It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Mikkelborg, Broz, Wells & Fryer partner Mitchell A. Broz, who passed away just shy of his 47th birthday in Seattle on April 4, 2007, following a battle with melanoma.

Mitch started as an associate with Mikkelborg in 1995 and became a partner in 1999. He provided a balanced prospective and constructive guidance in firm management. Mitch specialized in employment, maritime, business and commercial litigation and catastrophic personal injury. He served as general counsel to a number of corporations and businesses, and an advocate in a variety of state, federal, administrative and arbitral proceedings.

Mitch was passionate about the rights of individuals, the need for vigilance to curb abuses of power, both public and private, and he chose law as a means for service. For him, there was no other profession that permitted service to others and to society as law, and he felt privileged to practice. Mitch was an extremely intelligent and ethical attorney, which earned him the respect of his colleagues, peers, and staff members.

Mitch graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University in 1982. He was Order of the Coif upon graduation from the University of Washington School of Law in 1987. He was a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the King County Bar Association, and the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.

Mitch gave generously of his time to the community. He was an officer in the Snoqualmie Valley Rotary Club and the Virginia V Board of Seattle. He was a gifted and creative pianist with tremendous musicality, who was mostly self-taught. He played by ear and created compositions. He was passionate about democracy and enjoyed travel, gardening, Asian art, reading and history.

Mitch’s love for his wife, Sharon, exceeded all others. He is preceded in death by his father, Richard F. Broz, who was a founding partner of Mikkelborg, Broz, Wells, & Fryer. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Christiansen Broz of Snoqualmie, his mother, Blanche Broz of Bellevue, his brother, Bill Broz of Newport Beach, California and numerous other family members, friends and clients.

A Memorial will be held at 2:30 PM Thursday, May 17, 2007, at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Avenue SE in Mercer Island, WA.

Contributions in memoriam can be made to the American Melanoma Foundation or the Human Society for Seattle/King County.

Mitch’s obituary can be found online at The Seattle Times: Mitchell A. Broz Obituary.