avin Kentch, a local attorney, a lifelong Alaskan, and a Boardroom member since 2013, is many things. He would describe himself as a father, a skier, and a lawyer, in that order. But for a certain segment of the internet, the most visible thing Gavin does is to go skiing in marginal conditions, and then brag about it.
“There’s an online forum for local trail conditions,” Gavin explains. “Trail users can leave reports about where they skied, when, what conditions they encountered, and so on. It’s just a straightforward way to crowdsource knowledge on local trail conditions.
“I do a lot of things,” Gavin continues. “I run a law practice, I volunteer in the community, I have a wonderful family, and so on. But apparently the single most visible thing I do is to take my rock skis to Hatcher Pass in September, or to Kincaid on sheet ice in November, and leave a trail report about the experience. I don’t know how many people I meet who know me exclusively from the trail reports forum, but it’s a lot. There are moments when I wish people knew me for my great family, or my nuanced understanding of the rules of criminal procedure, but I guess there are worse things to be known for.”
It is this sense of balance, in which one of the city’s preeminent appellate attorneys has an online reputation primarily as a stalwart skier, that permeates Gavin’s approach to life, family, and career. He will be quick to say that a true work–life balance is difficult to achieve for anyone, especially a young parent, but he also likes to think that he has as good a chance as anyone at achieving this chimera.
On the work front, Gavin specializes in post-conviction criminal litigation, that is, anything that happens after a criminal trial. He says that the pace of work is more family-friendly than the trial work that most people think of when they envision a criminal attorney (think Law & Order), and is intellectually engaging in different and rewarding ways. “There are some amazing trial attorneys in this community,” Gavin explains, “and I have a ton of respect for them. But in terms of who I am and the way I think, I’m really happier sitting in my office and writing the appellate brief to explain what the judge got wrong at trial, or why the prosecutor’s argument was inappropriate.” Clients are happy also; Gavin has quickly carved out a niche as one of only a handful of private attorneys in the state doing this work. (Gavin also practices general civil litigation, anything from contract disputes to complex litigation.)
Gavin doesn’t spend as much time skiing as he does working – which he can quantify, because he tracks his
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