Washington State Attorney General’s Office

Honors Class of 2017

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office is pleased to announce the current AGO Honors Class.  These Honors Candidates, selected via the Office’s highly competitive fall recruitment process in 2017, have been recently placed into Assistant Attorneys General positions. 

Luis Beltran

Luis earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Washington School of Law (Gates Hall), where he primarily focused on public interest law.  While in law school, Luis worked in a variety of different public interest legal settings; California Court of Appeal, Clark County District Attorney’s Office, and Washington State Bar Association. Luis is privileged to be able to serve the people of Washington in the Attorney General's Office's Social and Health Services section.

“I have found AGO to be a place where I can continue to develop as a leader in my community and state, and where I can share my passion of serving the public with an amazing group of people who share my passion.”

Ryan Gompertz

Ryan is a “Double Dawg” graduate from the University of Washington, where he received both his B.A. in History and Political Science and his Juris Doctorate. As an undergraduate at UW, Ryan combined his experience living in Barcelona with his family’s unique history to create projects critiquing the image of Spain as a safe haven for Jewish refugees during the Second World War. Drawing inspiration from his asylee mother and refugee grandfather, Ryan continued this work as a law student through UW’s Immigration Law Clinic and the Northwest Immigrant Right’s Project, where he advocated for immigrants detained at ICE’s NW Detention Center, including a fellow UW student. As an AAG, Ryan looks forward to bringing the same level of service and enthusiasm to making Washington a better place for all people.

“When I’m asked about my ideal workplace, my answer is always that it’s filled with smart, driven people who approach their work with collaboration and compassion. After my two summers as a law clerk with the Office, I knew I’d found just the place!”

Kelsey Martin

Kelsey received her J.D. in 2015 from the University of Washington School of Law, graduating with honors.  While in law school, Kelsey served as the Executive Notes & Comments Editor of the Washington Law Review, joined the National Moot Court Team, and worked as a legal writing fellow.  Kelsey developed her commitment to public service by interning with Northwest Justice Project and Legal Voice and by teaching high school students in the Street Law Program.  After law school, Kelsey worked as a law clerk to Judge Marlin Appelwick and Judge Ann Schindler of the Washington State Court of Appeals Division I.  Kelsey is excited to continue serving the people of Washington in the AGO’s Agriculture and Health Division in Olympia.

“As a law clerk, I was constantly impressed by the high quality of the work produced by AAGs and by the AGO’s commitment to public service.  I am privileged to join an organization so dedicated to providing excellent legal services and protecting the rights of the people of Washington.”

Harlan Mechling

Harlan graduated with honors from the UW School of Law, where he received three CALI Awards and served as a Managing Editor of the Washington Law Review. Before studying law, Harlan attended the University of Oregon, where he was elected President of the Student Senate and received the Centurion Award for Outstanding Leadership. During law school, Harlan published a law review comment discussing how the Fourth Amendment applies to searches of shared living spaces, and a short research paper on gender inequality and the wage gap. Harlan recently joined the Labor & Industries Division of the AGO after completing a one year clerkship with Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst of the Washington State Supreme Court.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the people of the State of Washington as an Assistant Attorney General. Having a legal education is a privilege. Lawyers are uniquely positioned to affect change and I believe that each of us has a responsibility to be a leader for the common good. I am inspired by the work that we do at the AGO and I am honored to have the chance to follow in the footsteps of some of Washington’s greatest and most selfless public servants.”

Ari Robbins

Ari received their Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law where they were Editor-In-Chief of the Washington Journal for Law Technology and Arts, a competitor with the Pace Environmental Moot Court team, and the 2018 Pro Bono Honors Society Student of the Year. Ari received their undergraduate degree from the home of the geoducks, The Evergreen State College. Before law school, Ari worked as a community organizer, landscaper, flower delivery person, AmeriCorps VISTA, and most recently as a bar manager in Montréal, Québec. As a result, they can tell people to stop throwing garbage in the alley, in perfect Français québécois. Ari has always pursued work that fosters justice for their communities and finds their work serving Washingtonians as an AAG to be equally humbling and exhilarating. You can find Ari working alongside the brilliant legal minds in the Government Compliance and Enforcement Division in Olympia. 

“It is a privilege to come to work every day, learn from passionate colleagues and feel great about what I do. I am grateful that my job allows me a role in enforcing the legal rights and ensuring the safety of all the people of Washington. I am honored to be here.”