I have been an attorney at HCMP since 1982, having arrived in Seattle from the boom town of Buffalo, N.Y., following law school and college on the east coast. As dictated by the then prevailing real estate environment, I spent my first seven years dealing primarily with workout and bankruptcy matters. As the real estate sector of the economy improved, I shifted to transactional work, mostly financing transactions and loan syndications.  I have found that, working through some troubled times has given me a great perspective on what's really important when "push comes to shove" in a transaction and, with the recent turn in the economy, my early experience has been a true resource in handling the restructuring and workout of troubled loans and in advising clients in creating effective strategies for realizing on their security. I regularly advise our clients, including a number of financial institutions, in lending, real estate, and related debtor-creditor matters, and supervise attorneys and paralegals providing assistance in the full spectrum of financing and real estate-related areas.

In addition to almost 30 years of experience assisting our clients in addressing their legal concerns, I have spent considerable time working with industry and trade groups in ways that have helped me gain a broader perspective on the issues my clients face on a daily basis. Those in the lending industry have even shown enough confidence in my judgment to elect me President of the Seattle Mortgage Bankers Association and an Associate Director of the Washington Mortgage Lenders Association, and I continue to be involved with both organizations on an ongoing basis as Chair of their joint legal-legislative committee.