Lewis Brisbois’ Seattle Office Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Seattle, Wash. (November 2, 2022) - On November 1, 2022, Lewis Brisbois celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of its Seattle office – a location initially founded for the purpose of better serving the firm's growing client base in the Pacific Northwest. Established by a team of six attorneys – Drew Cass, Heather Jensen, Greg Worden, Michael Jaeger, Kathleen Nelson, and former Lewis Brisbois Partner Colleen Barrett – the office now includes 32 lawyers and 28 professional staff who serve clients in the Evergreen State across a broad range of industries and areas of law.

In discussing the milestone, Seattle Managing Partner Heather Jensen said, “This is an exciting occasion. Opening this location on behalf of the firm was a dynamic opportunity that we never could have dreamed of, so we jumped at the chance. And here we are 10 years later, an established team in the region's legal industry.”

Partner Drew Cass, who now serves as the firm’s assistant general counsel, established the office along with Jensen, Worden, Barrett, Jaeger, and Nelson, and was Seattle’s managing partner from inception to 2016. In discussing the early days of the Seattle office, Mr. Cass recalled arriving in the Emerald City in 2012 and “hitting the ground running” by placing cold calls to various attorneys in the area to invite them to join the firm. Mr. Cass described this period as “really exciting,” and the effort ultimately led him to connect with Mr. Jaeger, a well-known local litigator, who had been difficult to reach due to his demanding trial practice. Mr. Cass explained that when the two met for the first time at a local bar, Mr. Jaeger “walked through the door, literally, with a defense verdict in his hand,” a scene emblematic of Mr. Jaeger’s trial prowess and the continued expansion of Lewis Brisbois’ trial bench.

Mr. Cass further described how he and the lawyers soon “went into ‘start-up’ mode, growing the office quickly,” and that the original team of attorneys in Seattle “turned out to be a magnificent fit from the start.” In the early days, they practiced together on a single floor of Seattle’s “Darth Vader building,” often riding elevators with dogs – due to the dog-walking service occupying space on the floor below – and once watching the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory parade from the office window in 2014.

Similarly, Ms. Jensen noted how the comradery that existed in the Seattle office at the outset continues to this day. She explained, “We have been able to maintain that same family dynamic as we’ve grown. The firm has allowed us to do this and has never imposed a corporate dynamic. This office has always had a small firm feel within a larger firm structure, and that is part of what has made it successful.”

Now located on Third Avenue with beautiful views of the Puget Sound, the office’s driving force, according to Ms. Jensen, has always been the individuals who comprise it. “Our greatest asset is our people,” she said, adding, “That is also what others say about our office: people, people, people.”

As for the future of the Seattle office, which also ultimately served as the foothold that allowed Lewis Brisbois to expand into Portland, Oregon in 2015, both Ms. Jensen and Mr. Cass would like to see the office continue to grow.

Learn more about Lewis Brisbois’ Seattle office here.