Hearing Space in Everett

Olympia, May 8, 2008 - To continue to provide good customer service to parties in Snohomish and surrounding counties, the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) opened a new hearing room in Everett on March 23, 2008. The hearing room is located at 2722 Colby St., Everett, Washington. All correspondence and filings must be done at the Seattle OAH office located at 600 University Street, Suite 1500, Seattle, Washington 98101. In February 2008, OAH consolidated its three offices in the Puget Sound area. OAH closed its Everett office in January 2008.

OAH Honors and Distinction

Assistant Deputy Chief ALJ Anita Crawford-Willis was recognized and honored by Seattle University Law School for her many years of mentoring and supporting law school students. Anita has given guidance and assistance to many law students. She also has given many students the opportunity to work on special projects as externs with the Office of Administrative Hearings. Congratulations, Anita on a job well done!

ALJ Jan Shave recently was appointed Vice Chair of the National Association of Administrative Law Judges (NAALJ) Special Education Committee. Jan Shave is currently the SPI coordinator and is responsible for assigning and coordinating SPI cases brought before OAH. Jan has done a good job managing the SPI caseload at OAH. Congratulations, Jan!

ALJ Ralph Thompson, Jr. was recently appointed to Yakima County District Court. This has been a long term aspiration of Ralph. Ralph joined the Yakima OAH office in 1992. He has the reputation of being one of OAH’s most productive ALJs. His departure will be a loss to the Yakima office as well as the agency. We are happy for Ralph and are always thrilled when one of our judges is appointed to the bench. We wish Ralph the very best in his new endeavor!

Seattle Office Consolidation Realized

Seattle, March 1, 2008 - The longstanding vision of OAH to consolidate the Seattle offices has become a reality. The Seattle offices were successfully consolidated effective February 19, 2008. The Everett and SPI offices paved the way for a successful move of the larger SHS office into One Union Square. The three offices merged with the Seattle ES office and will be known now as the Seattle OAH
office. The office is located at One Union Square, 600 University Street, Suite 1500 in Seattle. Please click on the “Offices” tab, above, for the office contact information.

OAH applauds the many ALJs and staff who worked diligently on this large project, and particularly praises the leadership of Interim Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Selwyn Walters, who served as project manager over this great undertaking.

Congratulations Seattle OAH on your consolidation!!

OAH Consolidates Seattle Area Offices

Seattle, January 16, 2008 - To better serve the public and government agencies, OAH will combine three Seattle area offices into one office. The three offices will be co-located at One Union Square and will be known as the Seattle OAH office.

“This initiative will result in greater efficiencies by combining staff duties and functions as well as technology infrastructures like networks, servers, and telephone systems,” said Chief Administrative Law Judge Roosevelt Currie.

The first move was successfully completed December 27 and 28th 2007. The ALJs who conduct hearings for the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) moved to One Union Square. The move was accomplished without any interruption of hearings or other vital services to the public. SPI staff are delighted to return to One Union Square, where they were previously housed for several years. OAH applauds the Seattle SPI Coordinating Judge, Jan Shave, and her staff office for all the work they did in preparation for the move. They are now up and running in their new location.

The Everett office will relocate to One Union Square later this month. Stay tuned for more information after the move.

OAH - Conducting Fair Hearings for 25 Years

2007 - The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) celebrates 2007 as its 25th anniversary year. Since 1982, OAH Administrative Law Judges have conducted fair, independent, and timely hearings for the public and over thirty state agencies. OAH's mission is to to hold fair and independent hearings for the public and for government agencies and to issue sound and timely decisions.

OAH Applies for Washington State Quality Award

Olympia, October 16, 2007 - The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) submitted its 2007 Washington State Quality Award Application for consideration by the Washington State Quality Award's Board of Examiners.

The WSQA Program champions the concepts and tools of quality as a strategic approach to organizational excellence. It is modeled after the national Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and uses this model as the primary standard for government performance evaluation and improvement.

"OAH has been enriched by the institutional self evaluation of the WSQA application process. The 2007 OAH application will advance our mission of conducting fair and independent hearings and issuing sound and timely decisions," said Chief Judge Roosevelt Currie.

The WSQA Program provides feedback and recognition to award applicants. The WSQA organization subjects each application to intensive evaluation by examiners.

Judge Alicea-Galvan Appointed Municipal Court Judge

Des Moines, October 12, 2007 - OAH warmly congratulates Veronica Alicea-Galvan on her recent appointment to the Des Moines, Washington Municipal Court bench. Judge Alicea-Galvan served as an ALJ at OAH for over five years, and was sworn in October 12, 2007.

Judge Alicea-Galvan's extensive experience as an ALJ, district court judge pro tem, and as a prosecutor prepared her well for this appointment. Although her departure is a loss for OAH, citizens of Des Moines will benefit from her experience and talent. OAH is grateful for her years of distinguished service.

Distinguished ALJ and Scholar Passes Away

Tacoma, June 7, 2007 - Frank Homan, a highly regarded ALJ at OAH for many years, passed away on May 19 in Tacoma. He was 84 years old. One of the original OAH ALJs, Judge Homan began his OAH career in 1982 after working for years as an Employment Security hearing examiner. Though Judge Homan retired from OAH in June 1992, he continued to work periodically as an ALJ pro tem until 2003.

The WSBA Administrative Law Section honors Judge Homan with its annual Frank Homan Award for the legal professional who has made outstanding lifetime contributions to administrative law. The first Frank Homan Award was presented recently at a WSBA ceremony where he and his family were present. He was very proud of his namesake award.

In selecting Judge Homan as the namesake for its award, the WSBA paid tribute to him as follows: "Two qualities distinguish Judge Homan's career: He was a dedicated teacher and mentor; and he was passionate about improving the law. Judge Homan received a B.A. degree in English and history, and a M.A. degree in American History, from the University of Pennsylvania (1949/1950, respectively), and a J.D. from Cleveland State University of Law (1965). He began legal practice in the state of Washington in 1968. His career as an instructor and assistant professor of law was capped by his service as an Employment Security Department Hearings Examiner, 1970-1974, and Senior Administrative Law Judge, Office of Administrative Hearings, 1975-1993.

Judge Homan was an early proponent for the creation of a central hearings panel, and played a seminal role in the enactment of Chapter 34.12 RCW and creation of the Office of Administrative Hearings. Among his peers, Judge Homan was generous with his time and expertise, and he is well-remembered for his sense of humor, his command of the English language, and his writing style - including his knowledge of legal terminology and history. Judge Homan received several awards in recognition of his teaching and professional excellence, including a Reginald Heber Smith Poverty Law Fellowship from the Legal Services Corporation. Judge Homan's commitment to promoting justice for all and the practice of administrative law is the inspiration for this award."

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