Originally published in the October 2026 issue of King County Bar Association’s Bar Bulletin. Reprinted with permission of the King County Bar Association.
Throughout every attorney’s career, ethical dilemmas arise. When they do, how should a lawyer make the best choice possible? How should they consistently follow the Rules of Professional Conduct? For me, in addition to consulting the rules, part of my decision-making process involves asking myself: “What would Jeanne Marie do?” This is because, no matter how challenging the circumstances, Jeanne Marie Clavere, my friend and the Senior Responsibility Counsel for the Washington State Bar Association, always makes decisions based on the highest possible moral and ethical standards.
Fortunately for all of us, Clavere has focused the latter part of her career on teaching Washington lawyers to do the same. Through these efforts, she has inspired a generation of Washington lawyers to meet and exceed the requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Clavere has elevated the experience of Washington attorneys in our daily work by guiding us to always do what’s right and by enhancing the legal profession’s reputation in our communities.
In her words: “My goal is to improve the practice of law and to protect the public through the improved practice of law.”
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Clavere to learn more details about her professional journey. A native of Northern California, Clavere grew up in Sacramento and San Francisco. Her father, a successful businessman, changed careers mid-stream to become an attorney and, eventually, an administrative law judge. Clavere watched her father develop his new career with interest, which sparked in her a desire to explore a legal career for herself.
“At that time, in the ‘70s, there were not very many female role models,” Clavere recalled. “My Dad and I were close. I remember talking to him and asking what he thought about me becoming a lawyer. He told me that I could be whatever I wanted to be, and that included being a lawyer.”
Clavere asked her father what she should major in, and he responded, “Well, you’re going to do a lot of reading and writing, so I think you should major in English.”
Following her father’s sound advice, Clavere earned her undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco, majoring in English literature and business, with honors in the humanities. After college, she moved to Chicago with her partner and now husband, Dr. Glen Curda. While Curda completed his medical school residency, Clavere earned an MBA from DePaul University.
“I loved business. I loved accounting. I loved finance. I eventually wanted to go to law school, and I wanted to figure out a way to blend business and law.”
Her MBA has been useful throughout her legal career, including in her current position. “I think that now, working for the WSBA, the MBA has helped. I have a very structural and organized approach to what I do. A results-oriented approach. MBA programs have a way of reframing your brain.”
At the completion of Curda’s residency and Clavere’s MBA, the couple returned to Sacramento. Clavere worked for Weinstock’s flagship department store in Sacramento. As a precursor to the countless continuing legal education presentations Clavere has given, she spent four years training managers and new college graduates entering Weinstock’s management training program, traveling to the department store’s locations throughout California, Nevada, and Utah.
As Curda and Clavere spent their vacations traveling throughout the Western U.S., they both “absolutely fell in love with Seattle” and eventually relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Clavere noted, “Seattle also fit the bill because it had two law schools.” Curda opened his own podiatry practice in Bellevue. Clavere began working for the Bon Marché department store chain, with job duties similar to those at Weinstock’s. After a few years of working to support Curda’s fledgling medical practice, they decided to reverse breadwinning roles so that Clavere could pursue her goal of becoming an attorney.
At the time Clavere entered law school at the former University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law), her growing family included infant daughter Alissa and later newborn LiseMarie. In addition to her daily commute from Redmond to Tacoma, she struggled with the workload of a first-year law student coupled with the responsibilities of being a new mother.
“I was really trying to juggle being a first-time parent, and there was no support system,” Clavere admitted. “For example, there was no nursing room, and no one else was really in the same situation.”
Fortunately, she found a supportive dean who allowed her to take classes in the summer and also combine them into fewer days, reducing her weekly commute time.
After law school, Clavere started her legal career as an associate attorney. The law firm exposed her to a variety of practice areas, providing a helpful background to later understand the practical concerns of the diverse group of Washington attorneys seeking ethical guidance. She focused primarily on civil litigation and her work as a prosecuting attorney for the cities of Medina, Hunts Point, and SeaTac.
With the birth of her son, Devin, Clavere now had three children: “I was the first female that the firm had hired, and they didn’t know what to do with me. Nobody had children. I gave it a try, and then I became motivated to strike out on my own.”
In opening her own solo law practice in the early ‘90s, Clavere focused on estate planning, trusts, complex guardianships, disability, adoption, probate guardian ad litem appointments, and disabled and elder law issues. Clavere had been exposed to these practice areas in her work at the law firm and enjoyed them.
She reflected, “It was fulfilling to contribute to the welfare of people who really needed a good advocate.”
Her MBA and business background contributed to Clavere’s success in both running her own small business and representing her clients.
“When I worked on guardianship and elder law issues that touched on financial abuse and fraud,” she explained, “my knowledge in accounting and finance proved handy.”
After 18 years of operating a successful solo practice, including being named as a Super Lawyer from 2001 through 2004, Clavere felt ready for a change. She accepted a unique challenge: becoming a Professional Responsibility Counsel for the WSBA. Clavere’s new responsibilities included addressing lawyers’ questions on the WSBA Ethics Line, and she encouraged lawyers to seek guidance.
“Before I took the job, I had one interaction with the Ethics Line that I didn’t like at all,” she shared. “I asked a question, which I now know is a pretty simple question. I felt like the person I talked to was very condescending and unhelpful. So, when I first started speaking to lawyers on the Ethics Line, I really committed to making everyone that I talked to feel like they were asking a good question. I’m proud of the fact that the program is considered accessible. People don’t hesitate to call or ask questions. No one’s going to criticize them, no one’s going to judge them.”
Throughout her 16 years at the WSBA, as Professional Responsibility Counsel, Professional Responsibility Program Manager, and now as Senior Professional Responsibility Counsel, Clavere has worked tirelessly to expand the program beyond the well-regarded Ethics Line by:
- Presenting approximately 35 continuing legal education programs annually, both nationally and throughout Washington, for the WSBA as well as local, specialty, and minority bar associations;
- Researching and drafting or reviewing ethics-related communications in various WSBA publications;
- Responding to requests from the WSBA Office of Disciplinary Counsel on issues related to the Rules of Professional Conduct;
- Developing, coordinating, and executing special projects or studies as assigned by the WSBA’s director of advancement; and
- Managing the implementation of the many WSBA Professional Responsibility Program projects and programs.
Clavere’s remarkable career, both in private practice and at the WSBA, is punctuated by her demonstrated commitment to supporting and enhancing opportunities for women lawyers. In the early part of her career, Clavere “needed and wanted some networking and some resources that were very specific to the experience of female attorneys, so I joined Washington Women Lawyers, and I have never left.”
Throughout her career, she has served women lawyers in numerous capacities, including as president of Washington Women Lawyers and as president of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations. Clavere has served as the Conference’s Liaison to the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession and currently serves as a delegate to the ABA House of Delegates.
She described her rationale for spending countless hours serving women’s organizations: “I needed a support system. They gave it to me. And I’m somebody who believes in gratitude. My way of showing gratitude is to show loyalty to associations supporting women attorneys. They have my time. They have my talent. Whatever I can do, I’ll do, because I’m just so appreciative.”
After more than 16 years of service, Clavere will be leaving the WSBA in November. She is careful to emphasize that this is not a retirement. Instead, it’s an opportunity to take a well-deserved break, explore options for the next chapter in her career, and focus on her much-loved family.
Clavere and Curda’s three children have continued their parents’ legacy of hard work, career advancement, and family focus. Dr. Alissa Roberts is a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist and pediatrician. She is an associate professor at UW Medicine and practices primarily at Seattle Children’s Hospital. LiseMarie Curda is an Audit and Assurance Partner at Deloitte in Seattle, becoming Deloitte’s first female partner in the Pacific Northwest. Devin Curda, an attorney, works as the Assistant Chief Deputy for the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.
Devin summed up his mother’s career as follows: “The Rules of Professional Conduct are the true guardrails of the legal profession, and my mom has spent her career embodying the high standards that all attorneys must maintain. By educating members of our bar about their ethical obligations, she has strengthened the Washington legal community and enhanced its integrity for practitioners and the public alike.”
By all accounts, when it comes to legal ethics in Washington state, Jeanne Marie Clavere has certainly raised the bar.
Stacey L. Romberg practices estate planning, probate, and business law at Stacey L. Romberg, Attorney at Law. More information can be found at www.staceyromberg.com. She is forever grateful to Jeanne Marie Clavere for her friendship, wise guidance, and astute selection of wonderful lunch spots for a catch-up!
Phone: (206) 784-5305
