SCYLD
Spokane County Young Lawyers Division
Membership:
Members of the Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA) who are 36 years of age or less, or are in the first five years of practice, are qualified to be members of the SCBA Young Lawyers Division. Young Lawyers Division membership is free. To inquire about membership, contact Ryan D. Yahne.
SCYLD membership offers several benefits, including networking and referral opportunities among other young lawyers, socials to meet fellow young lawyers; and free CLEs on topics of special interest to those of us who are new to the practice. Spokane County Young Lawyers Division is a perfect chance to get involved in the local and state legal community, as well as the wider Spokane community.
If you fit the definition of a member of SCYLD and are not already receiving emails and communications from us, please e-mail Eowen to have your name added to our list. This is also who you should contact to have your e-mail address removed.
Officers and Trustees:
OFFICERS OF THE YLD
| RYAN D. YAHNE 
President
509-838-6131
Winston & Cashatt, P.S.
Ryan is President of the YLD Board and practices primarily in the area of construction law, where he represents contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners and sureties in all types of public and private construction matters. Ryan’s construction experience ranges from contract formation and review to all types of adversarial matters including litigation, arbitrations, Miller Act claims, bid protests, bond claims, mechanic liens, and public works retainage claims. In addition, Ryan has a broad range of civil litigation experience in the areas of property law, real estate, land use, condemnation and employment litigation.
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ELIZABETH A. TELLESSEN 
President-elect
509-838-6131
Winston & Cashatt, P.S.
Prior to being elected as President-Elect, Elizabeth served as the SYLD treasurer. She also serves at the Trustee to the WSBA Young Lawyers Division for the Greater Spokane District. Elizabeth is an associate at Winston & Cashatt where her practice focuses on private and public land use, real estate transactions, and adversarial matters. In these areas she assists clients in decision-making and addressing issues arising from boundary lines, easements, building and zoning codes, covenants, water rights and other matters related to the use and development of land. She graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2005 and Colorado State University in 2001. |
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ROBIN HAYNES 
Secretary
509-838-8341
Reed & Geisa, P.S.
Robin is an associate at Reed & Giesa. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including, but not limited to, receiverships, class actions, partnerships, consumer protection, contract disputes, TEDRA, and intellectual property. Robin received her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and law degrees from Gonzaga University. Robin served as a Trustee to the SCBA’s Young Lawyers’ Division during the 2008-2009 year and was previously a Chair of the Young Lawyers/Law Students Division of the Antitrust Litigation Section of the American Bar Association.
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J J THOMPSON 
Treasurer
509-455-8883
Layman, Layman & Robinson, P.L.L.P.
JJ is an associate at Layman, Layman & Robinson, PLLP. The majority of his practice is dedicated to representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters, including wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice, negligence, consumer protection, and insurance bad faith. JJ also enjoys being an active volunteer in the community and currently serves as Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Washington, Spokane Chapter.
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EOWEN S. ROSENTRATER 
Ex Officio
509-838-6131
Winston & Cashatt, P.S.
Eowen is an associate at Winston & Cashatt. Her practice is focuses on civil litigation involving personal injury, wrongful death, medical negligence, product liability, insurance law, including coverage issues, and commercial litigation. She represents individuals, manufacturers, businesses, and insurers in both plaintiff and defense civil litigation matters.
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TRUSTEES
OF THE YLD
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THOMAS N. TREPPIEDI
Trustee Position #1
509-477-5762
Spokane County Prosecutor's Office
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TIMOTHY R. FISCHER
Trustee Position #2
509-838-4458
Murphy, Bantz & Bury, P.S.
Tim is an associate at Murphy, Bantz & Bury, P.S., and a 2007 graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law. His practice primarily focuses on bankruptcy, receiverships, commercial litigation, business formation, real estate transactions and property law, wills and trusts, and other civil litigation. He represents both individuals and businesses, and both debtors and creditors in insolvency proceedings. |
| JENNIFER UNDERWOOD 
Trustee Position #3
509-747-9100
Etter, McMahon, Lamberson, Clary & Oreskovich, P.C. |
 WESLEY D. MORTENSEN
Trustee Position #4
509-455-8711
Dunn & Black, P.S.
Wes is an associate at Dunn & Black, where he practices in the areas of commercial and construction litigation. He received his law degree from BYU in 2004. Wes is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Washington, California and New Mexico.
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MARVIN BEAUVAIS
Trustee Position #5
(509) 768-5933
Beauvais Law Office, PLLC
Marvin has his own law practice with an emphasis on consumer protection and Federal/State/Tribal Indian Law. He is on a second term appointment for both the WSBA Committee for Diversity and the Northwest Indian Bar Association Executive Board. Marvin is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law. He was previously an extern to the Hon. Kenneth Kato at Washington State Court of Appeals (Div. III).
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STEVE J. DIXSON 
Trustee Position #6
509-624-5265
Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport & Toole, P.S.
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KENT N. DOLL 
Trustee Position #7
509-838-4261
Ewing Anderson, P.S.
Kent’s practice focuses on civil litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. His practice has a special emphasis on personal injury, premises liability, product liability, professional/medical malpractice, consumer protection, insurance coverage, and insurance law. Kent graduated Summa Cum Laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2008, where he served as an associate editor for the Gonzaga Law Review and was a member of the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court team. Kent served as a summer clerk for the law firm of Messina Bulzomi Christensen in Tacoma and as an extern for the Honorable Robert Whaley. Kent earned his BS in Psychology from Washington State University- Vancouver.
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DAVID P. GARDNER 
Trustee Position #8
509-838-6131
Winston & Cashatt, P.S.
David was elected as Trustee, Position 8 on the YLD Board. He is an associate at Winston & Cashatt. His practice focuses on bankruptcy and insolvency law. Mr. Gardner provides representation for debtors, creditors, trustees, and receivers in all aspects of Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcies and related state court insolvency proceedings. Dave is a graduate of the Gonzaga University School of Law, and joined the firm in August of 2007. |
NIKALOUS O. ARMITAGE
Trustee Position #9
509-455-8883
Layman, Layman & Robinson, PLLP
Nik is an associate at Layman, Layman & Robinson, PLLP and a 2008 graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law. Nik's practice focuses on commercial matters and complex civil litigation in the areas of personal injury law, medical malpractice, products liability, employment law, Social Security, Workers' Compensation, and construction law.
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Calendar
Monthly meetings: Call Ryan Yahne for information: 509-838-6131 or rdy@winstoncashatt.com.
Activities
New Admittee CLE:
Each year the SCYLD hosts a CLE for those lawyers who are new to the practice of law in Spokane County. The SCYLD coordinates with the Superior Court, State District Court, Federal District Court, and Bankruptcy Court Judges to have the new admittees, over the course of two days, travel through the various courtrooms, meet the Judges and have discussions about issues particularly relevant to the new practitioner. Leaders in the State and County Bar Associations likewise participate and inform the new lawyers about the different activities with which they can participate.
Judicial Theater CLE:
For this low cost Ethics CLE, the SCYLD invites the judges from state and federal courts to participate in acting out skits involving ethical dilemmas. After each skit, the attorneys attending the CLE discuss the issues raised in the skit with the judges in small groups. After ten minutes of small group discussion, the discussion is opened up to the entire group with the judges facilitating the discussion. The CLE includes food and refreshments. This CLE has been highly attended and well-received in past years.
Greater Access and Assistance Program (GAAP):
The GAAP is a program created by the Access to Justice Board and the WSBA YLD Division. This program is a pilot project in Spokane County and is run by the Spokane County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. The purpose of GAAP is to provide reduced rate fees for legal representation to clients who otherwise do not qualify for Pro Bono services and cannot afford regular rates for an attorney. To sign up click here.
Community Participation and Activities:
The Young Lawyers seek to give back to our community in a variety of ways. Some examples of our community involvement are: holiday giving to a needy family, a work party to assist Habitat for Humanity, Adventure Dynamics Program – a program to assist local youth in building skills such as team building, leadership and fostering trust.
The Young Lawyers also regularly host social events and parties for networking and socializing! We are always looking for more ideas for community participation and fun events. Please join our email list to be notified of meeting and social gatherings.