Our Attorneys, Paralegals and Legal Assistants
Our Attorneys
Daniel L. Hannula
Skills: Trial, negotiation, mediation, arbitration
Practice: Medical Malpractice, Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury, Swimming Accidents, Products Liability
Memberships: The American Board of Trial Advocates, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Washington State Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, the Washington State Bar Association, the Tacoma/Pierce County Bar Association and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
Vernon W. Harkins
Skills: Trial, negotiation, mediation, arbitration
Practice: Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Governmental Liability, Workplace Safety, and Swimming Accidents
Memberships: Washington Sate Bar Association, Tacoma/Pierce County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Washington State Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, the American Board of Trial Advocates, Designated Legal Counsel for the United Transportation Union.
Daniel R. Kyler
Skills: Trial, negotiation, counseling
Practice: Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Insurance Coverage, Business Tort Litigation
Memberships: The American Board of Trial Advocates, the Washington State Association for Justice, the Washington State Bar Association, the Pierce County Bar Association.
Harold T. Dodge, Jr.
Skills: Writer, researcher, analyst, appellate work
Practice: Medical Malpractice, Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury
Memberships: Washington State Bar Association, Tacoma / Pierce County Bar Association, Washington State Association for Justice.
John R. Wilson
Skills: Trial, mediation, arbitration
Practice: Medical Malpractice, Automobile Accidents, Employment, Personal Injury
Memberships: Washington State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Tacoma / Pierce County Bar Association, Washington State Association for Justice.
Michael J. Fisher
Skills: Trial, arbitration, mediation and negotiation
Practice: Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse, Automobile Accidents, Personal Injury, Motorcycle Accidents, Head Injury Cases, and Trucking Accidents
Memberships: Washington State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, American Association for Justice and Washington State Association for Justice.
Molly K. Crowley
Skills: Trial, arbitration and mediation
Practice: Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Employment Law, Premises Liability (Trip and fall, decking/flooring failure), and Medical Malpractice
Memberships: Washington State Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Washington State Association for Justice and Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association.
William J. Rush
Skills: Trial, negotiation, mediation, arbitration
Practice: Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Birth Injury
Memberships: American College of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, Washington State Bar Association, Tacoma / Pierce County Bar Association (past president).
Our Paralegals
The success of a case does not result from the work of the attorney alone. The attorney's staff is critical. Their dedication to a case or a client's cause is a significant factor in the results received. The attorneys at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P. are supported by a highly skilled professional staff of paralegals and legal assistants. For biographical and contact information for our staff, select a name below.
D'Ann Graf
D'Ann Graf is a paralegal who has been with Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P., since 2002. She graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in Law and Justice. D'Ann works with attorneys Vern Harkins and Dan Kyler performing the duties of a litigation paralegal. In addition to scheduling and file organization and maintenance, D'Ann also drafts documents and pleadings, assists with trial preparation and assists clients in answering discovery.
Julie Mehegan
Julie Mehegan has been employed as a paralegal with law firms in the Tacoma Pierce County area for 19 years. Prior to coming to Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P., she was employed extensively in personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. She currently serves as a litigation paralegal to Daniel Hannula and Harold T. Dodge, Jr.
Cathy Valnes
Cathy Valnes started her legal career in 1988 in a small, yet very busy law firm where she wore every "hat" imaginable in providing a wide spectrum of pre-litigation and litigation support. She joined RHHK as a litigation paralegal in 2007 and assists John Wilson and Michael Fisher with monitoring clients' medical care, summarizing medical records, preparation of pleadings, discovery responses and correspondence.
Our Legal Assistants
Denise Johnson
Denise Johnson has been employed as a legal assistant with Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P. for 25 years. In addition to answering client questions, Denise maintains and updates the calendar and schedules meetings, depositions and court hearings for attorneys Daniel Hannula and Harold T. Dodge, Jr. Denise also assists with typing documents and organizing and maintaining files.
Vea Steppan
Vea Steppan has worked as a legal assistant in the Tacoma area for 36 years. Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P. was fortunate to have her join the firm in 2002. In addition to answering client questions, she helps attorney Daniel Kyler by typing documents, preparing motions and pleadings, organizing files, and scheduling.
Kay Wetherbee
Kay Wetherbee has worked as a legal assistant in the Tacoma area for 20 years, spending the past 11 years here at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, L.L.P. Kay assists attorney Vernon Harkins with drafting documents, preparing pleadings, scheduling meetings and hearings, file organization and keeping the calendar.
