Clark County Superior Court Commissioner Dayann M. Liebman died Thursday. She was 69.
“She really had a heart for family law and the community that she served on the bench,” Superior Court Administrator Jessica Gurley said Tuesday. “She was really an integral part of our team. Her passing was sudden to all of us, too.”
Liebman’s last day with the court was July 10, according to Superior Court Administration.
Court commissioners are employed in most Washington courts to ease judges’ caseloads. They are usually attorneys who are licensed to practice in the state. They work under the direction of a judge and assume many of the same powers and duties.
Liebman was a family law attorney for 30 years before being selected as a Superior Court commissioner in 2011. She graduated from Washington State University and the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.
On the bench, she was known for her intelligence, wit, preparedness and consistent professional attitude, the county said in a statement Tuesday.
“Commissioner Liebman was well respected among her peers and will be remembered as someone who had a calm, kind presence; stepped up to help when needed; shared her knowledge and experience willingly; and loved serving the community as a judicial officer,” the county said.
Superior Court Judge Jennifer Snider — who served as a court commissioner with Liebman for nearly six years — said she knew her for over two decades.
Snider said divorce lawyers can get a bad rap, but as an attorney, Liebman “was one of those people that just rose above all of that. As a professional, she was someone that everyone respected.”
Liebman was personable and kind, and she always had time to talk with people, Snider said, adding that she was also “super witty” and had a “dry sense of humor.”
She described Liebman as someone that members of the Clark County family law bar could look up to as “the epitome of professionalism and class, doing a very nitty gritty job.”
Snider said Liebman’s transition to court commissioner was seamless because she possessed all of the attributes needed to be successful in that role, but most of all, she cared about what she was doing.
Liebman loved working with youth and had been assigned juvenile court duties since 2011.
“I think for a lot of kids that saw her, she was an approachable person to them because she treated them with respect. … They could sense an understanding from her,” Snider said.
