Seattle legal exec recalls fundraising for an up-and-coming Barack Obama

Michael Parham is no stranger to political big shots.

The former general counsel at Seattle-based RealNetworks, along with his wife and Microsoft President Brad Smith, co-hosted Vice President Kamala Harris when she visited Seattle last month.

Nearly 20 years ago Parham hosted another Democratic political star.

Parham met Barack Obama in 1995, when the now-former president was working at a Chicago civil rights law firm. Parham said the two weren't close at the time, but their relationship changed in 2004 after Parham moved from Chicago to Seattle and Obama was running for the U.S. Senate.

Obama had just delivered his high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention in July, and Parham in September gathered enough momentum at RealNetworks to throw a fundraiser for Obama's Senate race at the downtown penthouse of RealNetworks founder and CEO Rob Glaser.

"Rob Glaser had hosted political fundraisers for a variety of Democratic candidates," Parham said. "There were like five lawyers from Chicago at the company at the time, so I just felt there was a critical mass where we could pull something together."

Though Parham was working at RealNetworks, he didn't yet know Glaser well. Bob Kimball, the company's general counsel at the time, along with several senior lawyers there, had worked at the same firm as Michelle Obama. Kimball and Parham convinced Glaser to host the event.

There were roughly 60 attendees, according to Parham, including former Starbucks General Counsel Paula Boggs, Perkins Coie Seattle office Managing Partner James Williams, Costco co-founder and former CEO Jim Sinegal, and Amazon Entertainment General Counsel Kelly Jo MacArthur. Parham said MacArthur was a classmate and friend of Michelle Obama.

See related story: Former RealNetworks GC eyes next move

For Parham, the fundraiser led to an enduring friendship with the Obamas. Parham was on the Obama for America National Finance Committee for both of the presidential campaigns, and he's been involved with the Obama Foundation nonprofit.

The Obamas did not respond to messages seeking comment about their relationship with Parham.

Parham officially stepped away from his role as general counsel at RealNetworks at the end of June after more than 20 years with the company. He's still helping to consult with the company for a few months to transition some projects, and he's serving on the board of RealNetworks' charitable arm, the RealNetworks Foundation. He is also a leader of the Black Boardroom Initiative, an effort to diversify corporate boards.

Parham's ties to Barack Obama go beyond politics or professional development. According to Parham, Obama helped Parham muster the resolve to propose to his wife.

"He felt it was time. He was very encouraging," Parham said. "We literally got engaged on election night 2012 in Chicago. The Obamas were among the first to greet us and congratulate us."