Top Business Lawyers in Seattle | 384 available

My family is in its third generation of commercial development.  I put myself through school working construction and learned first hand the importance of correct legal documents for business and real estate development.

My broad practice emphasizes representation of businesses, particularly those in the maritime and fisheries industries.

Mr. Townsend is an experienced litigator representing individuals and companies in a wide variety of disputes.  He is veteran to state and federal court, as well as commercial arbitration.  Mr. Townsend began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable William L. Dwyer in U.S. District Court.  He subsequently served as clerk to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Robert R. Beezer.  Mr. Townsend co-founded Breskin Johnson & Townsend PLLC in 2007.

Mr. Schlemlein obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction in 1979. Prior to obtaining his law degree, Mr. Schlemlein worked in the construction industry and owned his own construction firm. Mr. Schlemlein's practice has focused on construction law, and includes the representation of prime contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, fabricators, suppliers, and owners, sureties and lending institutions. Mr. Schlemlein also represents parties in real estate transactions, as well as general commercial litigation. Mr. Schlemlein's 24-plus years in the construction industry allow him to quickly analyze and effectively resolve disputes as well as assist in preventative planning to avoid such disputes.

Mr. Reed is admitted to the Washington State, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Claims. He has served clients since 1972 in the areas of Real Estate, Business Law, Civil Litigation, Estate Planning, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death.  He has acted as lead counsel in over 100 trials and arbitrations.

Mr. Lovik represents businesses and individuals in issues ranging from entity choice to complex license agreements.. Mr. Lovik is a member of the following associations: Washington State Bar Association, King County Bar Association, an Eagle Member of the Washington State Association for Justice, and the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Howard is a partner in Dorsey's Trial Group. He has extensive experience in complex commercial, securities, and white collar litigation, and has appeared in courts throughout the country. Mr. Howard also has substantial experience in tort litigation involving state and federal governmental entities, which he obtained while working as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Hemmat is the Principal Attorney and founder of The Hemmat Law Group, a preimeir family law, domestic violence, and civil litigation firm in Seattle, Washington.. With over 36 years of legal experience, Steven Hemmat has earned the respect of his adversaries by approaching litigation and negotiations with high ethical standards and with professional integrity.. Whether clients are involved in a hotly contested divorce or emotionally wrenching custody battle, seeking redress for a severe personal injury, or wrangling over a contract, Steven Hemmat’s determination to be reasonable has achieved the best results for client after client.Clients trust Mr. Hemmat’s compassionate and conscientious approach to resolving even the most emotional issues.. Visit his website: hemmatlaw .com.

Mr. Dykes concentrates in securities and corporate finance, M&A and general corporate law. His experience ranges from advising start-up companies about formation and venture financings to representing public companies with SEC compliance, corporate governance and other related issues. Mr. Dykes has worked on numerous initial and secondary public offerings and hundreds of venture financings. His clients include entrepreneurs, early stage and public companies and venture capital investors.

Mr. Dunham acts as the trusted advisor for many of his continuing clients in that his clients contact him first, regardless of the legal problem. Over the many years, Mr. Dunham has successfully practiced in broad areas of law required by interdisciplinary skills. He has tried first degree murder cases as a Deputy and Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. He has argued cases in the State Supreme Court, and in all three divisions of the Court of Appeals. He has handled complex trust and real estate litigation, class actions, construction and business litigation as well as personal injury, probate and marital dissolution. He has studied in advanced courses in insurance law, civil procedure, economic regulations, and anti-trust at Harvard Law School, obtaining a Master in Law (LL.M.). Mr. Dunham’s clients trust him to handle their matters or trust him to refer to the appropriate respected legal specialist.. • Professional History: After four and a half years of trial experience, handling both criminal and civil matters, Mr. Dunham left the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office as a Senior Trial Deputy Attorney in 1973. He joined a mid-size firm practicing in downtown Seattle, where he did commercial litigation and insurance defense. In 1978, he was a co-founder of his present firm.. • Practice Areas: Since 1978, he has had substantial experience in personal injury and insurance defense, commercial and business litigation, real estate problems, family law and domestic relations, criminal matters, wills and trusts, contractor problems, and probate matters. He has represented businesses and professionals in Court and before the Department of Licensing, State Bar, and other licensing agencies. He has handled all of State Farm Fire & Casualty Company’s license and registration bond cases in the State of Washington for over 30 years. He has handled business and personal clients' real estate problems including lease negotiations, and has re-drafted real estate covenants and mutual easements for two large Seattle communities (Blue Ridge and Olympic Manor). He has represented business clients facing complex litigation and insurance coverage issues.. • Professional Organizations: He is a past chair of the Litigation Section of the Washington State Bar Association and served on the Washington State Bar Association's Court Rules Committee. He has drafted certain amendments to the Civil and Appellate Rules, which have been approved by the Supreme Court of Washington. He has been a Hearing Officer with the Washington State Bar Disciplinary Board. He is an Member of Washington Association for Justice and has been a member of the national Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. He was one of the original members of the Board of Advisors one of the first significant mediation programs in King County starting in 1999. He has been selected by attorneys on both sides of an issue as an arbitrator for the King County Superior Court, Mandatory Arbitration Program in over 100 cases. He has also served as a Judge Pro Tem. In 1999, he was appointed to the King County Settlement Guardian ad Litem Registry charged with the investigation, developing recommendations, and reporting to the Superior Court in cases involving the proposed settlements of injured minors. He has been assigned to over 40 cases.. • Family and Community: Mr. Dunham and his wife have raised three children in the Ballard area of Seattle, Washington. Consistent with the firm’s belief in commitment to the community, he has been very active in the children’s school where he has served on the Building Leadership Team for Ballard High School for over 8 years as well as on the Principal selection committee. He has also coached all three of his children in basketball and baseball and his daughter in softball through Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Ballard Boys and Girls Clubs. He was a proactive member of the NW Seattle Little League Board for over 10 years.. While serving as the legal advisor to his neighborhood community association board, he personally notarized over 500 signatures to remove unenforceable but morally objectionable racial restrictions from the community’s covenants. He helped organize the community to substantially remodel its swimming pool and related facilities through volunteer contributions.. Since 2001, Mr. Dunham has served on the Citizens & Oversight campaign. He also served on the City of Seattle Pro Parks Levy Oversight Committee (charged with oversight responsibilities regarding the recent $200, 000,000 Seattle Parks and Open Space Levy), then continued to serve on the following $145,000,000 Parks and Green Space Levy. He served as chair of both committees from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he joined and continues to serve on the ARC (Association of Recreational Councils) Board of Directors, which is a non-profit that works in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation to provide programing at the community centers and throughout the parks system. Among other things, ARC provides before and after school car at the various community centers, runs summer day camps, provides programing for elders and special needs groups.. • Education: Mr. Dunham received his B.A. in Economics, at Willamette University in 1965, his J.D. from Willamette University Law School in 1969, where he graduated cum laude and was an Associate Editor of the Law Review. He also received a L.L.M. from Harvard in 1975, where he took courses in advanced civil and criminal procedure, insurance law, federal courts, and anti-trust.

Mr. Caldwell is an associate in Dorsey's Real Estate group. His practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate, ranging from acquisitions and sales to financing and leasing. He also has experience working with developers and municipalities on an array of land use related matters.. In addition, Mr. Caldwell works with Dorsey's Political Action Committee and is a member of the Diversity, Hiring and Recruiting committees.

Mr. Bonini is a business, securities and tax attorney with a practice focused on organizing business ventures and complex partnership transactions. George also advises companies regarding mergers and acquisitions, tax matters, private equity transactions, and provides general business counsel.    George has experience assisting hedge funds and other private investment funds structure transactions, and complying with applicable federal securities laws.. In addition, he is able to assist clients with loan, secured finance, and real estate transactions.  Finally, George has expertise assisting in resolving tax disputes with the Washington Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service.George earned a B.A. from the University of Montana, a J.D. cum laude from Seattle University School of Law, and a Masters (LL.M.) in Taxation from the University of Washington. George is a member of the Washington State Bar Association.. In the 2002-2004 Washington Law & Politics surveys, Mr. Bonini was listed as a “Rising Star” in the areas of corporate finance and taxation.

Mike practices in the areas of securities law, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, officer and director liability, internal investi­gations, high net worth individual representation and general corporate and commercial law.. Mike has represented issuers in scores of private and public offerings of both equity and debt, including angel, seed, venture and institutional investments. He has extensive experience in business combinations and financings of all types and sizes, from less than $1 million to over $1 billion. He has counseled companies in ongoing ‘34 Act reporting, 144A financings and regulatory compliance in a variety of areas, and has had extensive dealings with under­writers, investment bankers, broker-dealers, venture capital funds, private equity firms and other institu­tional investors and service providers. In addition, he has served as general corporate counsel to a wide range of companies, and has advised boards of directors, special committees, directors and officers on particular legal challenges.. He has advised individual officers and directors in mediation, litigation and negotiation in connection with class action securities suits and derivative claims, and given general advice about liability avoidance. He has further advised many executives on executive employment agreements and options and benefits packages, as well as their rights upon termination or departure.. Mike has worked on financings and transactions in a wide variety of industries, including: information technology, Internet and software, biotech, medical device, alternative and nuclear energy and other technologies; aerospace and avionics; manufacturing; distribution; retail; trans­portation; service providers; seafood and fishing; gaming (including casino finance); media and enter­tainment (including online games and other media products); food and restaurants; construction; pulp and paper; franchising; financial institutions; financial service providers and broker/dealers; leasing; travel; and other industries. Mike has worked on many matters involving foreign components, and deals with lawyers from Canada, Mexico, Australia, and various countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East. He speaks or has studied Spanish, Italian, French, German, Persian and Hebrew.

Mick Fleming is Co-Chair of Lane Powell's Real Estate Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the Corporate Finance and Securities department.  He focuses his practice on complex dispute resolution and also handles a number of business mergers and acquisitions.  Mick has also worked on a number of complex real estate finance transactions.

Michelle Gail’s transactional practice focuses on real estate and corporate law. Her experience includes documenting, negotiating, and closing real estate, hotel, and business transactions across the United States. Ms. Gail has extensive experience with purchase and sale agreements, loan documentation, ground and commercial leases, development and management agreements, construction contracts, and architect agreements. ActivitiesIn her spare time, Ms. Gail enjoys having adventures, including riding her bike from Seattle to San Francisco, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, trekking in Patagonia, and riding her motorcycle around the scenic Pacific Northwest.

Michael D. Daudt handles litigation covering most real estate, construction, business, partnerships, insurance, and homeowner association issues. He has been involved in numerous construction defect claims involving single-family homes, condominiums and commercial buildings. He has also litigated a variety of homeowner association disputes, LLC, corporation and partnership disputes, alcoholic beverage distribution and regulation, insurance coverage and insurance bad faith, condemnation, land use, environmental, easements and other access issues, landlord-tenant disputes, and other real property matters. He also handles many transactions including business mergers and formation, leases, easements, real estate sales, and other real estate transactions. Mr. Daudt is a member of the bar in Washington and California. He was named a "Rising Star" by Washington Law & Politics magazine from 2003 through 2005 and is rated "AV" in Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Daudt is also a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars in several areas including easements, construction defects, insurance and homeowner associations.

Maureen focuses her practice on Art Law and Intellectual Property.. Maureen received an undergraduate degree in English Literature with a minor in Studio Art and Art History from the University of Texas at Austin.  While earning her degree, Maureen worked for the university’s newspaper as a daily cartoonist and was honored for the best collegiate cartoon strip in the United States.  She also pursued her artistic and musical interests in college by starting an all-girl rock band. She continues to engage in artistic pursuits through acrylic and oil painting and participating in the local art community.. Maureen received her law degree from Texas A & M University School of Law.  During law school, Maureen spent her semester breaks studying Intellectual Property Law, International Law, and Human Rights Law in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Madrid, Spain, Geneva, Switzerland, and Chamonix, France. Maureen earned the prestigious Intellectual Property Certification along with her law degree.. Maureen’s office is located in the historic Smith Tower in the heart of downtown Seattle, one block from the King County Superior Court. Maureen is licensed to practice law in Washington and Florida. Maureen is also a licensed private investigator in the state of Washington.. In her free time, Maureen enjoys hiking with her family and two Australian shepherds, trail running and Crossfit training, snowboarding, painting, playing guitar and learning French. Recently, Maureen summited Mount Whitney (elevation 14,505 feet) and ran and finished the Golden Gate trail marathon and the Long Beach Marathon.

Mary Anne Vance focuses her practice on estate planning, trusts and probate. She is the co-author of the Probate and Estate Planning Chapters of the "Washington Civil Practice Deskbook". She chairs and speaks at legal seminars sponsored by the Washington State and King County Bar Associations. She was voted "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law and Politics Magazine and voted one of Seattle's Top Attorneys by Seattle Magazine.

Mark A Clausen has retired after 38 years of practicing law. Please contact Tyler Thomas at Clausen Law Firm with any questions or representation on any issues or matters

Marisa is a member of Graham & Dunn’s Condemnation Team.  As part of her real property valuation practice she advises and represents governmental agencies, property owners and lenders involved in condemnation and relocation actions.  Her representation of governmental agencies has included Sound Transit, the Port of Seattle, the City of Everett, the City of Federal Way, the City of Lacey, the City of Olympia, the City of Tumwater, and the Bethel School District.  She also has been involved in attaining favorable verdicts or settlements for property owners, including the condemnation of a major water dependent property, the condemnation of a small shipyard on Bainbridge Island, and the relocation of a former Harbor Island business.. Marisa is also a member of Graham & Dunn’s Real Estate and Litigation Teams.  Her real property litigation practice includes representation of individuals and businesses regarding boundary disputes and landlord-tenant issues, contract and construction disputes, restrictive covenants, land use, and zoning issues.  She also counsels and represents financial institutions and financial services companies in connection with commercial collection actions and lenders’ rights litigation.

Marc’s practice covers the broad range of corporate law and commercial transactions, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, complex negotiations and strategic planning. Marc is a member of the Emerging Companies Team.. Marc has extensive experience as a corporate lawyer and has served as a member of management for a number of companies, including PACCAR Inc, Virginia Mason Medical Center (where he was General Counsel and a member of senior management), Virginia Mason Health Plan (where he was President of a 40,000 life HMO) and Medtronic Physio-Control Corporation (where he was initially Sr. V.P. - Law, Human Resources, and Business Development, and was ultimately Executive Vice President -Operations).

Marc Winters’ practice encompasses a wide range of real estate and business transactions, predominantly involving the financing, acquisition, development, management, restructuring, and disposition of commercial real estate projects and branded assets. He also counsels pension fund advisory firms and tax-exempt investors on a variety of issues relating to the structuring of business transactions and all aspects of real estate investments.Mr. Winters has negotiated, documented, and closed eight- and nine-figure deals for many types of clients, including joint venture groups, pension funds, public development authorities, school districts, state agencies, banks, lenders, developers, and other businesses. In the course of his transactional and investment structuring practice, Mr. Winters has gained extensive experience in real estate investment trust, limited liability company, limited partnership, and other entity formation. He also has significant experience with construction and permanent loans, leasing, development and management agreements, and secured land transactions (including covered and uncovered construction loans, securitized loans, interim loans, permanent loans, wraparound financing, and subordinated and unsubordinated leasehold financing).Mr. Winters has been designated as a LEED Accredited Professional by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. As a LEED Accredited Professional, Mr. Winters is able to advise owners, developers, lenders, contractors, and architects on a variety of legal issues pertaining to green building and assist them in evaluating and navigating the LEED certification process.Representative Transaction

Liv Wernecke is a shareholder with more than 30 years experience at Betts Patterson Mines, he heads the Estate Planning and Probate practice area and also is a member of the firm’s Business Transactions Practice Group.. Mr. Wernecke’s practice covers estate planning, succession planning for closely held business, real estate and investment entities, compensation and retirement arrangements, probate, trust creation and administration, individual, estate and entity taxation, guardianships, and certain aspects of international trade.. He was co-counsel of a successful Washington Supreme Court case upholding the application of the equal protection clause to state taxes and has lectured at Golden Gate University in taxation of S Corporations, partnerships and estates.

Lish Whitson has been a trial lawyer for more than 43 years. He has tried more than 50 jury trials and successfully argued many others cases to a judge without a jury. He has also settled hundreds of cases out of court on behalf of his clients, thereby avoiding the uncertainty of a trial. Lish has been recognized for his ability as a trial attorney with his nomination and election to membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Litigation Counsel of America and in the American Board of Trial Advocates.. Lish’s practice has emphasized litigation in motor vehicle accident cases and other personal injury, commercial, medical malpractice, health care, construction, employment, product liability, and consumer class action cases. He has also litigated matters involving intellectual property, administrative, antitrust, criminal, defamation, environmental, insurance and real property law. In addition, Lish is a very successful independent Mediator and Arbitrator with more than 30 years of experience. He also serves as an arbitrator and mediator with the American Arbitration Association.. Before attending graduate school and then law school, Lish served in the United States Peace Corps in Afghanistan as an English and pottery teacher. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Law, Lish practiced for three years with The Public Defender Association. Lish has practiced with the firms of Helsell Fetterman, LLP, Stokes Lawrence PS and Badgley Mullins Law Group. He presently has his own firm, Lish Whitson PLLC.

Licensed in Washington, Texas, and D.C., Erin has nearly two decades of experience working in the corporate sector, including at some of the most prestigious firms in the country. Her background includes public and private securities offerings, corporate governance, and mergers & acquisitions.. The primary focus of Erin's practice is corporate and business law, including small business and startup formations, financings, mergers & acquisitions, securities offerings, equity compensation plans, employee and independent contractor arrangements, outside general counsel servcies, and technology transactions. Erin's clients include entrepreneurs, investors, and developers in a wide variety of industries.. Erin also advises nonprofit organizations with respect to idea development and business plans, formations of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities, application for tax-exempt status, fiscal sponsorships, charity registrations, and nonprofit compliance.. As a complement to her business law practice, Erin provides estate planning legal services and business succession planning.