WLI 2025

WLI Presents: Voices That Move Us

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Voices That Move Us is a podcast created by the Washington Leadership Institute Class of 2025 (the 20th class of the program). Through candid conversations with legal giants who inspire us, we explore stories of leadership, service, and community impact. These are the voices that have shaped our profession, lifted others as they rose, and continue to move us toward a more just and inclusive legal system.

Author

WLI 2025

Episodes

Voices That Move Us: Interview with James Williams 30.07.2025 51:55

In this episode of Voices That Move Us , Bianca Connell-Flint speaks with James Williams, managing partner of Perkins Coie’s Seattle office and founding director of the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI). James shares his remarkable journey. He reflects on pivotal moments from his time as a military lawyer in Europe to a career-defining phone call that brought him to Seattle. James also dives...

Voices That Move Us: Interview with Francis Adewale 29.07.2025 43:38

In this episode of Voices That Move Us , Alex Bejarán Estévez speaks with Francis Adewale, president elect of the Washington State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and a 2009 graduate of the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI). Francis shares how formative experiences, from being wrongfully arrested as a teenager in Nigeria to building a decades long public defense career in Spokane, shaped...

Voices That Move Us: Interview with Sarah Pendleton 28.07.2025 39:15

In this episode of Voices That Move Us , Yohana Valdez speaks with Sarah Pendleton, Clerk of the Washington Supreme Court and a 2022 graduate of the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI). Sarah shares how WLI helped her overcome imposter syndrome and find a deep sense of belonging as a woman of color in leadership. She talks about the nontraditional path that led her to the highest court in the s...

Voices That Move Us: Interview with Ron Ward 28.07.2025 45:51

In this episode of Voices That Move Us , Kelly Oshiro of the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI) speaks with Ron Ward, civil rights attorney, former WSBA President, and founding visionary behind WLI. Ron shares the story of how the program began, the leaders who helped shape it, and how WLI has grown into a powerful force for equity and inclusion in Washington’s legal community. He reflects on...

Voices That Move Us: Interview with Justice Mary Yu 26.07.2025 43:46

In this episode of Voices That Move Us , Cloie Chapman of the Washington Leadership Institute (WLI) speaks with Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu, the first Asian, first Latina, and first LGBTQ+ justice on the court. Justice Yu shares how her upbringing in Chicago, early work in community organizing, and mentors led her to the legal profession. She reflects on decades of service, nav...