Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, November 16, 2007

Attorneys prefer 2 veterans for appeals bench

Herald Staff

 Two veteran Snohomish County attorneys finished neck-and-neck in a lawyer preference poll designed to help Gov. Chris Gregoire pick a judge for a state Court of Appeals post that will become vacant in February.

J. Robert Leach, a partner in the Anderson Hunter law firm in Everett, and longtime Snoho­mish County deputy prosecutor Seth Fine lead a field of three who applied for the job.

In a weighted scoring system, Leach finished first with 192 points. Fine had 185.

The third applicant, Seattle lawyer Leonard Feldman, came in last with 109 points and a large number of "unknown" votes.

Leach finished with 50 votes saying he is an "excellent" candidate, and Fine had 43 in that category. Fine heads the prosecutor's appeals division.

The three are gearing up to replace longtime appeals judge Bill Baker, who announced that he will step down at the end of February.

Baker, 67, has been on the appeals court bench 18 years. He will quit for health reasons, he said.

The governor's office is expected to use the poll as a guide to appoint a replacement in Division 1 of the court. Snohomish County is entitled to two jurists on the Division 1 bench, which deals with Superior Court appeals in the northern part of Western Washington.

Both Leach and Fine ran unsuccessfully for a vacant seat on the Court of Appeals in 2005. Feldman specializes in appellate law and has homes in both Seattle and Snohomish.

Baker will quit months before his term is up at the end of next year. He said he firmly believes that judges should be appointed, at least at the beginning of their careers on the bench.

There was no immediate indication from the governor's office when she will make the appointment.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA