Firm Members
James M. Cline
Jim received his B.A. with distinction in Political Science from the University of Washington in 1980, an M.A. in Political Science from UW in 1982, an M.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1986, and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1986.
After passing the Washington State Bar, Jim served as an associate in a Seattle labor law firm and as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Since leaving the Prosecutor’s Office in 1990, Jim has represented law enforcement labor organizations throughout the state.
He has participated in hundreds of cases at every level of state and federal court and various administrative and arbitration tribunals. He has made over 35 appellate oral arguments between his appearances at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington State Supreme Court and the Washington Court of Appeals. He has been involved in the negotiation of nearly 400 labor contracts. He has provided counsel in about 200 officer-involved shooting incidents. He has participated in 26 Washington State interest arbitration proceedings.
Jim is a frequent speaker and the author of numerous articles and two books: The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Member’s Manual and The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Representative’s Manual. He is currently planning and developing a number of other public safety labor law books, including a soon to be released book concerning the representation of injured public safety personnel.
Kate Kremer
Kate received her B.A. in Political Science from Fairfield University in 1983 and her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 1987.
After graduation from law school, Kate was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She practiced several years at the Northwestern Legal Center where she was involved in a variety of civil litigation.
Kate has contributed to the Cline law practice since 1995. Kate’s responsibilities include legal research and writing, litigation and preparation of statistical analysis reports for labor negotiations and interest arbitration. She is responsible for digesting and summarizing more than a 1000 labor contracts within the Cline and Associates database. She has prepared the Master Brief that is the proprietary Cline & Associates brief used to develop interest arbitration arguments. She has testified a number of times about her database reports and is likely the most knowledgeable person in the state on the contents of public safety labor contracts.
Anthony Rice
Tony graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2010 with a degree in Political Science He also lettered in Football, playing Linebacker for PLU. He then attended the University of Washington Law School and received Honors before graduating in May 2014. While in law school, he worked as a law clerk at Cline and Associates.
Upon graduation, Tony decided to relocate to California where he practiced labor law for several years. He worked in house for various unions before moving to Beeson, Tayer & Bodine.
Tony made a major career change in 2021, returning to the Northwest and launching a career as a firefighter with the Pierce County Fire District. He did not abandon his interest in law. Cline and Associates is fortunate to have Tony’s service as a consultant and part time litigator. Tony brings his extensive labor law experience and practical experience to assist Cline and Associates public safety clients in a variety of roles.
Kathryn Lucido
Kathryn earned her B.S. in Criminology & Criminal Justice Studies from Sonoma State University in 2017 and went on to receive her J.D. from Gonzaga University in 2021, where she concentrated her legal studies on Civil and Human Rights.
Prior to joining Cline & Associates, Kathryn served as a defense attorney with the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington & Idaho and later with the King County Department of Public Defense. In these roles, she represented hundreds of individuals in both state and federal courts, gaining extensive courtroom experience while advocating for the rights of those in the criminal justice system.
At Cline & Associates, Kathryn draws on her litigation background and deep commitment to justice to support unions in protecting workers’ rights. Her experience with high-stakes defense work and her passion for equity make her a strong advocate for her clients.