces worthy of a magazine spread and dinners worthy of a “well, we tried it!” Megan lets everyone know that she hails from Montana, despite her deep Washington roots—she is not Cowboy-Montana, but more hippie-girl-that-loves-the-lake-life-Montana. Did she already mention to you that she is from Montana? Seriously, she never shuts up about it. Despite being a transplant, her love of Puget Sound is fierce—she is a graduate of the University of Washington (Go Dawgs!) and Seattle University Law, she lives in her beloved South Park neighborhood of South Seattle. Despite being all business in the courtroom, Megan is quirky and funny in a dad-joke kind of way—she loves puns and the accompanying groans of her colleagues. Congratulations Megan!

This week's featured team member is Attorney Stephen Grant!
This guy is truly a fierce advocate for his clients – a defense attorney to his core. His “hero” is Attorney Kathleen Zelner – (you know, from Netflix’s Making A Murderer). Cheers to you Stephen for having a female role-model. We are giving him a shout out for a lot of reasons, but we definitely can’t go without mentioning that he is currently the only male attorney in the entire office. While we are proud to be a mostly female team, Stephen earns his place here with his killer DUI expertise, mad DOL knowledge and for caring for his clients like a true gentleman. I guess that’s what you get with someone who has known they wanted to be a lawyer since they were a young kid.

While being super serious about the level of representation that he provides to his clients, Stephen is also passionate about his local sports (Go Zags!), family and the great outdoors.
Don’t worry he’s not serious 100% of the time. We have it on good authority that he can do a convincing Irish accent, and enjoys impersonating movie characters just to annoy his wife. 😆

This week’s featured employee is Attorney Alison Ganem. People are shocked to hear that she has been practicing criminal defense for 15 years because she doesn’t look a day over 25!
Her seemingly ageless look might be because nothing really shakes her (not a bully prosecutor, or a particularly demanding judge, or even an extra long day at the office). This girl takes it all in stride. Her inner chill probably goes back to her early life in Hawaii, where she ran barefoot around palm trees chasing lizards and picking hibiscus. . . This is legitimately how she grew up. Lucky!
Thank the sweet Hawaiian sun-gods for sending her our way to rainy WA to attend UW undergrad and Seattle University School of Law and eventually to find her place here at Horwath Law.
Alison is an amazing trial attorney (currently on a huge not guilty streak) aaand a better than average TikTok dancer 😉 She says she’s just in it to embarrass her kids but we see her!
Thank you for bringing your island vibe to the office and for being a kick ass attorney. We love you Alison Ganem!

Our latest blog post discusses dishonest police practices currently being investigated in Pierce County.

http://www.horwathlaw.com/blog/

Horwath Law Criminal Attorney Washington Blog 17 07 '20 Sheriff’s Department Investigated for False ReportsIn May, we shared a blog post about police bias and dishonesty. At the time, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Drug Unit was under investigation. As reported by the Tacoma News Tribune, the majority of officers assigned to the Dru...

This week's feature employee is Lead Attorney Kelsey Ault, our resident Golden Girls aficionado (just check out her coffee mug!). Kelsey is quick witted and doesn’t take sh*t from anyone! We think it's from all the "training" she got from listening to true-crime podcasts. Buuutt, anyone who knows Kelsey would say that she has always been one to question authority (apparently it goes way back - we asked her mom). This attribute is perfect for us and our clients, because it has shaped her into one of the best defense attorneys you could find.

Kelsey is always a strong advocate not only for her clients in the courtroom, but for social and criminal justice everywhere. She has worked in the criminal justice system for more than 10 years and is never afraid to be out fighting "the Man."

She’s not all work and no play though. Kelsey knows how to treat herself to a margarita (or two) on a sunny patio with friends. She even has a side hustle. That's right, this badass attorney is also the queen of interior design.

Thanks Kelsey, for your no-nonsense attitude towards the criminal justice system, and for all the design advice your co-workers desperately needed!

Today, we would like to recognize our office assistant, Kristi Valdez! She's one of our newest team members and is the first face you'll see when you open our doors. While she is new to our office, she is not new to the legal field. Her previous work at a family law firm has been a great foundation for the work we do here. Kristi is smart, compassionate, and reliable and we are already so attached. :) She says she loves everything criminal defense, and often jokes that she's banking her hours in preparation for when her 5 year old daughter's sassiness meets up with the law (hehe). Whatever her motivation is, we're not complaining because she perfectly manages hundreds of client's files like a boss.
Kristi is currently working on her political science degree through Washington State University but her lifelong goal is really just to talk her way out of a speeding ticket..she is 0 for 5, so far (thumbs down it's okay, we got you girl!).

Kristi thank you for handling our varied requests with grace and a smile you are awesome.

This week we are featuring Dominique Shamay Crisp as our employee of the week! Dominque joined the firm as a criminal defense attorney in the beginning of 2018. Her colleagues describe her as a "fierce advocate, a ride or die friend and the life of party." Not only is she insanely smart, she is definitely the coolest person at the office! From Atlanta to Miami to Hawaii and everywhere in between, she’s first class all the way, and she travels with a crowd 🍸🍹 👯‍♀️. Dominique can often be found managing her solid instagram following, cultivating her outrageously large shoe collection (a couple hundred pairs?) pampering at a spa/salon, or providing therapy-grade advice to her closest friends. She is a devoted sports fan (go Huskies!!) a loving dog mom, and adores her family.

When she isn’t busy jet setting or hanging out with her large inner circle, she is kicking ass and taking names in the courtroom. Dominique graduated from UW and then Seattle University School of Law. Her charisma, intelligence, and fearless spirit make her a superb litigator and negotiator, and her clients adore her.

She brings light and laughter to our office and takes the the fear out of the courtroom for our clients. Dom, we love you!

We're going to start our weekly features with our head paralegal, Alycia! She is our lean, mean paralegal machine. Got questions about the dreaded DOL? She’s your gal. Need something done within the tiniest window of time? Consider it “done!” Got questions about how to keep a plant alive in a space with no windows? She’s got your back. She is an enneagram six, which makes her very particular and detailed oriented when it comes to her work.. but it also means she is a creature of habit. So, you'll definitely never catch her ordering something different at a restaurant. She knows what she likes folks, and she's sticking to it. And what she likes are ....burritos. Veggie burritos to be exact. That's right - this girl doesn't eat meat or dairy. She's your stereotypical PNW girl, right down to the cheese she makes out of cashews, Birkenstocks she wears (with socks) and her Subaru outback for, you know.. when the mountains are calling or something..

Alycia joined our team while obtaining her degree at the University of Washington in 2009 and has been a huge part of the growth of the firm over the past decade. We don’t know what we’d do without her!

Hello from Horwath Law! We are all adjusting to this new virtual way of practicing law but we really do miss seeing our clients and colleagues on a regular basis and thought it would be fun to share a Horwath Law employee with you each week. Starting now, we plan on sharing a behind the scenes photo or two and a write up of one of our fabulous staff members each week. The idea is that it will be less of a professional biography and more of a light-hearted piece so that you can get to know our staff. Little shout out to our friends at Narrows Law Group that inspired this idea!

Yes we are outraged. In our most recent blog post we discuss what to do next.

http://www.horwathlaw.com/you-are-outraged-you-want-change-now-what/

DEMAND BODY CAMERAS!

https://eedition.thenewstribune.com/ccidist-replica-reader/?epub=https://eedition.thenewstribune.com/ccidist-ws/mcclatchy/mcclatchy_tac_newsbroad/issues/28049/&token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJNY0NsYXRjaHkiLCJzdWIiOiI1MDM5Mzk2ODMiLCJwdWJzIjp7InRhY29tYV90YWNfbmV3c2Jyb2FkIjpbIkFsbFRBQy01MDI2IiwiZWVkaXRpb24iXX0sInNlc3Npb24iOjE1OTM5NTYyMjMsImlhdCI6MTU5MTM2NDIyMywiZXhwIjoxNTkxMzY1MTIzfQ.Fqj6ui3AcmpyURnkiyOrZVsFiXZqSlNneGk5amuvg5o #/pages/7

eedition.thenewstribune.com

I CAN’T BREATHE

The all too familiar phrase uttered by a dying George Floyd can be heard on an audio recording of a dying, police restrained man in Tacoma. Yesterday the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death of Manuel Ellis a homicide, determining that Mr. Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint placed on him by law enforcement.

For more information:

http://www.horwathlaw.com/blog/

Horwath Law Criminal Attorney Washington Blog 04 06 '20 Breaking News: Tacoma Police Restraint of Manuel Ellis Caused His DeathOn March 3, 2020, Manuel Ellis was contacted by Tacoma police after being observed attempting to open doors of occupied vehicles. According to reports, there was a struggle between Mr. Ellis and officers. Mr. Ellis was....

Reminder

This week in our blog post we discuss George Floyd. Don’t let your outrage fade.

http://www.horwathlaw.com/blog/