Kamien, Kalvin

In the spring of 2002, Mark opened in private practice as the Law Office of Mark R. Stephens, sharing office space with (and gaining invaluable experience from) two of Everett's most respected and seasoned lawyers-Henry Templeman and Geoffrey Gibbs. Since then, Mark has continued his commitment to earnestly defending people accused of crimes. He currently emphasizes representation of clients accused of felony crimes, driving under the influence (DUI), domestic violence charges, and other misdemeanor cases, in Snohomish County, as well as the Skagit, Island, and King county courts. In connection with his criminal defense practice, Mark also aggressively pursues the return of property seized by police under the "Drug Seizure" law. He also represents clients on appeal to all levels of Washington Courts.

Mark Stephens began his law career during summer internships at the Northwest Defenders' Association, a public defender law firm in Seattle, under a "Rule 9" limited license. Prior to passing the summer 1996 Bar Exam, Mark conducted six criminal jury trials, and provided research, writing and support in dozens of felony cases. He also brought over one hundred criminal cases to resolution, with only minor supervision from practicing attorneys in the office. In December 1996, Mark began work at the Snohomish County Public Defenders' Office, carrying 150+ open misdemeanor cases at any given time, representing clients in all four divisions of that district court system. In summer 1998, he was promoted to a Felony caseload, handling 40-60 cases, at a time, with maximum penalties ranging from a few years in prison to "life without parole." Mark tried upwards of 40 cases to jury during his time as a PD.

Between 2001-2002, Mark provided representation for indigent criminal defendants in felony probable cause hearings, community custody violation hearings, as well as negotiating "expedited" plea deals (from felony charges to misdemeanor plea bargains) in Everett District Court.

In 2001, Mark began performing independent criminal defense contract work for Snohomish County, as well as filing felony appeals with the Washington State Court of Appeals. With his work at the Washington Appellate Project, Mark gained invaluable insight into the appeals process. He garnered favorable results in many cases, including a 9–0 reversal of a felony assault case at the Washington State Supreme Court. See State v. Redmond, 150 Wn.2d 489 (2003).