The Attorney General's Office

People

Division Chief

David M. Kerwin

  • Admitted to Practice: 2004 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Washington College of Law, American University
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington
  • Practice Areas: Higher Education, Healthcare Law

David has been an Assistant Attorney General since 2008, and with the University of Washington since 2015. In July 2019 David was named Division Chief for the UW Division. Before assuming the role of Division Chief, David was a member of the Healthcare Team and his primary client was UW Medicine. During his tenure with the UW Division, he has also advised Pharmacy, School of Medicine, and Compliance, among other University clients.

Prior to his time with the UW Division, David was with the Social and Health Services Division, where he represented the Department of Social and Health Services in child abuse and neglect cases, and then with the Antitrust Division for five years handling all aspects of government civil enforcement of state and federal antitrust laws in Washington State.

Assistant Attorneys General

Daniel R. Baker

Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2010 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Seattle University School of Law (Seattle University) (J.D., 2010, cum laude)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington (B.A., English, 2004)
  • Practice Area: Healthcare Law

Daniel has served with the Attorney General’s Office since 2012. Prior to joining the University of Washington Division, Daniel worked in the Government Compliance and Enforcement Division prosecuting professional misconduct cases for the Department of Health, primarily litigating matters before Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and other healthcare boards and commissions.

James K. Buder

Team Leader, General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2005 (Washington), 2011 (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington)
  • Law Degree: Seattle University School of Law (Seattle University) (J.D., 2005, magna cum laude)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington (B.A., Psychology, 2000)
  • Practice Areas: Athletics, Intellectual Property (trademark and copyright), Media Law, Sponsorships, Tax law, Commercial law, Finance and Investment law, Research Law (sponsored programs)

James has served with the University of Washington Division of the Attorney General’s Office since December 2014. James primary clients are the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, KUOW, the Trademark Office, UW Marketing and Communication (UMAC), the Treasury Office, UWINCO, the Tax Office, and the Office of Research.

Before joining the UW Division, his work at the Attorney General’s Office included prosecuting involuntary civil commitment trials against sexually violent predators throughout the State. Additionally, he represented the Department of Social and Health Services in child abuse and neglect cases and projects with the agency’s Government Operations Division. Prior to his appointment as an Assistant Attorney General, James served as research staff on several grants through the University of Washington Psychology Department. He also worked at the Washington State Supreme Court and supported the federal government on science and technology projects.

Anna Clavel

Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2013 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Seton Hall University School of Law (2013)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington (2006)
  • Practice Areas: Healthcare Law, Health Sciences Graduate Schools/Higher Education

Anna joined the Attorney General’s Office in 2019, initially providing advice and litigation to the Department of Labor & Industries, and then transferring to the UW Division in 2023. Prior to working for the AGO, Anna advised the Washington Department of Health’s Medical Commission on issues involving physician and PA licensing, discipline, and regulation. Anna also worked as a claims attorney for DSHS/DCS and in private practice. Anna advises UW Medicine entities, the Office of Research Misconduct Proceedings, and other health sciences schools and clinics.

Jessica Creighton

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2006 (Washington); US District for the Western District of Washington, Eastern District of Washington; and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Law Degree: Willamette University School of Law, (J.D., cum laude, 2006)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington, (B.A., Political Science, 2003)
  • Practice Areas: Environmental Health & Safety, Worker Safety, Office of Research, Advancement, Transportation Services, Rules and Policy Office, appellate advisor.

Jessica has worked for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office since 2006. Before joining the UW Division she represented the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and Labor & Industries. She started in the Social Health Services Division where she represented the Department of Social and Health Services in dependency and termination actions and administrative licensing hearings. In 2009 she joined the team of attorneys that represents the Special Commitment Center for sexually violent predators where she defended the state against civil rights lawsuits. In 2010 she transferred to the Labor and Industries Division. There she was co-advisor to the Office of the Medical Director and litigated worker benefits and workplace safety appeals at the administrative level and in Superior Court including jury trials. Jessica clerked for the Oregon Department of Justice and Washington AGO in law school.

Michael Fink

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 1987 (California); 2014 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude 1987)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., Economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa 1983)
  • Other Degree: University of Exeter, England 1981-82
  • Practice Areas: Real Estate Transactions, Capital Projects, Grants and Contract Accounting, Student Fiscal Services, Office of Financial Aid

Mike Joined the University of Washington Division of the Attorney General’s Office in 2017. Prior to joining the office, Mike was a Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at Starbucks Corporation for 20 years. There, he built and led a number of diverse teams in the legal department. He served as general counsel for the international business unit; general counsel for the Americas business unit; and built and led the real estate team during its growth phase. Before his tenure at Starbucks, Mike was a lawyer in private practice in California. He worked at Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean in Oakland as a transactional real estate and buisness attorney for almost 7 years. Prior to that he worked at Thelen, Marrin, Johnson and Bridges in San Francisco practicing transactional real estate and corporate law.

Nancy Garland

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2011
  • Law Degree: University of Washington School of Law
  • Undergraduate Degree: Harvard University
  • Practice Areas: Public Records and Open Public Meetings, Records Retention, Admissions, Environmental Health and Safety, Information Technology

Nancy has been with the Attorney General’s Office since 2011, and joined the University of Washington division in February 2016. Prior to joining the UW Division, she worked in the Regional Services Division (Everett Office) on juvenile litigation and higher education matters.

Mark Giuliano

Employment Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2015 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: University of Washington School of Law
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington
  • Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law

Mark joined the University of Washington Division of the Attorney General’s Office in October 2023. His involvement with the AGO began during law school when he served as a Summer Law Clerk in the Antitrust Division. Prior to joining the UW Division, Mark worked in private practice where his focus included public and private sector labor and employment law, in addition to general civil litigation.

Rolf Johnson

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 1996 (California); 1999 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: University of California at Berkeley, School of Law
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington (B.A., Economics, magnum cum laude; B.A., History magnum cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
  • Practice Areas: Student Life, including student conduct and Title IX; Global Affairs

Since joining the UW Division in 2007, Rolf has advised a wide rance of UW clients, including UW Information Technology, CoMotion, the Office of Public Records and Open Public Meetings, Airlift Northwest, Harborview Purchasing, UWPD, and Procurement Services. In 2014, Rolf left the UW Division and joined the UW’s Executive Office as Chief of Staff to President Michael K. Young and then Chief of Staff and later Senior Advisor to President Ana Mari Cauce. He rejoined the UW Division in 2016 to take up a newly created position as quasi-general counsel to UW Bothell. After two and a half years advising UW Bothell, he moved to his current portfolio advising the Office of Student Life and the Office of Global Affairs. Prior to joining the UW Division, Rolf was a business litigator with several large private law firms in San Francisco, Paris, and Seattle, with a practice focused on international commercial arbitration, class actions (principally securities and antitrust), and a wide variety of commercial disputes.

Margaret Lane

Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 1985 (New York); 1993 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Northwestern University School of Law – Chicago (J.D., 1985)
  • Undergraduate Degree: Stanford University (B.A., Political Science, with Distinction, Humanities Honors Program 1982)
  • Practice Area: Healthcare Law

Margaret joined the University of Washington Division of the Attorney General’s Office in 2022. Prior to joining the office, Margaret practiced healthcare in the private sector, following a consulting practice in regulatory compliance including serving as the Deputy Executive Director of the Washington State Vaccine Association. Margaret started her career in New York working at Sidley & Austin (formerly Brown & Wood).

Margaret advises UW Medicine entities, including the School of Medicine Business Office, IT Services, Compliance (including Data Privacy and Governance Matters) and Telehealth Services.

Michelle J. Nelson

Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2014 (Washington)
  • Master’s Degree: Georgetown University Law Center (LL.M., Securities & Financial Regulation, 2015)
  • Law Degree: Georgetown Universiy Law Center (J.D., 2014)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Colorado at Boulder (B.A., Religious Studies, English Literature, 2008)
  • Practice Area: Healthcare Law

Michelle joined the Attorney General’s Office in 2016. Prior to joining the UW Division in 2020, Michelle represented Western State Hospital, an inpatient psychiatic hospital serving individuals with serious or long-term mental illness, and the Health Care Authority (HCA), which administers Washington’s Medicaid (Apple Health), Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB), and School Employees Benefit Board (SEBB) programs.

While pursuing her J.D. and LL.M., Michelle interned with the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition’s Health Care Division, performed work on behalf of Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR), worked for the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law, interned for Whitman-Walker Health, and interned for the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit.

Kristin M. Perry

Team Leader, Employment Team

  • Admitted to practice: 2002 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: The Ohio State University College of Law (J.D., with honors, 2001)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington (B.S., Psychology, magna cum laude, with distinction, 1996), Phi Beta Kappa
  • Practice Area: Employment Law

Kristin joined the UW Division in January 2015, having previously practiced employment law and litigation in the private sector. Kristin’s practice focuses on advising on a range of employment matters under federal and state laws and regulations, state civil service laws, University policies, and the University Faculty Code.

Patrick J. Preston

Team Leader, Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to practice: 1994 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis (J.D., 1994)
  • Undergraduate Degree: Indiana University (B.A., English Literature,Political Science, 1989)
  • Practice Areas: Healthcare Law, Health Science Graduate Schools, Regulatory Compliance, University Administration

Patrick advises UW Medicine entities, including the teaching hospitals of Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center, UW’s health sciences schools, and UW’s Health Sciences Administration. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Patrick represented parties for complex litigation and compliance matters while in private practice, prosecuted criminal cases as a King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and served as a law clerk in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Craig Rader

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2010 (Colorado); 2016 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: University of Southern California
  • Undergraduate Degree: Gonzaga University
  • Practice Areas: UW-IT, UWINCO, Tax, Benefits, and Treasury

Craig joined the Attorney General’s Office in 2016. He served in the Consumer Protection Division for five years and then joined the University of Washington Division in 2021. He started his career as an Army JAG Officer in 2011.

Jennifer Schubert

Employment Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2000 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Stanford Law School (J.D., 2000)
  • Undergraduate Degree: Smith College (BA, Biology, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa)
  • Other Degrees: University of Southern California (MS, PhD, Geology)
  • Practice Areas: Labor and Employment

Jennifer’s practice has focused on labor and employment advice and litigation for both public and private employers. She was an Associate in the labor and employment group at David Wright Tremaine and an Assistant City Attorney in the employment section at the City of Seattle City Attorney’s Office, and also served as a Labor Negotiator for the City of Seattle. She has taught employment law at the University of Washington School of Law as an adjunct faculty member, and served as Board president for the Burke Museum Association, where she continues as a board member. Prior to her Legal career, Jennifer was a paleontologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Miami.

Roslyn Sterling

General Practice Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2010 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Gonzaga University School of Law (J.D., 2009)
  • Undergraduate Degree: Central Washington University (B.A., Political Science and History, 2006)
  • Practice Areas: Purchasing, Land Use, Campus Safety, UWPD, Information Technology, Housing and Food Services

Roslyn has been an Assistant Attorney General since 2010 and with the University of Washington since 2020. Prior to joining the UW Division’s General Practice Team, she worked in the Regional Services Division on juvenile litigation, adult and family home licensing, and adult protective services. Roslyn also represented Everett Community College and worked on a variety of higher education matters. Prior to joining the Everett office, Roslyn served as a Rule 9 prosecutor in Spokane and as a clerk with the Torts Division of the AGO.

Christina Thacker

Employment Team

    • Admitted to Practice: 2001 (Oregon), 2011 (Washington)
    • Law Degree: University of Michigan Law School
    • Undergraduate Degree: Wake Forest University
    • Practice Areas: Labor Law; Employment Law

Christina joined the Attorney General’s Office UW Division in 2019, having previously practiced labor and employment law in both the private and public sectors. She has provided legal advice across a broad range of labor and employment law issues and has represented clients in litigation in federal and state courts in Oregon and Washington, as well as before various administrative agencies, including the NLRB, the Oregon Employment Relations Board, PERC, and the EEOC.

Thomas Vogliano

Employment Team

  • Admitted to Practice: 2012 (Washington)
  • Law Degree: Gonzaga University School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude)
  • Undergraduate Degree: Gonzaga University (B.A., English, Education)
  • Practice Areas: Labor and Employment

Thomas joined the UW Division of the Attorney General’s Office in February 2019. His practice is devoted to advising and representing the University, including Harborview Medical Center, on a wide range of labor and employment issues. Prior to joining the UW Division, he practiced at a law firm that specialized in employment litigation. He was also an Assistant Attorney General in the Social and Health Services Division as well as the Labor and Industries Division of the Attorney General’s Office. Thomas started his legal career as a judicial law clerk to Justice Mary Fairhurst at the Washington Supreme Court.

Justin Wade

Healthcare Team

  • Admitted to Practice: Washington
  • Law Degree: Georgetown University Law Center (2008)
  • Undergraduate Degree: University of Colorado (B.A., Environmental Studies, 2004)
  • Practice Area: Healthcare Law

Justin has served with the Attorney General’s Office since 2015. Before joining the University of Washington Division, Justin worked in the Antitrust Division, where he reviewed proposed mergers and litigated price-fixing cases. Justin started his legal career as a law clerk at Division I of the Washington State Court of Appeals and then practiced appeals and civil litigation with a firm in Seattle.

Professional Support Staff

 

Meghan Bencosky, Administrative Assistant

Meghan provides administrative support for staff and attorneys in the Division.

 

Alec Engber, Records Analyst

Alec is responsible for records retention and oversees the Division’s databases and file system. He also provides in-house IT support for the office and coordinates with other IT staff at the UW and AGO.

 

Kendra Kalaf, Legal Assistant

Kendra provides direct support for Healthcare Team attorneys.

 

Jo Hill, Legal Assistant

Jo provides direct support for General Practice Team attorneys.

 

Jennifer Lee, Paralegal 3 (Supervisor)

Jennifer supervises the office paralegals and supports attorneys on the Healthcare, Employment, and General Practice teams. She also helps the division with subpoenas, public records requests, and administrative litigation matters.

 

Ali Maki, Legal Assistant 4 (Supervisor)

Ali provides direct support to the Division Chief and supervises the legal assistants in the Division.

 

Brendon McCarroll, Paralegal

Brendon supports attorneys on the Healthcare, Employment, and General Practice teams. He also helps the division with subpoenas and public records requests.

 

Madison Peterson, Legal Assistant

Madison provides direct support for Employment Team attorneys.

 

Lisa Puccetti, Administrative Office Manager

Lisa supervises administrative staff and is responsible for overseeing HR and fiscal matters for the Division.