ATTORNEY PROFILES

STEPHEN G. LEATHAM
JOHN J. HOLTMANN
MARK STOKER
JOHN R. POTTER
Thomas DiStefano

Steve Leatham has practiced law in Vancouver since 1986. He is admitted to practice before state and federal courts in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and the Court of Federal Claims. Mr. Leatham graduated from Washington State University in 1982, cum laude, and is a Phi Beta Kappa member. He then graduated from the University of Washington School of Law, with honors, in 1985.

Mr. Leatham worked in both the Seattle and Vancouver offices of Seattle-based Williams, Kastner & Gibbs until he left in 1995 to become the third member of the firm that was then known as Heurlin & Potter. He has been a principal with that law firm since 1996.

Mr. Leatham has practiced as a trial attorney throughout his career. He has litigated construction, commercial and products liability suits throughout the country, including in the Court of Federal Claims, as well as in New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona, New Hampshire, Idaho, Arkansas, and California. In addition to products liability litigation, Mr. Leatham practices extensively in the areas of commercial litigation, construction law, and real estate. He is often selected to serve as an arbitrator or mediator in uninsured motorist litigation and other civil disputes.

He has worked extensively with experts in various fields from around the country.  He has also represented Columbia Machine in products liability lawsuits throughout the country since 1996, working with engineers, medical experts, and many other experts.  He has also defended manufacturers and product sellers in other products liability actions in Oregon and Washington, involving toxicology, engineering, and other technical subjects.

John Holtmann is a principal with the law firm of Heurlin, Potter, Jahn, Leatham & Holtmann, P.S. He graduated cum laude from Central Washington University in Ellensburg , Washington in 1983. He graduated from the College of Law at Willamette University in Salem , Oregon in 1987.

Mr. Holtmann has spent his entire career practicing law in his hometown of Vancouver, Washington . His current practice emphasizes representing individuals who have suffered all types of personal injury, including claimants in Washington Worker’s Compensation cases. Mr. Holtmann is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in the State of Washington. He is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice, Clark County Bar Association and an EAGLE Member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Holtmann enjoys volunteering his time to better the community. He has been involved with such projects as the HOST Reading Tutor Program, local high school moot court competitions, Dynamic Young Men program and the volunteer lawyers pro bono program. Mr. Holtmann has coached numerous little league baseball and Hotshot basketball teams in the area.

Mark Stoker is a principal with the firm and has practiced law in Vancouver since 1984. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1981, and graduated from the Lewis and Clark Law School, cum laude in 1984.

Mr. Stoker has a long and deep commitment to the Clark County community. He has served 11 years on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors and is past President.  He has been a
member of the Vancouver Rotary Club since 2000-2001 and is a past President. He is a former member of the Vancouver School District Foundation Board, Futures Committee for the Vancouver School District, and I Have a Dream of Clark County Foundation board.

Mr. Stoker is a member of the Washington and Oregon Bar Associations and his law practice emphasizes the areas of real estate transactions and finance, land use, estate planning and
business. This practice includes transactional matters (e.g., the purchase and sale of: businesses, real estate, apartment complexes, etc.), land use negotiations and hearings, negotiation of loan documentation, review and preparation of contracts, leases, easements, boundary agreements, formation of corporations and limited liability companies, as well as general business counsel
matters.

Rick Potter is a principal of Heurlin Potter. Mr. Potter graduated from the University of Washington in 1973 and Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College in 1976. He is an experienced litigator, having tried numerous cases since 1976. Mr. Potter is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts in Washington and Oregon, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been specially admitted and appeared in state and federal counts throughout the country, including California, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Oklahoma.

Mr. Potter represents numerous business, banking, real estate and professional entities in commercial, product liability and employment disputes. He is national product liability defense counsel for a worldwide industrial equipment manufacturer. Mr. Potter often serves as an arbitrator and mediator in commercial, employment and personal injury disputes.

Mr. Potter is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar Association, the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers and the Defense Research Institute. He has lectured at several continuing legal education seminars for the Washington State Bar Association regarding civil litigation, employment law and creditors’ rights.

Mr. Potter is active in the community serving as volunteer for local and state charitable, civic and political organizations. He has coached youth soccer teams, counseled arts organizations, represented numerous pro bono clients, served as a board member for a number of state and local poverty law programs and served as an advisor on political campaigns.

Thomas DiStefano is an associate with the law firm Heurlin, Potter, Jahn, Leatham, Holtmann & Stoker, P.S. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, in 2000, with two Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Speech Communication and a Minor in Philosophy. He graduated from Villanova Law School in 2006.

He started his practice of law in 2007. For over 4 years, he was an assistant district attorney in Bucks County Pennsylvania, with a focus on narcotics and forfeiture. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and focused on civil matters including contracts, oil and gas law and large discovery projects.

He moved to Vancouver, Washington in March of 2016 and has volunteered at the Vancouver Volunteer Lawyers Clinic and cooked meals for the homeless at St. James the Greater. He is a member of the Pennsylvania and Washington State Bar Associations and his areas of practice include civil litigation and family law.

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