Two lawyers vie to bring new vigor to Superior Court

For the first time since 1988, somebody other than Bob Hackett is going to occupy Department 5 of the Yakima County Superior Court.

In a rare contested judicial race, Yakima lawyers David Elofson and Robert
Lawrence-Berrey are vying to replace Hackett, who is retiring after 20 years on the bench. He is the second most senior judge in Yakima County after Jim Gavin.

Both candidates promise to bring new energy to Superior Court, where Hackett's limited effectiveness due to health problems has helped to contribute to a huge backlog of criminal cases that beset the court.

The race will be decided in the Aug. 19 primary because there are only two candidates and whoever garners 50 percent of the vote wins in judicial contests. A Superior Court judge earns an annual salary of $140,979, a figure that will rise to $148,832 on Sept. 1. 

Dave Elofson is a civil litigator and divorce lawyer whose reputation as an even-tempered mediator has won him plaudits from the legal community.

"Being a judge means you're trying to find the truth between the parties involved -- the correct outcome -- because they can't find the correct outcomes themselves," he said during a recent interview.

A native of Yakima and graduate of Eisenhower High School (Class of '71), Elofson bounced around for a few years after graduating from Washington State University with dual degrees in business and hotel administration.

Eventually, he decided to follow his father, Howard, into law. He earned his law degree in 1985 from San Diego's California Western School of Law, then worked briefly as a Yakima County deputy prosecutor before going into private practice.

Married and the father of a daughter and two stepdaughters, Elofson is an avid tennis player who is not embarrassed to admit he recently woke up at 4 a.m. to catch the men's Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The 55-year-old Elofson said he decided to run for judge at the behest of others in the legal community and that his main goal, if elected, is to manage his courtroom decisively.

"There's really no reason to do it other than I have something I think I can offer back," he said. "I think I can make a difference in the courtroom."

His opponent, Robert Lawrence-Berrey, is another civil litigator who cites a desire for public service as his main motivation.

The 44-year-old Lawrence-Berrey has been running hard for the bench, appearing at numerous civic events around the county and, taking a page from state Sen. Curtis King, going door to door to get his message and his name out there.

"I don't just say I care and that I'm committed," he said. "I actually go out and do something about it."

The son of a doctor who pulled up the family stakes in Portland for a cross-country move to Parkersburg, W.V., Lawrence-Berrey moved back west for college and never left.

Like his father, he graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla. Unlike his father, he chose law school over medical school, graduating from Willamette University College of Law in 1989.

A former partner in the Peters & Fowler law firm, Lawrence-Berrey has been with Finney & Falk since 1997, where his practice includes commercial and real estate work.

He is not shy about his desire to be a judge, noting that he has been active in the Yakima community and in the legal community, where he once served as president of the Yakima County Bar Association.

"I just want people to know this is already a great place to live, and that I'm working to make it better," he said.

A deacon at Yakima's Trinity Baptist Church, Lawrence-Berrey is married and the father of three stepchildren. He was born with his hyphenated last name, by the way. In fact, technically he is Lawrence-Berrey Jr.

The results of a Yakima County bar poll have been gathered but not yet released. A similar evaluation by Washington Women Lawyers rated Lawrence-Berrey as well qualified and Elofson as exceptionally well qualified.