Speaker 1, Commenter, said, “I believe Dennis is deserving of a Lifetime Service Award because that's what he did with his entire professional life.”

Speakers at a Bar Association gathering in Spokane paid tribute to Dennis, highlighting his decades of pro bono work, mentoring of law students, and involvement in founding local legal clinics and programs that serve low-income residents.

The speakers said Dennis made pro bono work a central part of his private practice. “If Dennis could have done everything for free, he would have. A private practice was more than 50% pro bono,” Speaker 2, Commenter, said. Colleagues also credited him with mentoring “dozens and dozens” of law students and providing supervising lawyers for clinic volunteers.

Several speakers described Dennis as persistent and principled in pushing for changes within the legal system. Speaker 2 noted the adoption of GR 40, saying it was “a general rule that would permit superior court judges to actually relax the rules of evidence,” and that the change helped make family-court processes less costly and more accessible.

Speakers linked Dennis's approach to a long-standing commitment to civil-rights advocacy. One speaker said he was mentored by Carl Maxey and “used to call Carl his second dad.” Remarks recounted Dennis’s role on a pro tem commission for 10 years and described several of his initiatives as initially controversial but later adopted in practice.

Speakers also recounted organizational work. Speaker 4 said the Carl Maxey Center was founded in 2018 and that “DC was a part of that group,” serving as legal counsel to help establish the first board. Remarks said the Sandy Williams Justice Center was established in 2023 as a program within the Carl Maxey Center to continue civil legal aid work, with Dennis supervising students who staffed the clinics.

Panelists portrayed Dennis as driven by faith and a commitment to justice. “Dennis believed that his faith required of him to seek justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God,” Speaker 2 said. Multiple commentators said his work focused on people “who lacked voice and power in the community.”

Speakers closed with personal reflections on Dennis’s character. “He was fun, amusing, loving, and if anything, he was a real loyal friend,” Speaker 3, Commenter, said. “You could call him at his lunchtime or break time; he would give you what information he could,” Speaker 5, Commenter, said, concluding, “He's gonna be missed a lot.”