Graving, Howshar, Ichikawa, Slosburg Promoted to Shareholder

Related Practices: Employment, Estate Planning & Administration, Financial Services and Real Estate

Stokes Lawrence is pleased to announce promotions for 2020. As of January, 1, 2020, Chris Graving, Erin Howshar, Jenna Ichikawa and Krista Nelson Slosburg will be promoted to shareholders of the firm. The addition of Erin, Jenna and Krista to the shareholder ranks will make Stokes Lawrence a majority women-owned firm. This will be the second time the firm has reached this milestone. For a period during the mid-2000s, a majority of the firm’s owners were women and all members of the Executive Committee were women.

“We are delighted to welcome Chris, Erin, Jenna and Krista to our shareholder ranks. They are outstanding lawyers and strong leaders in their respective practices,” noted Managing Shareholder Kelly Twiss Noonan. “We are also especially proud to reach the milestone of becoming a women-owned firm again. This is unusual for a firm of our size and we believe it is a positive reflection on our firm’s culture.”

Our new shareholders:

	Chris Graving, Financial Services and Real Estate Chris represents commercial lenders in financing transactions, including construction, real estate purchases and refinances, lines of credit and other asset-based financings. Additionally, Chris regularly represents lenders in tax-exempt financings through various agencies, including the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Washington State Health Care Facilities Authority, Oregon Facilities Authority, and the Idaho Housing and Finance Association. He also assists lenders with municipal bond financings and tax credit transactions.
	Erin Howshar, Real Estate and Business Erin is known to her clients as an attorney that makes deals happen. She works on real estate transactions from dirt to disposition. Whether buying, selling, financing, developing, leasing, or operating their commercial properties, she works closely with her clients to achieve their real estate goals. She also assists business owners with asset sales and acquisitions, licensing, joint venture agreements, and other commercial agreements. Erin makes it a priority to learn about her clients’ objectives to ensure that she recommends business-minded legal solutions.
	Jenna Ichikawa, Estate Planning & Administration Jenna assists individuals and families with developing estate and tax planning solutions that are tailored to each client’s unique needs. This typically involves complex planning for high net worth individuals in the context of dynamic state and federal gift and estate tax laws. She also counsels fiduciaries, families and organizations on important financial and tax matters, such as trust and estate administration, gift and estate taxation, retirement asset planning, charitable planned giving, and the laws regulating tax-exempt organizations.
	Krista Nelson Slosburg, Employment Krista works with employers and employees on a wide range of employment matters, including those involving workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour issues. She also advises employers on a variety of labor and employment issues, working to ensure compliance with guidelines and regulations while proactively developing policies that minimize the risk of litigation. She drafts employee contracts and handbooks, reviews human resource policies, advises parties on employment contracts and non-compete clauses, and works with employers on a broad range of day-to-day human resource issues like disability accommodation and FMLA compliance.