Longtime Spokane attorney Terry Lackie loses battle with cancer

Longtime Spokane attorney and law firm partner Hugh “Terry” Lackie has made his last argument. He was 71.

Lackie attended Gonzaga University School of Law at night and later represented Spokane County in some of its toughest civil battles. He also served as a U.S. Army lieutenant in the Vietnam War, where he earned the Bronze Star.

“Terry was a friend to everyone,” said friend and partner of 46 years, Jim Craven. “That can sound trite. But in his case, it was really true. Walking down the street with him was kind of like walking with a celebrity.

“He just had hundreds and hundreds of friends, with good reason. He was just a very classy individual.”

Lackie, Craven and the late Hugh O. Evans formed the powerhouse local law firm Evans, Craven & Lackie. Evans died in 2016, also at 71.

Lackie’s 45-year legal career could fill volumes.

Lackie took the deposition in the case of Galliher v. Spokane County in which Robert Galliher alleged that he had been sexually assaulted by former Mayor Jim West and Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy David Hahn, who are both now deceased. West was recalled by voters following that deposition.

Lackie also defended the county following questions posed to family members about pre-death sexual practices of dead youth by former Spokane County Coroner Dr. Dexter Amend. Following that lawsuit, the county stopped using elected coroners for forensic death work.

“He represented Spokane County for many years,” Craven said. “I think Terry’s greatest strength in the courtroom was his ability to humanize his clients’ (cases) to relate to real people. There was not much artifice about him. He was a genuine man.”

Lackie beat prostate cancer a decade ago, but he was diagnosed more than two years ago with a different form of cancer. He died Monday while in hospice care.

Lackie is survived by his wife of 47 years, Kathy, and sons Pat and Matt Lackie. Terry and Kathy both graduated from Gonzaga, and he later taught law at its Florence, Italy, campus.

“He was a great dad and grandfather,” Kathy Lackie said. “He was lots of fun.”

Terry Lackie’s law practice also came in handy when his sons’ friends ever found themselves in trouble, she said.

“He never lost his sense of humor or his patience,” Kathy Lackie said. “He was always gracious and kind to those who cared for him, even under circumstances when it wasn’t pleasant.”

Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, at 1115 W. Riverside Ave. in Spokane.

Craven, who also briefly served as Spokane city attorney, first met Lackie as a beginning law student at Gonzaga. That lifetime of friendship ended Monday.

“It hasn’t really hit me,” said Craven, 69. “He was a wonderful friend and business partner. It’s a real loss.”