We are pleased to announce that Colleen Durkin Peterson officially assumed the presidency of the Washington State Association for Justice at the association’s annual meeting in Vancouver.
During an interview published in Trial News, Colleen discussed how she grew up working in the law practice her father shared with her uncle—who also served as a president of the WSAJ—along with other WSAJ members. Through that exposure and mentorship, Colleen realized that this was the field she wanted to stay in.
“I want to be challenged in my job,” she says, “I want to constantly be learning, and I want to be able to help people who, for whatever reason, can’t help themselves. And so that’s what attracted me to this work, and it was the right decision for me.”
The people she has met along the way are one of the most important aspects of Colleen’s experience with the association.
“I think why I have been able to grow as an attorney in this organization, and to do so somewhat successfully, is wholly if not solely attributable to the mentors that I have had,” she says. “Lean into the mentorship. Find a mentor. Find many mentors. Because with the knowledge and history that we have with members in this organization, the sky’s the limit with what you can learn and what you can achieve with WSAJ.”
As president, Colleen’s goal is “to make sure all of our members, no matter what firm size you come from, or if you’re a solo practitioner, no matter your area of law, truly understand and utilize the strength and power of WSAJ and of our membership, and what that means for all of our individual careers as well as for the clients that we serve.”