2017 Relocation Guide Feature:
Christal Lam, Managing Attorney at Spokane Business Attorneys
The 2017 Relocation Guide features our vibrant and innovative region, including the facts, flavors and faces of the Spokane community. Thanks to the Journal of Business for this great publication, to our writer Nicole Skinner and photographer Red Mammoth Studios.
Over the new couple of months, we will be featuring some of the people who call Spokane home. To pick up free copies of the guide, contact Nancy Vanni in our office at 509.321.3601 or email nvanni@greaterspokane.org.
Production of the 2018 Relocation Guide is also underway. Approximately 8,000 are distributed throughout the U.S. If you are interested in advertising, contact the Journal of Business at 456-5257 or email info@spokanejournal.com.
Christal Lam, Managing Attorney at Spokane Business Attorneys
Hometown: Seattle, Wash.
Place of Residence: East Central
Occupation: Managing Attorney at Spokane Business Attorneys
Most people don’t move without first checking out their new destination in thorough detail, but Christal Lam is not most people. Born in Malaysia, Christal and her family moved to Seattle when Christal was just two. After high school, Christal went to college in California and planned to return to Washington for law school. She knew she needed attend Gonzaga University School of Law because she’d heard they offered one of the best legal writing programs in the country. Her mentor shared with her that the secret to a successful legal career was being an excellent writer.
What Christal didn’t know as she started law school was that she’d call Spokane home; it wasn’t just a stop on her journey to becoming an attorney. For the last six years, Christal has grown to love the Spokane area and decided it was the perfect place to start her own law firm. She’s an East Central resident in the Gonzaga area. Her neighborhood is great because she’s so close to the beautiful Spokane River and also just minutes from her office downtown.
Christal says, “It’s a supportive community with a welcoming vibe, and is full of resources.” That’s why she took the leap to start her own law firm in 2015. Her firm specializes in working with small businesses. She discovered this niche was a perfect fit for her desire to help small businesses grow while also providing the legal counsel they need. “Helping businesses grow so they can give back to the community is really what my firm is about. If I can work with businesses to help them grow and thrive by gaining clarity on what they’re doing and developing a plan on to grow profitably … everyone in the community wins.”
The foundation of relationships runs deep in the community and Christal thinks that makes Spokane the perfect place to call home. Starting in law school and since graduating, Christal has built relationships by volunteering with the Unemployment Law Project, the Washington State Attorney General, the Spokane Volunteers Lawyer Program, the Housing Justice Project, and the Veterans Will Clinic. She knows there’s always opportunities to get involved and meet great people in the area.
“Spokane is a much more laid back community but still offers the amenities of a bigger city,” shares Christal. As a former Seattle resident, she also likes that Spokane has all four seasons. When the snow falls, she likes to head up to one of the many area ski resorts. During the summer, she finds our weather is just right for spending time with friends and grilling up tasty eats on the barbecue. She also likes to hit Green Bluff for some of the farm-fresh produce. “It’s great that we have access to fresh local fruit and produce just a short drive from town,” shares Christal. “Plus, Spokane’s a growing economy and community. It’s a great place to be right now.”
