My Open Journal: Stirring the pot.

Introduction:

Posts appear below in reverse order, the most recent post is directly below this introduction. You will see the title and click “continue reading” to read the entire post. To see earlier posts, continue scrolling down.

After forty-three years practicing law, my retirement took effect on January 1, 2020. My career was bookended with service as a public defender, beginning with a few years in Spokane and Snohomish Counties and ending with my last fifteen years as a defender in King County. In the middle I enjoyed twenty-five years of private practice.

This blog will memorialize the very many highpoints of my career and the wonderful people I was privileged to know as colleagues and dear friends. Overall, my career has been deeply satisfying. My struggles were often rewarded with success, sometimes great and sometimes subtle. And when I lost, my efforts were, at least, recognized by my peers. I was fortunate to have clients who, by and large, appreciated my work. Some clients remain as friends. When the time comes, I will eagerly relive my treasured and sometimes crazy case adventures, and I will try to honor the people who so enriched my life professionally and personally.

Before sharing those positive memories, I must exorcise the demons of my last three-plus years of employment by King County Department of Public Defense. A corrupt and biased promotion process in 2016 drew me through a looking glass into a world I never imagined could exist in public defense. A lying misogynist manager was coddled, defended and promoted. Other participants and witnesses to the selection process were cowed into silence. DPD administrators orchestrated a coverup which in another context might constitute an obstruction of justice. After I discovered and publicized the gender disparity in TDAD promotions, I was subjected to investigation and retaliation by TDAD management. No matter how much proof I presented, DPD’s response to my allegations was no response. In the end, I failed to secure justice for myself or the other women harmed in the 2016 promotion. I do have facts, evidence, and the truth. And, I have this blog.

This blog is organic. It will develop over time and may shift directions.

The attorney in me insists I state that this blog expresses my opinions and personal conclusions based on documents I collected through public records requests, disclosures from DPD, and sworn depositions of witnesses. If you disagree with me, please let me know and explain why you think I am wrong.

I disabled comments for this blog because every message board or similar forum I have visited has been infected with trolls. However, reader feedback is appreciated and encouraged. If you have any comments, criticisms or questions about my posts, please contact me at the email address below.

Comments and suggestions may be sent to:

honestretiree@gmail.com (or my personal contacts)