THESE NOTICES OF THE IMPOSITION OF DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS AND ACTIONS are published pursuant to Rule 3.5(c) of the Washington Supreme Court Rules for Enforcement of Lawyer Conduct. Active links to directory listings, RPC definitions, and documents related to the disciplinary matter can be found at the links below or by looking up the respondent in the Discipline Notice Directory at https://mywsba.org/PersonifyEbusiness/DisciplineNoticeDirectory.
As some WSBA members share the same or similar names, please read all disciplinary notices carefully for names, cities, and bar numbers.
Find prior Discipline & Other Regulatory Notices here.
Disbarred
Matthew Philip Goldman (WSBA No. 54657, admitted 2019) of Tigard, OR, was disbarred, effective 7/15/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Claire Carden acted as disciplinary counsel. Matthew Philip Goldman represented themselves. Randolph O Petgrave III was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 8.4(b) (Criminal Act) and 8.4(i) (Moral Turpitude, Corruption or Disregard of Rule of Law).
Goldman stipulated to disbarment for committing the crime of online sexual corruption of a minor in the first degree.
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation to Disbarment; Stipulation to Disbarment; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
Suspended
Alistair Chan (WSBA No. 55568, admitted 2019) of Bainbridge Island, was suspended for 30 days, effective 6/11/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Francisco Rodriguez acted as disciplinary counsel. Alistair Chan represented themselves.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), and 1.16 (Declining or Terminating Representation).
Chan stipulated to suspension for: (1) failing to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client; (2) failing to keep the client reasonably informed about the status of the matter and failing to promptly comply with reasonable requests for information; and (3) failing to give the client reasonable notice regarding the termination of the representation and failing to promptly refund unearned fees.
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Suspension; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
Paul Heath Hattaway (WSBA No. 46853, admitted 2013) of Bend, OR, was suspended for 60 days with the entire suspension stayed based on the successful completion of 60 day probation in Louisiana, effective 4/08/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court imposing reciprocal discipline in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana. For more information, see https://www.ladb.org/handler.document.aspx?DocID=10263. Henry Cruz acted as disciplinary counsel. Nellie Quinn Barnard represented respondent.
Decision document: The Washington Supreme Court Order.
Melissa Ann Huelsman (WSBA No. 30935, admitted 2001) of Seattle, was suspended for 12 months, effective 7/15/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Briana Gieri acted as disciplinary counsel. Elena Luisa Garella represented respondent. Joseph M. Mano Jr. was the settlement hearing officer. Pilar L. Tirado Murray was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), 1.15A (Safeguarding Property), and 8.4(l) (ELC violation).
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Suspension; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
Daniel Jeffrey McCormick (WSBA No. 42986, admitted 2010) of Bellevue, was suspended for nine months, effective 7/15/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Nate Blanchard acted as disciplinary counsel. Daniel Jeffrey McCormick represented themselves. Deborah Rose Wechselblatt was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), 8.4(d) (Prejudicial to the Admin of Justice), 8.4(j) (Violate a Court Order), and 8.4(l) (ELC violation).
McCormick stipulated to suspension for: (1) failing to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client; (2) failing to keep the client reasonably informed about the status of the matter and/or by failing to comply with the client’s reasonable requests for information; (3) reassuring the client days after missing a contempt motion filing deadline that the case was properly taken care of; (4) failing to timely respond to written requests for a response to a client’s grievance and by failing to produce all documents responsive to an investigatory subpoena; (5) failing to file a proposed parenting plan by court-ordered deadlines, failing to appear at a pretrial conference and a status conference, and failing to present the final orders in the dissolution; (6) failing to file a proposed parenting plan by court-ordered deadlines and failing to timely pay court-imposed sanctions; and (7) failing to respond to requests for a written response to a client’s grievance and failing to respond to an investigative inquiry and produce requested records.
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Suspension; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
Roger A. Pearce (WSBA No. 21113, admitted 1991) of Seattle, was suspended for 60 days, effective 5/08/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court imposing reciprocal discipline in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. For more information, see https://www.osbar.org/members/membersearch_display.asp?b=140521&s=1. Henry Cruz acted as disciplinary counsel. Roger A. Pearce represented themselves.
Decision document: : The Washington Supreme Court Order.
Jeremiah Spencer Styles (WSBA No. 49543, admitted 2015) of Edmonds, was suspended for three years, effective 6/11/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. Henry Cruz acted as disciplinary counsel. Pedro Melesio and John C. Versnel III represented respondent. Franz Laurent de Cannon was the hearing officer. Jeff Capell was the settlement hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.2 (Scope of Representation and Allocation of Authority Between Client and Lawyer), 1.3 (Diligence), 1.4 (Communication), 1.5 (Fees), 1.16 (Declining or Terminating Representation), 3.2 (Expediting Litigation), 3.3 (Candor Toward the Tribunal), 5.1 (Responsibilities of a Partner or Supervisory Lawyer), 5.3 (Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistants), 8.1 (Bar Admission and Disciplinary Matters), 8.4(c) (Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit or Misrepresentation), and 8.4(d) (Prejudicial to the Admin of Justice).
Styles stipulated to suspension for: (1) failing to appear at a hearing regarding an application for asylum in removal proceedings, failing to file a motion to change the venue of the clients’ removal proceedings, and/or failing to take other action to protect the clients’ interests; (2) failing to inform the clients of the status of their matter so that they could make arrangements to appear at their hearing; (3) making false statements to the immigration court in two clients’ matters; (4) making false statements to ODC during the grievance investigation; (5) failing to correct the errors in an asylum application and/or failing to review the clients’ asylum application prior to the individual hearing; (6) purporting to represent a client in an immigration matter without authority; (7) failing to timely file pleadings, failing to timely seek prosecutorial discretion, failing to timely initiate biometrics processing, failing to file a motion for administrative closure, failing to file required documents in the immigrant visa matter and/or failing to complete the immigrant visa matter, filing pleadings with erroneous information, submitting a deficient prosecutorial discretion request, submitting the biometrics initiation request at the wrong location, and/or failing to take other action to ensure a client’s removal and/or immigrant visa matter proceeded; (8) failing to inform a client of respondent’s failure to file the cancellation of removal application and/or request for voluntary departure, failing to promptly inform the client of the removal order and/or the motion to reconsider denial, and/or failing to promptly inform the client of the status of the immigrant visa matter; (9) collecting a fee for work that was of no benefit to the client and/or failing to refund unearned fees after the termination of representation; (10) failing to timely complete biometrics processing for clients in their asylum matter and/or failing to comply with the immigration court’s order; (11) failing to make reasonable efforts to ensure that Styles Law had in effect measures giving reasonable assurance that all lawyers at Styles Law conformed to the RPC, and/or failing to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the staff lawyer’s conduct conformed to the RPC; and (12) failing to make reasonable efforts to ensure that Styles Law had in effect measures giving reasonable assurance that the conduct of all non-lawyer staff at Styles Law was compatible with respondent’s professional obligations, and/or failing to make reasonable efforts to supervise non-lawyer staff member’s handling of a client matter to ensure that their conduct was compatible with respondent’s professional obligations.
Decision documents: Disciplinary Board Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Suspension; and Washington Supreme Court Order.
Reprimanded
Louis Hunter (WSBA No. 43818, admitted 2011) of Seattle, was reprimanded, effective 5/16/2025, by order of the Chief Hearing Officer. Kathy Jo Blake acted as disciplinary counsel. Anne I. Seidel represented respondent.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.3 (Diligence), 1.15A (Safeguarding Property), and 1.15B (Required Trust Account Records).
Hunter stipulated to reprimand for: (1) failing to promptly deliver funds to clients and third persons that they were entitled to receive, and/or to take reasonable action to resolve any disputes; (2) commingling Hunter’s own funds with client funds in a trust account; (3) failing to provide clients and/or third parties with written annual accountings; (4) failing to maintain client ledgers; (5) failing to maintain a check register; and (6) failing to perform any trust account reconciliations.
Decision documents: Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Reprimand; and Notice of Reprimand.
Ajibola Oluyemisi Oladapo (WSBA No. 41461, admitted 2009) of Kirkland, was reprimanded, effective 8/05/2024, by order of the hearing officer. Chris Chang and Francesca D’Angelo acted as disciplinary counsel. Kevin M Bank represented respondent. James D. Hicks was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.15A (Safeguarding Property) and 1.15B (Required Trust Account Records).
Oladapo stipulated to reprimand for (1) failing to deposit and hold client funds in a trust account, using respondent’s trust account for business transactions unrelated to a representation or escrow, and failing to hold client funds separate from respondent’s own property; (2) disbursing more funds from trust than clients had on deposit, and using the funds of a client for payroll and other disbursements; (3) making cash withdrawals from respondent’s trust account; (4) failing to keep complete, current trust account records; and (5) failing to reconcile respondent’s trust account records.
Decision documents: Order Approving Stipulation to Reprimand; Stipulation to Reprimand; and Notice of Reprimand.
Robert E. Repp (WSBA No. 14504, admitted 1984) of Marylhurst, OR, was reprimanded, effective 7/24/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court imposing reciprocal discipline in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. For more information, see https://www.osbar.org/bulletin/issues/2025/2025June/offline/download.pdf. Henry Cruz acted as disciplinary counsel. Robert E. Repp represented themselves.
Decision document: The Washington Supreme Court Order.
Lawrence Leroy Taylor (WSBA No. 20595, admitted 1991) of Portland, OR, was reprimand, effective 6/30/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court imposing reciprocal discipline in accordance with an order of the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon. For more information, see https://www.osbar.org/bulletin/issues/2025/2025May/offline/download.pdf. Henry Cruz acted as disciplinary counsel. Lawrence Leroy Taylor represented themselves.
Decision document: The Washington Supreme Court Order.
Benjamin Richard Tramposh (WSBA No. 61770, admitted 2023) of Seattle, was reprimanded, effective 7/30/2025, by order of the hearing officer. Erica Temple acted as disciplinary counsel. Benjamin Richard Tramposh represented themselves. Scott Ellerby was the hearing officer.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.1 (Competence), 5.5 (Unauthorized Practice of Law; Multijurisdictional Practice of Law), and 8.4(d) (Prejudicial to the Admin of Justice).
Tramposh stipulated to reprimand for providing legal services in Washington on behalf of a client in litigation, without satisfying the requirements of RPC 5.5(c)(1), (2), (3), or (4).
Decision documents: Order Approving Stipulation; Stipulation to Reprimand; and Notice of Reprimand.
Admonished
Brett Andrews Purtzer (WSBA No. 17283, admitted 1987) of Tacoma, was ordered to receive an admonition, effective 4/24/2025, by a Review Committee of the Disciplinary Board. Min Kang acted as disciplinary counsel. Anne I. Seidel represented respondent.
The lawyer’s conduct violated the following Rules of Professional Conduct: 8.4(h) (Prejudice or Bias).
In relation to Purtzer’s representation of a client, a Review Committee of the Disciplinary Board ordered an admonition. The Review Committee found that by making comments in a courtroom that a reasonable person would likely interpret as manifesting prejudice or bias, Purtzer violated the Rules of Professional Conduct.
Decision documents: Review Committee Order and Admonition.
Interim Suspension
Joseph W Kuhlman (WSBA No. 42884, admitted 2010) of Spokane, is suspended from the practice of law in the state of Washington pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, effective 8/28/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. This is not a disciplinary sanction.
Shannon Marie McMinimee (WSBA No. 34471, admitted 2003) of Outlook, was suspended from the practice of law in the state of Washington under ELC 7.2(a)(3), effective 6/11/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. The interim suspension was terminated on 7/2/2025, by order of the Washington Supreme Court. This is not a disciplinary sanction.