Firm Members - Cline Law Firm Attorneys at Law

James M. Cline

Jim received his B.A. with distinction in Political Science from the University of Washington in 1980, an M.A. in Political Science from UW in 1982, an M.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame � in 1986, and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1986.

After passing the Washington State Bar, Jim served as an associate in a Seattle labor law firm and as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Since leaving the Prosecutor’s Office in 1990, Jim has represented law enforcement labor organizations throughout the state.�

He has participated in hundreds of cases at every level of state and federal court and various administrative and arbitration tribunals. He has made over 30 appellate oral arguments between his appearances at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington State Supreme Court and the Washington Court of Appeals.� He has been involved in the negotiation of nearly 200 labor contracts.� He has provided counsel in about 150 officer-involved shooting incidents.� He has participated in 15 Washington State interest arbitration proceedings.

Jim is a frequent speaker and the author of numerous articles and two books: The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Member's Manual and� The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Representative's Manual. � � He is currently planning and developing a number of other public safety labor law books.

M. Katherine Kremer

Kate received her B.A. in Political Science from Fairfield University in 1983 and her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 1987.

After graduation from law school, Kate was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She practiced several years at the Northwestern Legal Center where she was involved in a variety of civil litigation.

Kate has contributed to the Cline law practice since 1995. Kate’s responsibilities include legal research and writing, litigation and preparation of statistical analysis reports for labor negotiations and interest arbitration. She is responsible for digesting and summarizing more than a 1000 labor contracts within the Cline and Associates database. She has prepared the “Master Brief” that is the proprietary Cline and Associates brief used to develop interest arbitration arguments. She has testified a number of times about her database reports and is likely the most knowledgeable person in the state on the contents of public safety labor contracts.

Christopher J. Casillas

A 2003 graduate of the Seattle University School of Law, Chris distinguished himself academically, graduating with the high honors of Magna Cum Laude, reserved for the top students in the class. Upon graduation Chris was also nominated for the Faculty Scholar Award and was selected for the 2002-2003 Dean’s List for finishing in the top 10% of his class. Chris received his B.A. with honors in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000.

Chris worked for Cline & Associates for a year as a law clerk prior to his successful passage of the 2003 Washington State Bar Exam. Prior to that, Chris was a legal intern in the Legal Department of Starbucks Coffee Company.

Currently Chris participates part time in the firm as he attends as he pursues a PhD in Government at Cornell University.Chris negotiates several labor contracts each year and is taking a lead role in the creation of the Cline and Associates proprietary Interest Arbitration case summary.� He has served as co-counsel or partisan arbitrator on several Washington interest arbitration cases.

Reba Weiss

Reba graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1976.� � She attended the University of Oregon School Of Law, graduating in 1982. Upon graduation she became a Deputy Prosecutor for the King County Prosecutor’s Office serving as a Criminal Prosecutor until 1989.

Since 1989, using her extensive trial skills acquired as a Prosecutor, Reba has worked primarily as a trial lawyer in the labor and employment field. Her positions have included time as an associate at two of the leading employment law firms in Seattle, time as a sole practitioner and a 3 year stint in the City of Seattle’s law department. � � Reba is a frequent speaker at employment law training seminars and is a recognized expert in several fields of labor law, including the Family Medical Leave Act and disability discrimination law.

Reba joined Cline & Associates in 2007. The firm heavily relies upon Reba’s recognized employment law expertise and her trial skills. Reba takes a lead role in much of the firm’s discipline representation and other litigation.

Kelly M. Turner

In 2010, Kelly graduated Cum Laude from Seattle University School of Law and became a member of the Bar Association in October 2010. Kelly received her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Georgia in 2006 and attended Oxford University as an exchange student in 2004. While in law school, Kelly worked for two private law firms and the Civil Division of the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office. She also served as a Judicial Intern for the EEOC. Kelly’s other past accomplishments include participation as a Varsity Rower for the University of Georgia and participation in the National Rowing Championship.

Kelly assists in litigation and also works on special projects for Cline and Associates. She is currently completing the indexed summary of all PERC decisions which is being installed on the Premium Content Website. Future assignments include development of other research databases for the firm.

Lisa Roybal Elliott

Lisa graduated from California State University of Los Angeles in 1992 and Whittier Law School in 1997.

She began her legal career in California, where she worked as a Los Angeles Prosecutor and then as legal counsel for the Los Angeles Police Department. Lisa then moved to a private law firm where she was a trial attorney specializing in police civil rights defense and use of force litigation. She has advised municipalities in all areas of civil rights defense and police procedures and tactics and provided general legal counsel and representation to the Mayor and City Council members on all matters of municipal concern and legislative procedure for several municipalities.

Lisa has a strong history of public service and currently serves as legal counsel to the Roybal Foundation.

Lisa handles discipline and litigation matters for Cline & Associates.

Susan Burnett

Susan is a Senior Legal Assistant. She is responsible for day to day case management for the firm. Susan also publishes the firm’s newsletter and manages the website, including the Premium Content Materials.

Susan arrived at Cline and Associates in 2009 with a wealth of experience.� She has worked as a legal secretary and paralegal since 1982 after graduation from the Highline Community College Legal Secretary program. In addition to legal experience, Susan has acquired office management experience while managing the office of her family’s general contracting business.

Darrah Hinton

Darrah is a Senior Office Assistant. Darrah is currently a junior at Seattle University where she is an English major, preparing to go to law school. As a Resident Assistant at Seattle University, Darrah has distinguished herself for her organizational and leadership skills. Darrah was a 2009 winner of the Seattle University Leadership Award and Housing & Residence Life Hall of Fame. Darrah has lived in Seattle for three years and is originally from Anchorage, Alaska.

Darrah assists primarily with the development of premium content for the firm’s database. Additionally, she is responsible for special projects as needed and assists with office management and complex litigation tasks.