Teamsters Local 117 Legal Department Overview
Teamsters Local 117 is one of only a handful of Teamsters Locals across the country that has an experienced legal team on staff. This allows your Local Union to provide members of Local 117 with unparalleled access to extensive legal resources at a significantly lower cost. With our staff of experienced attorneys, Local 117 is prepared to take on any legal fight, whether that be an arbitration, an unfair labor practice, litigation, or the need for legal assistance in challenging contract negotiations. To learn more about your rights at work, click here.

Your Union’s legal department is comprised of four attorneys:

General Counsel, Spencer Nathan Thal;

Staff Attorney/Government Relations Coordinator, Anna Jancewicz;

Staff Attorney/Director of Corrections and Law Enforcement, James V. Smith II;

Staff Attorney, Daniel Swedlow;

Teamsters Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey A. Thompson, is also an attorney by profession and provides legal counsel when necessary.

Scope of Representation
Local 117 attorneys handle litigation, arbitration and unfair labor practice charges that arise in the context of your employment with a represented company.  The accessibility of employed lawyers to Business Representatives gives your Union a powerful resource when it comes to protecting your rights on the job.

Attorneys in the Legal Department do not and cannot represent members in their private legal matters.  Local 117 attorneys do not, for example, provide counsel regarding family law, criminal law, or bankruptcy law unless a case is directly related to your workplace rights and your rights under your collective bargaining agreement.

We have, however, compiled a list of legal referrals for Local 117 members.  In many cases, our referrals will provide discounted rates exclusively to members of the Union.   If you are a registered user of your Local Union's website, you can access a list of legal referrals online. To register for the website, click here. For more information, talk to your Business Representative or call Teamsters Local 117 at 206-441-4860.

Year in Review
To learn more about the work of the Teamsters Local 117 legal team, check out the Local 117 legal year in review.

• Legal year in review 2009
• Legal year in review 2008

News articles from the Local 117 legal department:

• Arbitration win puts SHA musician back on his feet (July 19, 2010)
• Local 117 files grievance and ULP on furlough, seeks injunctive relief (July 9, 2010)
• CBCC members score victory in overtime arbitration case (July 7, 2010)
• King County WLRD case slated for arbitration (February 20, 2010)
• Teamsters at the Consortium receive full back pay and benefits (February 10, 2010)
• King County Teamster vindicated in Local 117 arbitration win (December 3, 2009)
• Legal battle over BFOQ positions continues (July 10, 2009)
• Teamster arbitration victory puts market employee back to work (July 1, 2009)
• Teamsters stop employer from suspending overtime (February 4, 2009)
• Local 117 files court injunction to halt DOC layoffs (January 27, 2009)
• Union files grievance on King County furlough inequities (January 25, 2009)
• Safeway warehouse workers win big in lumper case (January 15, 2009) 

Ms. Jancewicz received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University 1999 and graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2002. 

While attending law school and upon graduation, Anna worked for the law firm of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller, LLP in Spokane.  She worked in the areas of employment discrimination, lender liability, bankruptcy and commercial litigation.  After moving to Seattle in the fall of 2002, Anna joined the law firm of Barokas Martin & Tomlinson where she further developed her litigation skills with employment discrimination, bad faith insurance claims, lender liability, and commercial litigation cases.

Anna joined the Teamsters Union Local 117’s legal team on April 1, 2005, as a staff attorney.  She will be involved with grievance management, grievance arbitrations (both public and private), NLRB proceedings, and litigating matters on behalf of the Union. 

Anna is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, U.S. Federal District Courts of the Western District,  and the Ninth Circuit Bar. 

Anna is also fluent in Russian.

James V. Smith II, J.D., Staff Attorney/Director of Corrections and Law Enforcement

Jim earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology, with a minor in Native American Studies, from Western Washington University in 1996.  Jim earned his law degree from Western State University College of Law in 2005, graduating summa cum laude and valedictorian of his class.

In 1994, Jim began volunteer and civilian service in law enforcement, serving as a Sheriff Explorer Cadet, Police Dispatcher, Juvenile Probation Tracker, Drug Task Force Office Assistant, and as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff.  In 1997, Jim began sworn service as Deputy Sheriff, Detective, and Field Training Officer for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.  Jim also served for three years on his Union’s negotiations team and executive board, holding positions of Second Vice-President and Secretary.  After Jim’s best friend and fellow Deputy died in the line of duty, Jim left law enforcement in 2002 to pursue a career in labor law.  Just prior to law school, Jim served as a Volunteer Firefighter for his community in Sun City, CA.

In 2005, Jim began representing public safety labor unions in both Washington and California, serving as a panel attorney for PORAC's Legal Defense Fund, as well as an Associate Attorney and Labor Consultant with the law firms of Lackie, Dammeier, & McGill (Upland, CA) and Cline & Associates (Seattle, WA).  In 2007, Jim began representing police and fire management as a Labor Relations Manager for the Port of Seattle.  Having been on both the union and management sides of labor, Jim has handled administrative disciplinary matters from the initial interview through the appeals process, responded to officer-involved shootings and critical incidents, negotiated collective bargaining agreements, and represented clients during administrative hearings, grievance arbitrations, and unfair labor practices.  Jim has also provided training on the legal rights of public sector employees in disciplinary proceedings, collective bargaining, and officer-involved collisions.

On September 1, 2009, Jim joined Teamsters Local 117 as a Staff Attorney. After serving as the Union's Public Sector Coordinator, he was appointed Director of Corrections and Law Enforcement on August 30, 2010. 

Jim is admitted to practice law in both Washington State and California.  His professional memberships include:  Christian Legal Society, Snohomish County Bar Association, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, and Law Enforcement Alliance of America.  Jim is married, has two daughters, and is active in his local church.

After graduating from law school in 2006, Dan worked for the law firm of Stanislaw Ashbaugh where his practice focused predominately on construction litigation and representation of contractors in labor and employment matters.  In 2008, Dan joined the Seattle office of Stoel Rives where he represented management in all aspects of labor and employment law. 

Dan decided to switch sides and joined the Teamsters on July 1, 2010.  He will be handling grievance arbitrations, unfair labor practices, collective bargaining negotiations, and generally fighting for workers’ rights.

When he is not fighting for workers’ rights, Dan can be found skiing somewhere in the Cascades with his wife and five children.  In the summer, you might find Dan wistfully looking towards the mountains and wondering when the snow will start falling again.