Governor Jay Inslee appointed Lee Grochmal (pronounced Grockmal) to the Whatcom County Superior Court bench in February, replacing Judge Charles R. Snyder who retired at the end of February. Judge Grochmal came into the job with 25 years of legal experience, practicing criminal defense and bankruptcy law. Most recently she was managing partner at Grochmal & Fryer, a Bellingham law firm, since 2014.

Professional Experience

 2014 – present: The Law Office of Lee Grochmal and Tom Fryer, PC, Bellingham, WA
Representing people charged with crimes in all courts in Whatcom County and people filing bankruptcy in federal court in Western Washington

2008-2014: Lester & Hyldahl, PLLC, Bellingham, WA
Criminal defense and consumer bankruptcy practice

1995-2008: Whatcom County Public Defender Office, Bellingham, WA
Court-appointed criminal defense attorney. Supervised and trained district court and juvenile court attorneys, handled serious felony caseload for many years

Internships

Spring 1994: Committee for Public Counsel Services, Cambridge, MA
Law student intern in public defender office.

Fall 1993: San Francisco Public Defender Office, San Francisco, CA
Law student intern in public defender office.

Spring 1993: Ferguson Stein Law Office, Charlotte, NC
Law student intern in civil rights law firm. Assisted on voting rights cases

Fall 1992: United States Attorney’s Office, Drug and Organized Crime Task Force, Boston, MA
Law student intern in federal prosecutor’s office

Fall 1988: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC
Interned at Senator Joseph Biden’s committee office

Education

1994: Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA
Prisoner’s Rights Project
Death Penalty Clinic
Domestic Violence Clinic

1989: The George Washington University, Washington, DC
B.A. Sociology, Political Science minor

1985: Dartmouth High School, No. Dartmouth, MA

Volunteerism

LAW Advocates: Volunteer debtor/bankruptcy attorney
Washington Women Lawyers: Judicial Evaluation Committee
Washington State Bar Association: Hearing officer deciding attorney disciplinary cases brought by WSBA against its member attorneys
Meridian High School: Law and Justice Class guest speaker (annually)
On the Money: Financial literacy instructor through Work Source
Opportunity Council: Former board member and Board President

Associations

Washington State Bar Association (admitted 1994).
Whatcom County Bar Association (member since 1995).
United States District Court, Western District of Washington (admitted 2008).
Nooksack Tribal Court (admitted 2018).

Personal

Judge Grochmal has been married to Tom Fryer (her former law partner) for 18 years. Their son is a sophomore at Squalicum High School. Their family enjoys golfing, skiing, and mountain biking.