Spokane attorney resigns as state bar president a day before criminal warrant filed
Becki Wheeler, a partner at McNeice Wheeler where Haynes worked as an attorney up until Jan. 31, declined to talk about the matter while the criminal investigation was underway. She also would not discuss the nature of the investigation or what prompted the bar complaint.
“I can’t comment,” Wheeler said.
Haynes, 39, who last year became the youngest lawyer to hold the bar association position, did not respond to a request for an interview.
However, her attorney, Roy Umlauf of Seattle, said he and his client were not aware of a warrant seeking the second-degree theft charges until he learned it from a reporter. He also would not discuss the nature of the bar complaint filed by McNeice Wheeler.
“We can’t really comment on a pending WSBA investigation,” Umlauf said. “But there haven’t been any complaints filed by any clients.”
As for her former employer, Umlauf said: “They are currently trying to work out the transition issues related to her departure from the firm. I don’t want to jeopardize negotiations regarding that transition.”
Haynes, who also previously worked for the Spokane firm Witherspoon Kelley, left McNeice Wheeler on Jan. 31 and started her own law firm called GIANTLegal. Full story. Thomas Clouse/SR