Washblog

Bill Sherman

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Domestic Violence Unit, King County Prosecutor’s Office, 2003- Present. Prosecuted hundreds of domestic violence, sexual assault, and firearms cases. Named a “Rising Star” by Washington Law & Politics in 2005.

Board Member, City Year – Seattle/King County, 2002-Present. Worked on behalf of Americorps program that engages hundreds of young people in national service, helping thousands of schoolkids in the Seattle area.

Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, 2002-2003. Represented plaintiffs in litigation against Exxon Mobil in connection with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and other complex litigation.

Law Clerk, Ninth Circuit Judge Margaret McKeown (2000-2001) and Western District of Washington Chief Judge John C. Coughenour (1999-2000).

Special Assistant to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, 1993-1996

Presidential appointee on the staff of the Secretary of the Interior. Developed policy and communications strategies, including Secretary Babbitt’s response to the Republican Congress’s attack on environmental protections in 1995-96. Co-designed and directed management review of the Secretary's Office, resulting in annual savings of over $10 million. Coordinated Department of Interior bureaus on U.S./Mexico border projects dealing with natural resource conservation.

Director of Advance for Vice President-Elect Al Gore, Presidential Inaugural Committee, 1992-93.

Lead Advance for Bill Clinton and Al Gore, Clinton-Gore Campaign, 1992.

Analyst, ICF Incorporated. Drafted policy to implement the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, Superfund, and the Clean Water Act.

Education

University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude, 1999. Editor-in-Chief, Michigan Law Review

Wesleyan University , B.A. in Government, 1990.

Personal:

He is married with two children, and lives in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood.

Keith Scully will file to run for King County Prosecutor Wednesday.

Scully said he is entering the race because he wants to prosecute crime responsibly and make King County the nation's leader in environmental protection.

"The Prosecutor's Office is our first line of defense against crime. Aggressive prosecution is important, but so is fairness."

Scully's filing brings a fresh face to the race to replace long-time prosecutor Norm Maleng, who died unexpectedly last month. Those in the legal community know Scully for his six years as a deputy prosecutor in Maleng's office, as well as for his work as a war crimes prosecutor in The Hague .

Scully took a post with the United Nations in 2005. In the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia , Scully was part of the team that prosecuted the president of Serbia for atrocities committed in Kosovo.

"Working for the United Nations gave me a fresh perspective on prosecution," Scully said. "I brought back a lot of ideas for making the prosecutor's office better, especially ways of providing more support for victims during the prosecution process."

Scully brings a wide range of legal and life experience to the race.

"Norm Maleng always said that you should do something with your life before running for office," Scully remembered. "I've done that--as one of his deputies, as a war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations, and before that as a paramedic in Jersey City and Newark, New Jersey."

In addition to aggressively prosecuting violent crime, Scully's priorities are to expand the fraud division, and create an environmental protection unit focused on enforcing the laws to protect the environment, especially the Puget Sound .

Scully currently works as the legal director for the environmental nonprofit group Futurewise. He is known as a creative attorney who uses the law to achieve  environmental goals.

Attorney Robert Flennaugh II, who is a criminal defense lawyer in King County , said, "I remember cases with Keith well. He wasn't afraid to take tough cases to trial, and always sought a fair resolution."

Scully graduated from New York University School of Law. He lives in Greenlake with his wife, Jennifer, daughter Katie, and son Finnegan.