Justice Barbara Madsen of WA; apologist for crooked lawyers, lifetime porker

The state of Washington presented Barbara A. Madsen with a law license in 1977 after she graduated from Gonzaga University Law School.

After receiving her law license, Barbara has had her significant snout firmly implanted in the public trough for the last thirty-seven (37) years. Apparently no self-respecting law firm in the greater Seattle area was about to offer Barbara a good paying job.

The State Supreme Court is the final arbiter when it comes to meting out punishment to unethical attorneys.

One such case involved former attorney Diane VanDerbeek of Seattle who was found guilty of over-billing her clients by the Washington State Bar Disciplinary Board.

VanDerbeek padded her bills by charging hundreds of dollars for minor clerical work, or charging clients for time spent trying to collect money from them. She billed excessive and unreasonable fees for simple form pleadings, one-page letters, and notices of intent to withdraw.

VanDerbeek charged a woman with an abusive husband $350 for writing two simple documents, including a 1-1/2 page letter. She charged a woman facing a child-custody fight for phone conversation that never took place.

In another matter, VanDerbeek settled a lawsuit with 28 former clients over excessive billing for $200,000.

The Washington Supreme Court voted to disbar VanDerbeek; however, Barbara dissented by arguing that a 2-year suspension of her law license was sufficient punishment for a degenerate thief.

As we speak (ca. March 2014), Barbara remains sitting as the Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.