Paul Strophy sworn in as new Lewis County Superior Court judge 

By Emily Fitzgerald / emily@chronline.com 
Posted 1/11/25

Friday marked a passing of the torch, as retired Judge Richard Strophy gifted a gavel to his son, newly-elected Lewis County Superior Court Judge Paul Strophy, during his swearing-in ceremony at the …

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Paul Strophy sworn in as new Lewis County Superior Court judge 

Posted

Friday marked a passing of the torch, as retired Thurston County Judge Richard Strophy gifted a gavel to his son, newly-elected Lewis County Superior Court Judge Paul Strophy, during his swearing-in ceremony at the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis. 

Richard Strophy said Friday that he only raised the gavel once during his 24-year tenure on the bench, and never had to bring it down. 

“Hopefully, you won’t have to do any more than that,” Richard Strophy told his son. 

A former Lewis County Superior Court commissioner, Paul Strophy was elected to Judge Position 2 in Lewis County Superior Court in November 2024 after incumbent Judge James Lawler announced he was not seeking reelection. 

Lawler officially retired on Wednesday after a 41-year law career in Lewis County, 24 years of which were spent on the Lewis County Superior Court bench. 

“Hearing about my father’s remarkable career, and of course, the remarkable career of Judge Lawler, who I’m replacing here on the bench, I know I have some pretty huge shoes to fill,” Paul Strophy said Friday. 

Lewis County Superior Court hired Paul Strophy as a constitutional court commissioner, a judicial officer appointed by the three elected Lewis County Superior Court judges, when longtime Court Commissioner Tracy Mitchell retired in December 2022.

Strophy’s former court commissioner seat has been filled by Cailen L. Cecil, who was sworn in on Dec. 2. 

Before taking the bench, Paul Strophy had over 16 years of experience in private practice with a diverse caseload in criminal and juvenile defense, civil litigation, estate planning, real property issues, business and contract law, and family law, according to a news release. He also regularly served as a judicial officer in Centralia Municipal Court, Olympia Municipal Court and Thurston County Superior Court.



“When you get to do what I’ve been doing the last two years … you sometimes lose sight of how blessed you are. I was blessed to have an amazing father. I had an amazing mother, who’s no longer with us,” Paul Strophy said after he was sworn in by Judge J. Andrew Toynbee on Friday. “We were very, very lucky … but we were taught to work hard. We had high expectations set for us, and we struggled to live up to it.” 

Paul Strophy recalled how his career practicing law in Lewis County was made easier by people knowing and respecting his father, who was a Thurston County District Court judge from 1983 to 1985 and was a Thurston County Superior Court judge from 1985 to 2009. Before taking the bench, Richard Strophy was a deputy prosecuting attorney for 11 years. He currently practices civil and family law mediation, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

“I had a tremendous amount of privilege that most attorneys don’t get, but I believe and I always strove to redeem that privilege through my work ethic and character,” Paul Strophy said. “The fact that I’ve had so much support here in getting to this position, and I was blessed enough to not have an opponent, I think it’s a testament not just to what I’ve accomplished, but the example that had been set for me from my parents, my family, of course, all my colleagues, support that I had from the judges here when I applied to be the commissioner … and then, of course, decided to run to replace Jim, Judge Lawler. That was really touching, and I was really blessed to have that kind of support and that kind of mentorship in my career.” 

Lewis County Superior Court is a state trial court of general jurisdiction situated in Lewis County. The court has statewide jurisdiction and hears major criminal matters, civil cases, including cases involving real property, domestic relations matters, appeals from lower courts, and appeals from state administrative agencies. Superior Court also has jurisdiction in adoption, probate and competency cases.

Lewis County's Superior Court has three full-time elected judges who preside on all matters and one court commissioner who hears family law, dependency, domestic violence and juvenile cases.