Executive Committee Biographies
Chair Jim Richardson
Jim is an assistant attorney general. He primarily advises the Department of Children, Youth, and Families on issues related to adolescent children in the Department’s care. His experience includes representing the state in dependency and termination cases at the trial and appellate level. Jim grew up in Shelton, Washington. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus in biology from the Evergreen State College in 2006 and a Juris Doctorate degree from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2009. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s office in 2016, Jim spent six years in private practice, practicing family law and representing children in dependency cases in Thurston County. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and cats, water skiing and tending his flower garden in the summer, and fishing in the winter.
Chair-Elect Bailey Zydek
Bailey Zydek (she/her) currently serves as the Chair Elect of the juvenile law section and has served as a member of the section’s executive committee in some capacity since 2019. For her day job, Bailey works at the Office of Civil Legal Aid where she manages the Children’s Representation Program. When not at work, Bailey enjoys all of the outdoor beauty Washington has to offer with her husband, daughter, and mischievous little pup, Kip.
Secretary/Treasurer Marci Comeau
Marci Comeau (she/her) is a Managing Attorney at the Washington State Office of Public Defense in the Parents Representation Program. Prior to joining OPD, Marci worked as an Administrative Law Judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings. From 2012 to 2020, Marci worked in public defense, representing parents and children in child welfare cases. From 2006 to 2012, Marci worked as an Assistant Attorney General, representing DSHS in child welfare cases. Throughout her career, Marci has enjoyed providing local, statewide, and national trainings on various topics, including dependency practice and procedure, discovery, the harm of removal, and anti-racist practice. Throughout her career, Marci has provided local, statewide, and national trainings to stakeholders in the dependency system on topics including dependency practice and procedure, discovery, the harm of removal, the mental health of dependency practitioners, and anti-racist dependency practice. Marci sits on a variety of court and system improvement committees dedicated to changing the child welfare system. Marci holds a B.A. from the University of Washington and a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.
At-Large Member Kari Petrasek
Kari Petrasek is a graduate of the Seattle University School of Law. She is a solo attorney, having started her own firm, Petrasek Law, in Mukilteo, Washington in January 2015. In the thirteen years prior to starting her own firm, she worked in several small firms in Everett, Washington. She is a civil litigator with significant experience in the area of juvenile law, guardianships, estate planning, and elder law. Ms. Petrasek is also a dedicated advocate for children, having served as a Volunteer and Attorney Guardian ad Litem for dependent children and has been one of the Snohomish County CASA Program attorneys for over 15 years. She was named Volunteer Guardian ad Litem of the month in June 2008 and March 2010. In addition, Ms. Petrasek has served as a judge and commissioner pro tempore at Snohomish County Superior Court since 2010. She is a past-chair of the WSBA Solo & Small Practice Section, Treasurer of Washington Women Lawyers, a past-president of the Snohomish County Bar Association, a member of Washington State CASA, a leader in the ABA GPSolo Division, a coach for the Archbishop Murphy High School Mock Trial teams, and serves on numerous other boards and committees in her community. In her free time, Ms. Petrasek enjoys skiing, golfing, football, and baseball.
Civil Legal Needs Co-Director & CLE/Outreach Coordinator Katherine Kameron
Katherine Kameron is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law. Ms. Kameron represents Parents and Children in Child Welfare Dependency cases in Washington State Courts. She has also represented survivors of domestic violence in protection order hearings, litigants in Family Law matters and pro bono litigants. Ms. Kameron was also staff counsel at the Office of Civil Legal Aid in the Children's Representation Program where she frequently was a presenter for continuing legal education presentations. Ms. Kameron is currently the President of the Pierce County Minority Bar Association.
Dependency and Child Welfare Co-Director Kaelen Brodie
Kaelen Brodie is an Assistant Attorney General in the Children, Youth, and Families Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. Kaelen represents DCYF in dependency and termination appeals and provides program advice. Kaelen received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish from Western Washington University in 2011 and graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2017. He began his legal career as a judicial law clerk for Commissioners Aurora Bearse and Eric Schmidt at Division II of the Court of Appeals. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, gardening, the Mariners, and birding.
Dependency and Child Welfare Co-Director Nancy Beckford
Nancy Beckford has been practicing child welfare law in Snohomish County since 2014. She is a dependency youth attorney, attorney guardian ad litem and an attorney for the Office of the Court Appointed Special Advocate. She also represents minors in Title 11 Guardianship actions. Nancy is passionate about advocating for vulnerable youth who often do not feel like they have a voice in the legal process. Nancy is originally from Canada. She earned her LLB at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2003 and decided to move to the United States in 2004. She is licensed to practice law in Washington and California. While not in the office, Nancy enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out with her dog, and practicing her culinary skills in the kitchen.
Juvenile Justice Co-Director Mandy Rose
Legislative Committee Co-Director Jeffrey Adams
Jeffrey Adams is the training coordinator at the Washington State Bar Office of Civil Legal Aid’s Children’s Representation Program and a certified Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children. Prior to joining OCLA, Jeffrey spent twelve years advocating for parents and children in the child welfare system, including extensive work with Native American families as part of Spokane County’s Indian Child Welfare Act court team. Beyond this legal work, Jeffrey has lectured on the Indian Child Welfare Act for the American Bar Association, the OPD, and OCLA. Jeffrey also served as a court commissioner pro tem in Spokane County, Board Chair of KSPS, the local public television affiliate, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Eastern Washington University.
Young Lawyer Liaison Anatasia Blakley
Anastasia Blakley is a 2020 law school graduate of Temple University and a 2014 graduate of Western Washington University’s 'Law, Diversity, and Justice' and 'Education and Social Justice' programs. Her interest has always been in serving children in Washington. Her passion projects and jobs have ranged from teaching at a science museum, coordinating an afterschool art program, to now representing children in family law and dependency cases. Anastasia balances it all by reading mostly science fiction novels and enjoying the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest.
