Event Calendar

In line with WDTL’s mission to assist attorneys new to the field of personal injury and automobile accident defense, this Lunch & Learn CLE will focus on what information needs to be gathered, and how to get it.  Topics will include what types of documents are available, which are needed for a particular case, what types of experts are available to assist, what information those experts will need to assist, ensuring you have the proper authority to proceed, and how to approach opposing counsel in a discovery conference, and potentially motion-to-compel practice, to get the information you need to properly defend your client.  As a bonus, a very poor analogy will be made with respect to the game of poker: "Show me what you got!"

Levi Bendele is a civil defense attorney who defends insureds and insurance companies.  He worked for State Farm claims in the late 90s and for the last 20+ years has defended a variety of cases, including automobile liability and UM/UIM, premise liability, construction injury and defect, premises liability, HOA litigation, professional liability, and insurance matters involving EUOs, PIP, coverage, bad faith and IFCA claims.  He has been a member of WDTL since the early 2000s, was formerly a board member, and currently heads the Auto and Trucking Practice Group.

Goitome Fekade joined Lee Smart as an Associate in September 2022. His practice includes all areas of civil litigation. He obtained his Master of Laws Degree from the University of Washington in 2020. During law school, he was the recipient of the Master of Law Program’s Spirit of Excellence award for 2020. Before joining Lee Smart, Goitome was a Rule 9 Licensed Legal Intern at King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project and then a Law Clerk at a Seattle-based plaintiff’s law firm. Goitome is passionate about the clients he represents and is always ready to go the extra mile to achieve positive outcomes.

Calder Thingvold joined Lee Smart as an associate attorney in 2023. His practice includes all areas of civil litigation with an emphasis on litigation defense. Prior to joining Lee Smart, Calder gained valuable insight into the judicial process by spending over two years working as a judicial law clerk in the Federal District Court for the District of Montana as well as one year working as a judicial law clerk for Montana’s Thirteenth Judicial District Court located in Billings, Montana.

Calder earned his JD from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana in 2019. During law school, Calder served as a staff member on the Montana Law Review, represented his fellow students as an elected member of the Student Bar Association, and competed as a member of the school’s National Moot Court team which ultimately placed third at the national finals competition in New York City in 2019.