Local law firm welcomes new attorney

Stephen McFadden is the publisher of the Ritzville/Adams County Journal, which also published this article in its November 3, 2011 issue.

A pair of superior court judges greeted John Kragt October 31 for an official proceeding in Adams County Superior Court. Richard Miller and John Strohmaier stood together for an important matter involving a young man they both have known for years.

The courtroom was filled with attorneys, friends and family to mark a milestone in Kragt’s life. He was sworn in by the two judges, a process formally acknowledging Kragt for his completion of law school and having passed the state bar examination.

The newest member of the business community, working for the firm Carpenter, McGuire and DeWulf. P.S., was notified he had passed the state bar exam on October 17. When the letter arrived with the test results after 12 grueling weeks of waiting, Kragt was nervous enough to require a bit of assistance.

“It was fantastic,” he said of the news. “The Ritzville Post Office opened up early for me. I knew the letter would be there that day. Rusty (McGuire) drove me over. We went in and I couldn’t open the letter – my hands were shaking too bad – so he opened it for me. He had the ultimate opportunity to be ‘oh, I’m sorry,’ but he didn’t. Then I made my victory run down main street coming back here. It was pretty awesome. I was running right down the centerline on main street Ritzville. I could not be happier.”

Kragt’s family has played an integral role in the community for 25 years. His father, Dr. Warren Kragt, has operated a chiropractic business here for a quarter century. His mother Jolene worked for Judge Strohmaier when he ran a law firm. She now serves Iverson Law Office.

John and siblings Jake and Jenna all left notable marks in the record books both as students and athletes. All three went to Division I schools as scholarship athletes.

Ritzville left a deep impression on John, one that drove him to find a career path which would open a door for him to return to rural living in the Pacific Northwest, specifically to the community that helped raise him.

The 2003 Ritzville High School graduate was a prime example of the top athletes developed here. In his senior year he was the B-11 football Player of the Year and an All-State player for his efforts at running back and free safety.

The Broncos advanced to the state championship game twice during his football career, in his sophomore and senior years. They would lose both games, something John still believes could and should have come out differently.

The recognition received for his accomplishments in football, he said, could have gone to others.

“It was a pretty loaded team,” he said. “They could have given the award to anybody.”

Charismatic, energetic and driven, John says repeatedly during a recent interview that he doesn’t seek the spotlight or significant recognition for his accomplishments. Still, he has earned high honors and accolades through most of his 26 years.

While he was a cornerstone of the football program, John eventually advanced in collegiate athletics based on his high school track career. He won the state title in the 200-meter event as a senior.

After graduation he enrolled at Spokane Falls Community College where he competed for two years as a track athlete, earning the designation of All-American as a decathlete.

After Kragt earned his AA degree, the university of Alabama offered him a scholarship to join its prestigious men’s track program.

“I knew I wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest, probably Ritzville for the rest of my life. I figured I better go somewhere for a couple of years, experience something different,” John recalls.

Competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), John finished eighth in the championships in the heptathlon in 2006 – a notable accomplishment against some of the premier track athletes in the entire country.

At the same time he earned a Bachelors degree in history with a minor in political science.

He returned to the Pacific Northwest, contemplating a plan to study law at Gonzaga University.

“I have always enjoyed speaking in front of people and then you think about that (law). You can help people this way,” he said. “Most of the guys in my generation, we all grew up in this community. You feel like you got raised by the community. When you’re 18 or 19 you think I'm going to college to have a good time, and then when I got to Alabama and I was 20-21, I thought, ‘how do I get back to Ritzville or a small town in the PNW.’ I don’t have any farm ground to come back to. I wasn’t going to be a chiropractor like my dad because I didn’t think I could handle the anatomy classes and science was not my specialty, that’s Jake’s deal."

Mulling his future, already leaning toward a law degree, he saw a way to return to the hometown he loves and find a career path that would help him give back.

“It was a career choice but at the same time it was kind of a life choice.” he said. “I wanted to live a small town lawyer life.”

A few months of manual labor in Spokane helped confirm what he would do next, [but] he would soon discover that law school also wouldn’t be an easy road.

“It’s a lot of work,” John said. “You spend your whole life learning one way. Get through college and think you’re pretty smart. And then you get to law school. Everything you have learned, that’s all gone and this is how you do it now and we’re going to hide the ball from you so you’re going to have to learn that on your own. It was a rude awakening to say the least. Thankfully, I had Kellie to keep me sane.”

Kellie Kragt is another source of pride for John. The two met in Alabama where she was an athlete, playing softball. From Lake Jackson, Texas, to the University of Alabama, Kellie was accustomed to big-city living, whereas John was raised in a small town.

On a first date Kellie wanted to explore John’s future aspirations, asking him what he wanted to do with the rest of his life?

“I said I’m going to be mayor of Ritzville,” John recalls. “She asked me how big is Ritzville and I told her about 1,500. She looked at me like I was telling a joke and I was pretty serious with her.”

The pair were married July 5, 2008. She now has become part of Ritzville and works for Leffel, Otis & Warwick, P.S.

John’s first foray into working in a law office came during the summer after his first year of law school. Carpenter, McGuire & DeWulf, P.S. offered him an internship.

After graduating from law school in May of this year, the real work began in the form of preparation for the bar examination. Kragt immediately began attending the bar exam review course which continued until the end of July when he took the exam. The test spans almost three days and involves 24 questions that pertain to the rule of law. It's an intense experience.

For John, coming home to practice law provides more than a stable career. The opportunity will create ways for him to give back to the city that helped raise him – a place he wants to help survive.

“Kellie and I had this conversation the other day. The dishwasher was going out in the new house. Her immediate reaction was ‘let’s go to Home Depot in Spokane and look for one. ‘Why would we do that when we’ve got Bob’s TV right downtown that has the same product. And if it costs a little bit extra that’s fine,” John said. “If people stop buying from Scott, in 10 years he doesn’t exist. I hate to see all the economic leakage from the town.”

While standing up for shopping locally, John also believes in the way the community contributes and supports the children.

“I wanted to come home first and foremost. I have the best parents in the world. At the end of the day my parents did raise me, but this community raised me and shaped my values. For the most part if you give the people in this town a chance to be involved in your life, they are going to support you on everything.”

And big city life wasn’t appealing.

“I think Spokane is a great city,” he said, “but I can’t stand going to the grocery store and not having three conversations with people about stuff. You go in and shop and you’re just a number.”

John’s giving back to Ritzville’s investment of time and support in him has already begun. Last week he was sworn in as the newest member of the Ritzville Lions Club.