Attorneys & Counselors At Law

 Cam Hall’s office perches in a corner of the 32nd Floor. It is roomy but not ostentatious. The office reflects the activity of the busy mind of a busy attorney whose services are in demand. Stacks of files fill most of the couch, the sideboard credenza and much of the desk. Each stack is well-ordered and the contents are known. This is not a cluttered office. “I am a pack rat when it comes to my files. I know what is in each stack; to clean my office would be a disaster,” Cam warns with humor.

The walls hold autographed photos of the great Yankees DiMaggio and Mantle. He likes the mental aspects and psychology of baseball as opposed to the crush and bang of football. The walls also show two original Kandinsky prints of an impressionistic, surreal bent. We also see pictures of Cam’s Pug dog named Jimmy Durante (“He has no nose”) and the Siamese cat (“Grand Champion Thaifong Sarouk”). They live with Cam at his home in Edmonds. Cam is approachable, warm and gracious. He is pleasant to be with. His method of relaxation is similar to many of us—he likes to be at home with his two pets and to work in his garden. Although he was married for many years, he is not now.

Seattle born and raised

Cam was born in Seattle 59 years ago. He was raised in a modest home in the Blue Ridge neighborhood and attended Ballard High School. He is active as President of the Ballard High Foundation. “We have raised over $400,000 and expect even more this year,” he says. The funds are used to supplement limited Seattle School District funding for such things as biology lab microscopes, band sheet music and uniforms, an integrated computer system and a weight room. “I can see where the money goes and get great immediate satisfaction,” he adds.

Cam worked at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962 as head of a Peace Corps booth. He recalls, “That whole thing up there was pretty neat. It made a big change in Seattle—for the better. Seattle still has a split personality, a small town trying to be a big town. The arts are all well represented here but they could all use more money.” In 1961-62 he was UW Student Body President. “Those were the dark ages. Back then,” he says somewhat wistfully, “the students had an $8 to $10 million dollar budget and had great sway in athletics and operation of the bookstore. But later the University decided it shouldn’t be that way.”

Early law practice

Cam graduated from UW Law School in 1965 and clerked for Washington Supreme Court Justice Orris Hamilton in the 1965-66 term. In 1966 he became the 11th attorney with a firm now known as Foster Pepper & Shefelman, PLLC—a 140 + firm with 5 offices. He remains there today.

“I started in criminal law as a court-appointed counsel back in those early days. I must have been written up on the jailhouse walls because I got lots of calls. I worked hard but didn’t like the criminal law game of bringing in defendants and putting them back on the street. I recall one case going all the way to the Washington Supreme Court (State v Bower) in which the Court took 19 pages to tell me I lost.” Cam moved into the civil law arena.

Principled professional

One of Hall’s heroes is Nelson A. Rockefeller. “I looked up to Nelson Rockefeller and worked on his presidential campaign. I believed in him because, though he was a Republican, he also had a social conscience.” Cam Hall has an optimism for the future and an ever-present positive attitude. “You should vote for a candidate based on his principles, not what he promises you. If you don’t like his principles, vote for someone else.”

Henry Aronson first met Cam about 20 years ago at a small dinner party where they were both guests. Henry refers to Cam as being “more conservative in terms of philosophy and politics” than Henry. After dinner Henry handed Cam a handwritten note that said, “I cannot recall ever meeting a person with whom I so profoundly disagreed but whom I so thoroughly enjoyed.” They became immense friends.

Aronson refers to Cam as a “creative human being,” and adds, “Cam is a masterful attorney with a highly developed strategic mind, coupled with a concern for the outcome, while avoiding getting caught up in the process.”

Jack Lowrey has had a number of cases with Cam Hall—some as opponent and some where their client interests coincided. Jack sees Cam as one who is not afraid to take on a difficult case and one who thrives on complex and difficult issues, handling them with a high degree of professionalism.

“Cam has a terrific rapport with judges; he shows them proper respect and represents his clients well to boot,” Jack says. “Simply put, the level of practice is enhanced when Cam Hall is around. He brings out the best in people.” He adds, “No matter what kind of litigation is involved, Cam definitely maintains a high sense of professionalism coupled with a sense of humor.”

Unique and varied practice

Cam believes that those of us who practice law are “the quintessential problem solvers.” His practice has been varied—plaintiff and defense, state and federal courts, litigation, ADR, international. “I have had cases that have changed the State of Washington. The case of Hearst v. Hoppe defined the law of privacy in this state. I represented the Seattle School District in litigation against the State which required the State of Washington to fund basic education as a paramount duty. This one has the most influence of my cases in the State. I also represented the City of Seattle in the so-called WPPSS litigation.” His friend Jack Lowrey represented some 30 utilities in that litigation and tells us, “Cam handled the complex matters with aplomb; I have nothing but positive things to say about Cam.”

Cam enjoys the intellectual challenge. He calls it ‘civilized combat’ but sees it as a system that does the job and resolves disputes. Despite regrets that he has not had more trial experience, he believes the cost and risk of litigation is great for clients and it is best to resolve issues when possible. He is also realistic: “We try to find the truth and achieve justice. Truth is relative and based on perspective. I have seen more ‘lying’ within the walls of King County Superior Court than I care to say. Perhaps we should call it ‘selective memories.’”

In a recent well-known case, Cam represented the Rosenberg family against the Seattle Art Museum over possession and ownership of a painting the Nazis had stolen—Henri Matisse’s Odalisque. Cam describes the events: “Paul Rosenberg was a well known art impresario in 1920-1940’s. He knew many of the French Impressionists, Picasso was god father of one of his sons. He had a huge art collection. As the skies over Europe became darker in the late 1930’s, Paul Rosenberg decided a safe place to put his 300 art works was in bank vaults outside of Paris.

The Nazis then had a program to basically loot art which was then traded on the market to buy other art or for currency. They traced this Matisse painting and took it from a bank vault outside Paris, giving the banker a receipt, a characteristically Nazi gesture. This painting went into Goering’s collection but the Germans thought it was degenerate and traded it for something ‘more acceptable’ about 1943. Then it disappeared only to reappear in 1954 at a French gallery. Eventually a New York dealer sold it to the Bloedel family who gave it to SAM.”

Recent books describe the Nazi thefts. In one book the Odalisque was pictured and its location described as ‘unknown.’ A Blodel heir recognized the painting from the book as having hung in the Bloedel home. The Rosenbergs asked SAM to return the painting and SAM refused. Cam filed suit in federal district court on a simple theory of replevin, and, on eve of summary judgment, SAM agreed to return the painting. Cam states, “I thought the art museum was very ‘stinky’ about the whole thing. They tried to wrap themselves in a blanket of virtue. The position of SAM was very inappropriate.”

Successful suit for China

In another unique case, Cam represented one of Communist China’s nationally-controlled corporations in a federal court case called China Xinghua v. Wheeler. The Chinese wanted to put on the Olympics games in 2000, but had to convince the International Olympic Committee they were capable. Several China state-controlled facilities took on different sports. One took on boxing and engaged a Seattle attorney who appeared to know how to promote the sport. “The Chinese paid over $3,000,000, most of which was misappropriated,” Cam says.

China engaged Cam as their counsel to bring suit which was tried before Judge Zilly. “I spent a lot of time in China and learned the Chinese were very leery that they could get a fair trial in a U.S. Court. Many Chinese had been cheated over time but had been reluctant to sue here,” Cam says. According to Judge Zilly, “This case is the first time an entity of the Chinese Government has successfully used the U.S. Courts to litigate a dispute.”

The result was a jury verdict for $800,000 and a bench verdict on equitable grounds for $2.5 million, both upheld on appeal to the 9th Circuit.

Judge Zilly recalls: “The case, referred to as the ‘brawl at the wall,’ was one of the most interesting cases I have tried and Cam Hall did a brilliant job of organizing and trying the case.”

Views on law practice

Cam has been a long-time active member of the King County Bar Association as current Chair of the Judiciary and Courts Committee, a member of the Family Law Section, and earlier as a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee. Cam gives generously back to the community.

He has also donated his talents as a Pacific Northwest Ballet trustee, UW Law School Alumni Association Board member and President, UW College of A&S Development Advisory Board member and Chairman, AAA Board of Arbitrators, Federal District Court Mediator, and Judge Pro Tem for the Seattle Municipal Court and King County Superior Court. Cam sees much change in the practice of law: “I have been practicing law for over 30 years and have seen many changes. Mutual respect, trust and camaraderie have diminished and the ability to trust the word of an opposing attorney is limited to a small few. The magic of a small partnership is gone; the ability to meet as a small group over lunch or dinner or a drink. The changes are not all bad by any means—the complexity of problems we must solve is greater.” Cam shares his preferences: “I like a firm size at 10 or 15 because there is a center of gravity—a critical mass—where you can talk with people, discuss issues and bounce ideas off each other. As firm size increases so do the problems. The economics of law is changing and becoming more bottom line oriented. You have to be more careful about getting fees paid. I see change in attitudes toward practicing law. I don’t think it has changed for the better.” But he still values highly the role of lawyers. “I’m very honored to be profiled and to be a part of this profession,” Cam tells us in his modest manner. “I expect to practice for at least 10 more years.” He values his friends and tries to do the best job he can. He says he enjoys solving problems for people and making them happy. The truth is we are all better off for his being here among us.

John P. Payseno is a sole practitioner in Seattle. 

Reprinted with permission from the King County Bar Association "Bar Bulletin" 1999.