Bar Number: 32890
Kasey Huebner is a litigator and trial lawyer with a varied practice focusing on insurance recovery and bad faith, trust and estate litigation, and employment matters. She is a partner at Gorden Tilden Thomas & Cordell and has spent her 22-year career at small firms that specialize in complex litigation.
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Did you end up practicing in the area of law you expected? If not, where did you end up and why?
I did. I always knew I wanted to be a litigator, and I took as many litigation-related classes as I could during law school. Litigation is a natural fit for my desire to advocate for others and my competitive spirit. I enjoy practicing in an area where there are wins and losses.
What is the biggest regret of your career?
I regret worrying about things that are beyond my control. Although I love practicing law, it can be stressful. We all have enough to manage without looking for things to make us anxious.
Have you had a pro bono or other volunteer experience that resonated with you? If so, please describe.
I served on the board, and as president, of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association (MAMA) of Seattle, a nonprofit that was founded to help mother attorneys succeed in their professional and personal lives. I joined MAMA Seattle as a member in 2006—the year the organization was founded and the year I became a parent myself. It met me where I was at as a new mother wondering how I was going to make it all work. I felt a great sense of pride in helping to continue MAMA Seattle’s mission nearly 20 years after it was founded.
How would you be earning a living if you weren’t a lawyer?
If my life had gone a different direction, I would be an English professor. I had applied to graduate schools for English, but due to a glitch I still do not understand, my GRE scores were never sent to the schools to which I had applied, so my applications did not go through. Instead of heading to graduate school in the fall of 1994, I got a job, headed down a different path, and attended law school five years later. What felt disappointing at the time led me to a career I love.
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LIGHTNING ROUND
If you had to give a 10-minute presentation on one topic other than the law, what would it be and why? My presentation would address tips for baking better cookies.
What is one thing from your childhood that you would bring back if you could? Perms. I had epic hair in the 1980s.
How do you unwind or recharge after a difficult day? One of three things: walking, baking, or spending time with people I love.
What is one thing your colleagues may not know about you? I took improv classes in college and performed as a background actor in the Improv Christmas Carol.
What is the most unusual job you’ve ever had? I managed the children’s play area at the old Longacres race track the summer after I graduated high school.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever ignored? That I should save my money before starting law school instead of backpacking though Europe for two months. And I managed to ignore the worst piece: that I should become a dental hygienist because “that’s the most money you can make as a woman.”
Who is your favorite writer? It’s a tie between Margaret Atwood and Ann Patchett.
What’s your go-to karaoke song? Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin.
What’s the best place you’ve ever traveled to? Italy.
What is the best movie you’ve ever seen? The 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice (but I am cheating a bit because it is a miniseries, not a movie).