Bruce Hanify was born and raised on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. His mother, Mary Lou Hanify, was a writer. His father, Charles B. “Bud” Hanify, worked for the Olympic National Park for 33 years and was the district ranger at the Hoh Rain Forest from 1971 to 1978.
Hanify was a deputy prosecuting attorney for 15 years and a criminal defense attorney for 15 years. He has tried more than 200 criminal jury cases during 30 years as a trial attorney. He has frequently been called upon to train both law enforcement officers and deputy prosecuting attorneys in trial practice. Many private lawyers have consulted Hanify for his expertise in trial technique and brief preparation.
In 1992, Hanify created the felony appeals unit for the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He quickly developed a reputation in the Washington legal community for his commanding writing style and effective arguments. In 1993 he was recognized by Division III of the Washington State Court of Appeals for arguing 18 felony appeals in four days.
Hanify was awarded a gold record by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1993 for his participation in a recording fraud case, State v. Awawdeh. From 2002-2004, Hanify created and implemented DUI trial training protocols for the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. He wrote the DUI trial training manual that was used by deputy prosecutors for Washington State.
Hanify has acted as a judge pro tem and arbitrator in numerous cases. He was a deputy prosecutor in Yakima County for 12 years (1988 to 2000) and practiced criminal defense in Cowlitz County from 2007 to 2015.
He may be contacted at [email protected].