Our guest speaker last week was Judge Edirin Okoloko, who was appointed by the Governor to fill a vacant seat on our Snohomish County Superior Court bench in 2018, was here to discuss his interest in the law. Judge Okoloko was born in Benin City, Nigeria, the fourth of six children. Five boys and one girl. His mother raised him and his siblings about love and empathy while his father was a professor of molecular biology. His father encouraged him to travel for work and seek new adventures and opportunities. Judge Okoloko has been a resident of Snohomish County for the past 20 years and is married with two children. He worked in the Snohomish County Prosecutors Office for 13 years.
Judge Okoloko followed his dad's scientific career because of his passion and his work ethic which led to an early interest in studying medicine. However, military intervention in the democratic structure of government in Nigeria along with the human rights abuses prompted Edirin to pursue a law degree. He obtained a law degree from the University of Benin in Nigeria and received his law degree from Seattle University when he came to the United States.
Edirin spent 13 years in the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney's Office where he was Deputy Attorney working on homicide, sexual assault, child and elder abuse cases as well as working in the Office of Violent Crimes, property crimes, the District Court units and represented the office on the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team which investigates incidents of suspected excessive force by police officers. Edirin has successfully prosecuted four murder trials including the Molly Connelly case and has been recognized by his office for completing a high volume of jury trials. Any case that you have to prosecute has to involve a body of evidence in order to have a chance at being successful before the jury and in the court room.
Married to a fifth generation Washingtonian, both he and his wife, a clinical social worker are committed to being of service to their community. He coaches youth soccer (in Nigeria, it is called football) and every once in a while you may find him in the high school classroom teaching students through the Street Law program. His wife has worked and volunteered with organizations on homeless problems, substance use disorders, mental illness and racial inequities.