2008
Summer Associate Bios

top

BOISE

Blake M. Zollar
Blake was the recipient of one of the firm’s Diversity Fellowships last year and has completed his second year of law school at Notre Dame. Blake has a B.A. in political science from the University of Montana, where he interned for La Gente Unida. While at the University of Montana, he was involved in a variety of activities, including serving as president and captain of the University Debate Team, and was ranked among the top 12 individual debaters in the nation. Blake’s volunteer experiences include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Montana, Missoula Food Bank, and Flagship Afterschool Tutoring Program.

top

DENVER

Rebecca Coffelt
Rebecca has completed her second year at the University of Colorado Law School where she is a member of the Native American Law Student Association. Rebecca earned her B.A. in social science with an emphasis on American studies from Colorado Christian University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Rebecca was an administrator for the Urban League in Denver where she implemented a leadership program from 2003-2004. She was also an assistant to Colorado State Senator Tom Wiens from 2005-2006. Rebecca was a legal intern with Qwest in 2007 and has been employed as a winter clerk with the Stoel Rives' Denver office since December. She will spend the first half of this summer working with the Federal Trade Commission in D.C. before returning to the Denver office as a summer associate in July. Rebecca has volunteered with "The Stand in the Gap Project," Peace Jam, and has participated as a mentor coach at Cole Middle School where she taught college preparation and life skills classes to underprivileged youth.

top

MINNEAPOLIS

Sarah Johnson Phillips
Sarah attends the University of Minnesota, where she is working toward law and public policy degrees in the Joint Degree Program. She is the Symposium Editor for the Minnesota Journal and is on the Minnesota Journal of International Law, and she received the "best oralist" award for her Legal Writing Section. Sarah has worked as a law clerk for the Farmers’ Legal Action Group in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she engaged in legal research and writing related to agriculture law. She worked as a program associate and program analyst for Windustry, which is a nonprofit organization that focuses on increasing wind energy opportunities for farmers and rural communities. Sarah has a B.A. in geology, cum laude, from Carleton College in Minnesota. She enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and the outdoors.

top

PORTLAND

Leila Behnampour
Leila has completed her first year of law school at Lewis & Clark. Upon graduation, she hopes to earn an Environmental and Natural Resources Certificate in addition to her J.D. She earned a B.A. degree in politics from Whitman College. While an undergrad, she studied in Atenas, Costa Rica at the School for Field Studies in the Sustainable Development and Natural Resource Management program. Before law school, Leila held a number of jobs ranging from assisting in the start-up of Trout’s Fly Fishing in Denver to being a multi-day whitewater river guide with River Odysseys West in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. An avid outdoors person, she enjoys backcountry skiing, mountain biking, fly-fishing, kayaking, and travel and is Level One Avalanche Certified. Leila has a working knowledge of Farsi and Spanish.

Kathy Black
Kathy has completed her second year at Lewis & Clark, where she is a member of Environmental Law, earned the title Best Oral Advocate in the 1L Appellate Competition, and is the recipient of the Pro Bono Service Award for 2006-07. Kathy earned her B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in mathematics and economics (with distinction). Kathy also participated in the INSEAD International Executive Program in France and Singapore and earned a formal certificate in International Management. Before law school, Kathy worked for NCR Corporation’s Teradata Division. There she held numerous positions ranging from Systems Software Assistant to Vice President of Sales, U.S. Travel and Transportation. From 2006 to 2007 she volunteered with the Lewis & Clark Small Business Legal Clinic. Most recently, Kathy worked as a clerk for the Office of General Counsel for the Bonneville Power Administration.

Crystal Chase
Crystal has completed her second year at Lewis & Clark, where she won the Outstanding Appellate Brief in Legal Analysis and Writing, is a Ninth Circuit Review Member on Environmental Law, and was a participant in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Intramural Competition. Crystal graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in foreign service from the School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University, where she was a student representative for the SFS Admissions Committee, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a Peer Tutor at the Georgetown University Writing Center, and won Honorable Mention for the SFS’s Dean’s Award for outstanding school service. As an undergrad, Crystal worked for the Oregon Secretary of State in the Oregon State Archives and as an Intern for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Most recently, Crystal has worked as a law clerk for the Oregon Department of Justice. In addition to her academic pursuits and working, she has volunteered with the Stoel Rives Pro Bono Night Clinic, and is an Alumni Interviewer for the Georgetown Alumni Admissions Program. Crystal enjoys reading nonfiction, learning about Northwest history, and following Major League Baseball.

Stephen Galloway
Stephen has completed his second year at Tulane. There he is on the Tulane Law Review and the Moot Court Board, and is a recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship. Before law school, Stephen was the lead guitarist for local band Truckless. He was also their manager and producer, leading the band on an 18-date nationwide tour and releasing three albums in five years. Truckless was preceded by Chapel Hill’s Starpoint Electric, releasing three albums and touring with other local bands. Most recently, Stephen has worked as a law clerk/research assistant for the Tulane Civil Litigation Clinic. Stephen earned his B.A. in communications from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Luis Garcia
Luis spent last summer with the firm, and returns after having completed his second year at the University of Oregon Law School. He is Co-Director of the Minority Law Student Association and Vice-President of the Latino Law Student Association. Before law school, he worked as a summer intern at Jeld-Wen Millwork University and as a coach for the Southside Soccer Club in Portland. His prior legal work was with the Klamath County District Attorney’s Office in Klamath Falls during the summers of 2002-2005. Luis earned his undergraduate degree in English in 2006 from Concordia University, where he was a scholar-athlete. He was Concordia’s Men’s Varsity Soccer Team Student Athlete from 2002 to 2006 and was named the NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete for 2004-05. In addition, he was also named the Cascade Conference Player of the Year in 2005. Luis is fluent in Spanish and volunteers for numerous community service organizations.

Catherine Gonzaga
Catherine has completed her first year at the University of Washington, where she is a volunteer for the Immigration Family Advocacy Project and the GreenLaw 1L Advocacy Project, as well as a member of the International Law Society. Catherine received a B.A. summa cum laude in communications and theatre from Hawaii Pacific University and a B.A. cum laude in French from the University of Texas. Before law school she worked as a coffee, tea, and chocolate buyer for Whole Foods Market in Austin, Texas and Chicago. Catherine is also a thespian and was a comedy writer, actor, and magician’s assistant with Esther’s Follies based in Austin. Catherine enjoys playing classical piano, surfing, magic, reading, cooking, skiing, traveling and yoga.

Daniel Kwak
Daniel has completed his first year at the University of Oregon, where he is the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum Assistant Entertainment Director and a member of both the Minority Law Student Association and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Daniel received his B.A. in speech communication from the University of Washington. His endeavors before law school included working as a Campus Staff Intern at the University of Oregon for the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; as a National Accounts Sales Administrator for Loud Technologies, Inc.; and most recently as the Creative Director of New Wine Records, Inc., an independent music label specializing in artists who are involved with nonprofit organizations and community service. Daniel has also done volunteer work for Boys and Girls Club of America and the UW Medical Center.

Rachel Lee
Rachel has completed her second year at Stanford Law School, where she is the Senior Notes Editor for the Stanford Law Review, a member editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, and the recipient of the Hilmer Oehlman, Jr. award for best legal writing in section. At Stanford, Rachel has volunteered with the Stanford Judicial Review Project and the Senior Advocates Pro Bono Program. She was a doctoral student in biology at the University of Utah, where she performed tropical ecology fieldwork. She spent her 1L summer at the office of Cable Huston Benedict Haagensen & Lloyd LLP in Portland, where she worked on an employment discrimination lawsuit and drafted interrogatories and memoranda. Before law school, Rachel was the Director of Religious Education at St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center in Salt Lake City. She has a B.A. in biology, summa cum laude, from Carleton College. Rachel enjoys xeric landscaping, knitting, and Indian cooking.

Kirk Maag
Kirk has completed his second year at Georgetown University Law Center, where he is on the Georgetown Law Journal and is a Law Fellow who works with a legal research and writing professor. At Georgetown, he received awards for the Best Exam, Civil Procedure and Best Exam, Constitutional Law. Kirk spent his 1L summer as a law clerk for Yturri Rose LLP in Ontario, Oregon, where he worked in business and litigation practice areas. He is the founder of Strive Consulting, Inc., which conducts personal trainings and large conferences on leadership. Before law school, Kirk also served as a conference manager for the National FFA Organization and as a State Reporter for the Oregon FFA Association. Kirk holds an Honors B.S. summa cum laude in environmental economics, policy and management from Oregon State University.

Chad Marriott
Chad has completed his second year at the University of Oregon School of Law, where he is Staff Editor of the Oregon Law Review. He also serves as a tutor for the Legal Research & Writing Program and as a Research Fellow for the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center. Chad has worked as a legal intern for the U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in Washington D.C., and as a law clerk for the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division in Sacramento. Before law school, Chad was a tutor and curriculum designer for Higher Ground Learning in Salt Lake City and a Residential Faculty Member in the English Department at the Oliverian School in New Hampshire. Chad has an M.S. in outdoor recreation from Indiana University and a B.A. in English literature from the University of Utah. He enjoys landscape and coastal photography, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, backpacking, mountaineering, and cooking.

Martin Steger
Martin studies at the University of Münster in Germany. Most recently, he has worked as an intern with the law firm of CMS Hasche Sigle in Stuttgart in the areas of technology, IT, e-media, and telecommunications. His internship experience includes positions with the State Media Authority of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart; the law firm of Dr. Hopmeier & colleagues; the Daimler-Chrysler headquarters in the Department of External Affairs and Public Policy; and the State Parliament of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart. He has also published an essay on the concept of competition in net based economic systems as exemplified by the telecommunications and energy sector. Martin enjoys traveling, languages, literature, and sports.

Robert Teel
Robert has completed his first year at the University of Michigan Law School, where he is a member of the Intellectual Property Student Association, the Native American Law Student Association, and the Business Law Association Finance Committee. Before law school he worked as a software engineer at L-3 Communications in Salt Lake City and as a venture analyst and student associate at Lassonde New Venture Development Center. Robert also worked as a software engineer at Colmek Systems Engineering in Salt Lake City and a law office intern at the Law Office of Kara Daley, where he researched personal injury cases and prepared memoranda on applicable law. Robert has an M.B.A. from the University of Utah and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Oregon State University.

Alfredo Villanueva
Alfredo spent last summer with the firm and returns after having completed his second year of law school at the University of Oregon. He is the vice president of the Latino/a Law Student Association, a member of the Legal Baller Association (a law student basketball organization), and a volunteer income tax assistant. Alfredo earned an M.S. degree in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and his B.S. degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. While at Berkeley, he was a graduate student researcher at Richmond Field Station and a graduate student instructor for a bioengineering course. He has also worked as a case manager assistant at the Youth Opportunity Movement and as an intern for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, both in Los Angeles.

top

SACRAMENTO

Juliet Cho
Juliet has finished her first year at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she is involved with APALSA, the International Justice Mission, and the Pacific Pathways Mentorship Program. Juliet received her B.A. in political science with a minor in communications and music performance from the University of California, San Diego. She has worked at the University of California, Irvine in the School of Medicine and as a volunteer in the Alternate Defender's Office in Santa Ana, California. In Atlanta, she volunteered at an after-school program and at the Georgia Justice Project. Juliet enjoys cooking, food blogging, yoga, and playing the cello.

Shuray Ghorishi
Shuray has completed her second year at Indiana University School of Law, where she took first place in the Client Counseling Competition and was a finalist in the Midwest Regional Client Counseling Competition. Among other activities, Shuray participates in the Environmental Law Society, the Faculty Recruitment Committee, the National Black Law Students Association, the International Law Society, the Federalist Law Society, the Client Competition Board, and the Student Bar Association as a Student Representative. Shuray received her B.A. with distinction in political science from the University of San Diego, where she was Chair of Phi Alpha Delta and Vice President of Phi Sigma Alpha. She has worked as a legal intern for the Department of Local Government Finance in Indiana and for Oasis Construction. She has also served as the Director of the Media Relations for Interventional Neuroradiology, Inc., and as the Director of the Middle Eastern Committee at the United Nations. Shuray is fluent in Farsi and enjoys learning new languages, skiing, the outdoors, photography, and ballroom dancing.

top

SALT LAKE CITY

Landon Allred
Landon is a second-year student at the University of Virginia School of Law. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in economics. He was awarded "Best Oralist" in his first-year moot court competition, and was again awarded "Best Oralist" at the recent Henry G. Manne Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., where his team took second place. He is currently the Articles Editor for the Virginia Business and Law Journal. Before attending law school, Landon worked as a Financial Representative at Fidelity Investments in Salt Lake City. He spent last summer working at the firm of Clifford Brown in Bakersfield, California. He enjoys snow skiing, camping, photography, and his weekly game of squash.

Megan DePaulis
Megan is a second-year student at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah with a B.A. in English literature. Before returning to school, Megan completed an AmeriCorps service term at an elementary school in Seattle. Last summer, Megan worked at Durham, Jones & Pinegar in Salt Lake City. Currently, she is a member of the Utah Law Review and a participant in the Traynor Moot Court Competition. Megan enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, running, cycling, hiking, and gardening.

Matthew Gordon
Matthew is a second-year student at the University of Michigan Law School. Before law school, he earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Utah and a B.S. in biochemistry from Brigham Young University. When he can eke out a few spare moments, Matthew loves to read anything unrelated to law. Matthew and his wife, Lara, are the proud parents of four children. The Gordons love to camp, hike, and play hide-and-seek (with all the lights out in the house).

Brigman Harman
Brigman is a second-year student at Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School. He received his BA in political science from the University of Utah in 2005. Before starting law school, he worked full time for Fidelity Investments in Salt Lake City. Brigman has also worked as a guitar instructor and briefly as a stagehand who flew "John" in Pioneer Theatre’s Peter Pan. This past semester Brigman served as an extern for Judge Benson at the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. Brigman enjoys running, snowboarding, golf, and Led Zeppelin.

Richard Marsh Jr.
Richard is a second-year student at the University of Michigan Law School. Richard spent last summer with the firm and is returning for part of this summer. He graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in physics and a minor in mathematics. Before entering law school, he passed the patent bar to become a registered patent agent. While completing his undergraduate work, he was a part of the BYU rugby team (J.V. team captain) and worked as a research assistant in the physics department. He currently spends all of his free time with his wife and twin sons. He also speaks Spanish.

Jason McCammon
Jason is a second-year student at Harvard Law School. He graduated magna cum laude with University Honors from Brigham Young University in 2006 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and minors in math and Korean. Jason is also a registered patent agent. He worked at Proskauer Rose in Boston last summer. Jason enjoys backpacking, fly-fishing, and other outdoor activities.

David Pacheco
David is in his second year of law school at the University of Michigan and is the Executive Technology Editor for the Michigan Journal of Race & Law. He is Co-Chair of the Latino Law Student Association. David is a graduate of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. He spent last summer as an intern for Judge Michael McConnell of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. David loves spending time with his wife and son. He enjoys snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, soccer, and generally any activity you can do in the mountains. He also pretends to be a photographer and artist in his spare time. Before entering law school, David played the guitar and sang in a hard-rock/metal band.

Rachel Slade
Rachel is a second-year student at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. She holds undergraduate degrees in chemistry and biochemistry, with a German minor, from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Oregon. She spent over a decade in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist, where her involvement with patenting her drugs sparked an interest in IP law. Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, long-distance running, hiking, and cooking.

top

SEATTLE

Christina Asavareungchai
Christina has completed her first year at Yale Law School, where she is on the Yale Journal on Regulation. She is also a member of the Pacific Islander, Asian and Native American Law Students Association. Christina received her B.A. summa cum laude in English with an African studies minor from the University of Washington, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. During her undergraduate career, Christina received seven journalism and writing awards, received the Mary Gates Leadership Award for creative leadership and public service, and was a member of the English Departmental Honors Program. Before attending law school, Christina worked as an immigration paralegal at Microsoft. In addition, Christina has worked as a reporting intern for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a Youth Opinion Writer for the Seattle Times. She is the founder of Shoes for The Gambia, West Africa and led a large-scale shoe drive to benefit underserved villages in the Gambia and Nicaragua. Christina enjoys dogs, trail running, and baking..

Amena Jefferson
Amena has finished her first year at the University of Washington School of Law, where she is the recipient of the Association of Corporate Counsel Diversity Scholarship. Amena is a member of the Black Law Students Association and Loren Miller Bar Association, and is an associate in the ABA Council on Legal Education Opportunity. Amena received her B.A. with honors in American Studies: Race, Law and Social Movements from the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, Amena received the Alpha Kappa Alpha Undergraduate Scholastic Achievement Award and the Cal Spirit Leadership Alumni Scholarship, and she was a Leadership Fellow. Amena has worked as a marketing assistant in Berkeley, and as an elementary and middle-school tutor. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Rho Chapter, where she has written grants for funding, organized community service projects, and hosted topical programs for students. Amena enjoys spending time with family, cooking vegetarian soul food, creative writing, and going to the movies.

John Laney
John has completed his second year at Seattle University School of Law, where he is an Associate Editor of Washington Law Review and a Student Member of the William L. Dwyer Inn of Court. John is a Stokes Lawrence Diversity Scholar and King County Bar Foundation Scholar. John received his B.A. in political science from the University of Washington. John served as an extern to the Honorable John C. Coughenour in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He also worked as a legal extern in the King County Prosecutor’s Office in the Elder Abuse and Special Assault units. John has worked as a law clerk at a private law office in Seattle focusing on insurance coverage, construction defects, and complex tort defense. John also worked as a senior account executive at HSBC in the Consumer Lending group. John is a member of Washington Defense Trial Lawyers and Knights of Columbus.

Alex Oh
Alex has finished his first year at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he was elected the 1L Representative on the Wisconsin Law Student Bar Association. Among other law school activities, Alex is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Association of Law Students and QLaw. Alex is also a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry. Alex received his B.S. in neurobiology and his B.A. in communication from the University of Washington. At the University of Washington, Alex was elected UW Alumni Association Homecoming King and was the recipient of both the Ruddick and Cherry Lawrence Excellence in Communication Scholarship and the Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellowship. Alex was also elected President of the Student Government Association at Shoreline Community College. Alex enjoys running, beach volleyball, and spending time with his family.

Skylee Robinson
Skylee spent last summer with the firm and is returning after having completed her second year at the University of Washington Law School where she was just elected President of the Student Bar Association. Skylee received her B.A. in business administration from the University of Washington, where she was an Office of Minority Affairs Endowed Scholar and a Boeing Undergraduate Scholarship recipient. Skylee began her legal career in the Army, where she served as a paralegal for two years. Skylee was recognized as the 2004 I Corps and Fort Lewis Paralegal of the Year for her work as the lead paralegal in the successful prosecution of the Army’s first counterterrorism case. She also served as a Constituent Advocacy Intern in the office of Senator Maria Cantwell. While at Senator Cantwell’s office, Skylee conducted inquiries on behalf of Washington State residents for issues involving Social Security, Medicare, and Veteran’s Affairs. Skylee enjoys running, reading fiction, and cooking.

Hania Younis
Hania has completed her second year at the University of Washington Law School, where she is involved with the Immigrant Families Advocacy Project. She holds an M.S.E. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan College of Engineering, where she served as a research and teaching assistant. Hania also received her B.S.E. in aerospace engineering magna cum laude from the University of Michigan College of Engineering. During her 1L summer, Hania worked as a legal extern for the Legal Advance Team at Planned Parenthood of Western Washington. Before attending law school, Hania worked in high-tech software as the General Manager of a division of Forte Design Systems, as well as for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aerospace Engineer, where she helped certify new transport aircraft, including the Boeing 777. Hania plays several sports and enjoys writing essays and short stories.

top