Seattle U Law's innovative Incubator Program, which supports alumni as they build solo or small law practices, entered its eighth year with a new group of entrepreneurial attorneys.
The 2021 cohort includes Kerry Clayman '11, Brett Harris '18, Talwinder Singh '19, Igor Shapiro '19, and Frederick Vranizan '20. Their practices cover a wide range of legal needs, including criminal defense and business law.
Program Director Stan Perkins '85, a successful trial lawyer who founded his own firm 30 years ago, said he was pleased that the program has existed long enough that some of the earliest participants are now mentoring other incubator attorneys.
"This year's cohort is thriving, despite the challenges of the pandemic," he said.
Program participants, for one year, receive mentorship from Perkins and other experienced solo practitioners, and agree to serve moderate-income clients by offering reduced-fee, high-quality legal services. The program also includes business coaching, a subscription to practice management software, and regular continuing legal education sessions.
Clayman practices family law in King County, where she focuses on cases with safety concerns, including divorce, parenting plans, domestic violence protection orders, and minor guardianship. Before starting her own firm, she practiced family and domestic violence law for six years as a volunteer at Northwest Justice Project (NJP). During law school, she was awarded an Equal Justice Works Scholarship to clerk in NJP's King County Housing Unit and completed the Seattle University Domestic Violence Clinic. Additionally, she is a magna cum laude graduate and a recipient of the Dean's Medal.
Harris was inspired to start his own firm after volunteering with Communities Rise, an organization that has helped Washington-based small businesses and nonprofit organizations weather the COVID-19 pandemic. He's building a firm to provide affordable legal services to small businesses and nonprofits. After finishing law school, Harris worked at Boeing as a contract negotiator and compliance specialist before moving to an associate position at a construction litigation firm in Seattle.
As a law student, Brett completed an internship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, an internship with the Washington State Attorney General, and a clerkship with the Washington State Court of Appeals.
Shapiro's practice is focused on personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, and traffic infractions.
Shapiro graduated cum laude from law school while holding an executive leadership position in the Alternative Dispute Resolution program. He won first place in Seattle University's Mediation / Negotiation Competition. During law school, he worked with the Washington State Association for Justice, serving accomplished plaintiffs' firms such as Connelly Law Offices and Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala. He also externed for the Honorable Judge Ronald B. Leighton, where he improved his legal writing skills by drafting orders on a variety of issues and learning from practicing attorneys in the community.
Singh practices primarily in business law, personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, and traffic infractions. A 2014 University of Washington Bothell graduate with a degree in business administration, he was active in the Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Student Association during law school. After graduation, he worked on criminal defense and personal injury cases for a small law firm.
Vranizan, who graduated magna cum laude, was executive editor of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice and interned with the Moderate Means Program and the Bothell City Prosecutor, developing experience with jury trials and appeals, as well as familiarity with family law, consumer protection, and bankruptcy law.