by Ruth Apahidean Harper
Getting outside more often (even if this means sitting in a park during lunchtime) can have numerous benefits for well-being. Stepping into nature offers a break from the office and a chance to recharge. It boosts energy levels and creates a sense of wonder at natural beauty. Join me this season in prioritizing time spent outdoors in order to recharge and de-stress.
Partner, Principal, and Shareholder Pronouncements
Sarah D. Macklin is now partner at Fox Rothschild’s Seattle office. Macklin helps clients resolve insurance and commercial disputes and advises clients on potential liability exposures. Macklin represents insurance carriers and their policyholders in a broad range of litigation involving bad faith claims, personal injury, wrongful death, property disputes, general liability, professional liability, and class action lawsuits. In addition, Macklin has represented businesses and their directors and officers in employment law claims involving harassment, retaliation, and discrimination in arbitration. She has appeared before government agencies, federal and state trial and appellate courts, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, the state Human Rights Commission, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Equal Opportunity Commission. She also handles class action, product liability, professional liability, construction disputes, and complex commercial litigation matters. Macklin earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and her B.A. from Colgate University.
Michael Handler and Peter Nierman have been elevated to Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S. as shareholders. Both are Seattle-based civil defense litigators. Michael D. Handler is an insurance coverage litigator with thirty years of defense experience. Handler applies his expertise to effectively problem-solve vexing coverage issues in Washington and Oregon. He is also a nationally recognized thought leader on emerging trends.
Peter C. Nierman has tried and arbitrated cases all over the State of Washington. His work focuses on general liability, personal injury, construction defects, and defense of automobile manufacturers in Lemon Law and breach of warranty matters.
Michael A. Griffin has been elevated to office managing principal (OMP) at Jackson Lewis P.C.’s Seattle office. Griffin succeeds Bryan P. O’Connor. In addition to Griffin’s new role as OMP, he will continue to serve as the office’s litigation manager. Griffin acts as lead counsel on all aspects of employment litigation, including defending discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblower claims. In addition to his litigation responsibilities, Griffin provides advice and counsel to employers on a wide range of workplace law issues, including employee leave, disability accommodation, pregnancy accommodation, and preventing harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. He speaks regularly on these and other topics. Before relocating to Seattle from New York, he also litigated matters in the state and federal courts of New York. Griffin earned his J.D. from the New York Law School and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Partners Timothy G. Leyh, Tyler Farmer, Randall Thomsen, Shane P. Cramer, and Ariel A. Martinez from Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen have joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Timothy G. Leyh represents individuals, businesses, and state and local governments in complex civil litigation matters. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, individually ranked by Chambers and Partners, and named a Top 10 and Top 100 lawyer by Super Lawyers. Leyh’s practice spans a wide range of areas, including mass tort claims, class actions, claims involving public utilities, public agencies, inverse condemnation, environmental, and public nuisance, trademark and copyright matters, business torts, and white-collar criminal defense. Leyh has argued multiple times before the Washington State Supreme Court, as well as state and federal appellate courts across the U.S. Leyh obtained his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law.
Tyler Farmer’s practice centers around civil litigation, corporate disputes & internal investigations, and tech & IP litigation. Farmer’s work has been noted by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation, and Super Lawyers. He advises technology companies, real estate investors, and entrepreneurs, often defending against individual lawsuits and putative class action claims and serving as lead counsel in state and federal courts nationwide. Farmer has represented clients in Federal Trade Commission matters and investigations by several state attorneys general. In addition to his litigation work, he has also presented internal investigation findings before regulatory bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FTC.
Randall Thomsen has practiced for nearly 30 years, handling complex cases in state and federal courts. He has been selected annually as a Super Lawyer by Washington Law & Politics Magazine since 2012. He has litigated cases on a wide variety of topics, for both plaintiffs and defendants, including business and shareholder disputes, class actions, lawsuits against governmental entities, breach of contract cases, claims involving real property, wrongful death, and mass casualty. He previously served on the Washington State Bar Association’s Judicial Review Committee and was a member of the Lewis Powell Chapter of the Inns of the Court.
Shane P. Cramer’s practice focuses on defending municipalities and companies against class actions and in other complex matters. He also regularly defends companies against claims brought by employees, and in enforcing and defending trade secret and non-compete claims. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and is regularly recognized as a Washington “Super Lawyer.” Cramer regularly practices in both state and federal court and has argued multiple cases before the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit.
Ariel A. Martinez’s practice focuses on civil litigation, from temporary restraining orders through jury trials and appeals. She has litigated a wide variety of substantial business disputes as both plaintiffs’ and defense counsel, including breach of contract, real property, product liability, consumer protection, and employment claims. In her work for the state of Washington and other municipalities, Martinez provides valuable outside counsel on environmental and toxic tort claims, constitutional litigation, and class action matters. She has practiced before the federal district courts in the Western District of Washington, King County Superior Court, and the Washington appellate courts, including the Washington Supreme Court.
Associate Additions
Noe Merfeld has joined Pacifica Law Group’s Litigation practice group as an associate. A former prosecutor, Merfeld will focus her practice on supporting Pacifica’s Litigation and School Districts clients. Prior to joining Pacifica, Merfeld served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where she handled misdemeanor and felony cases at all stages, taking several cases to trial and jury verdict. She also distinguished herself as a leader in exploring community-based alternatives to incarceration. Merfeld helped develop and then led the King County Community Diversion Program, the County’s first adult felony diversion program, which connects non-violent, first-time felons with community-based services in lieu of criminal charges, and expedites the recovery of losses for crime victims. Merfeld earned her B.A. from the University of Washington and her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law. During law school, Merfeld served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Richard A. Jones of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and worked as a policy intern for the Washington Defender Association. She was the recipient of Seattle University School of Law’s Calhoun Fellowship, which focuses on equal justice issues including juvenile justice, racial disparities in sentencing, and diversion. Merfeld currently serves as President of the Loren Miller Bar Association and is a 2024 Fellow of the Washington Leadership Institute.
Other Attorney Additions
Teresa Tallarita and Patrick Carter have joined Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson’s Estate Planning Practice Group. Teresa Tallarita’s practice focuses on comprehensive estate planning as well as estate/probate administration. She is also experienced in commercial/residential real estate and business transactions. In addition, Tallarita works closely with the firm’s Family Law Practice Group and its clients to ensure their assets are distributed as intended and to protect parties involved through pre- and postnuptial planning. A native of Chicago, Teresa has practiced law in Seattle for approximately twenty years. Tallarita earned her B.S. from Cedarville University and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Patrick Carter provides clients with real-world solutions to complex problems tailored to their individual needs and goals. His primary practice areas are estate planning (including advanced gift and tax planning matters), trusts, estates/probate, guardianship, and tax law. Carter also works extensively with private family companies and their owners including related business and tax issues. Carter earned his J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law and his LLM in taxation from the University of Washington.
Ai-Li Chiong-Martinson has joined Pacifica Law Group as an associate in the firm’s Litigation practice group. Chiong-Martinson’s practice focuses on representing public, private, and nonprofit clients at all stages of litigation. She also supports Pacifica’s School Districts practice group. Chiong-Martinson has advised and represented individuals and companies in a variety of matters, including securities and employment litigation, and breach of contract, business, and insurance coverage disputes. She has litigated in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining Pacifica, Chiong-Martinson practiced at another Seattle-area law firm, where she focused primarily on complex commercial litigation. Before she entered private practice, Chiong-Martinson clerked for the Honorable Debra L. Stephens of the Washington State Supreme Court and the Honorable Thomas O. Rice of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Chiong-Martinson earned her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law, where she also served as editor-in-chief of the Seattle Journal of Environmental Law. Prior to pursuing her law degree, Chiong-Martinson earned her M.S. in international relations from The London School of Economics and Political Science and earned her B.A., also in international relations, from the University of St. Andrews.
Of Counsel
Bill Beaver is now Of Counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Beaver’s practice includes advising companies on employment and business affairs to navigating multistate commercial disputes and major environmental cleanup efforts. Beaver guides clients through cases involving environmental contamination, having led the federal court litigation against ASARCO for cleanup stemming from its Tacoma smelter. He has worked with Olympic Pipe Line Co. to oversee all criminal, civil, and administrative matters and was retained by OceanGate, Inc. to assist with issues stemming from the loss of the Titan submersible in June 2023. Beaver represents clients before various federal and state administrative agencies, including the NTSB, FTC, SEC, FERC, DOT, and the Washington UTC.
Michelle Buhler is now Of Counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Buhler’s practice focuses on maritime and insurance law. She has a broad range of experience in both areas, successfully handling matters involving complex contract disputes (e.g., charter parties, vessel construction, and repair contracts), insurance coverage, significant cargo losses, seaman and longshoreman personal injuries, vessel collisions, marine professionals E&O liability, and maritime employer wage and hour liability disputes.
Charles S. Jordan is now Of Counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Jordan is a maritime and aviation trial lawyer with a broad spectrum of experience within these fields. His practice includes personal injury, cargo and hull damage, and insurance coverage issues. Jordan regularly advises vessel and aircraft owners, underwriters, ports, government agencies, and international commissions.
Obituaries
Jennifer Sehlin recently passed away. Sehlin came to Helsell Fetterman two years ago, bringing her prior 27 years of private law firm and in-house counsel experience to Helsell Fetterman. She was well-respected by clients and counsel alike and was elected to serve as President of the Rotary Club of Seattle Northeast in 2013. With her law degree from Gonzaga University and an advanced law degree (LL.M.) in tax from the University of Washington, she even spent several years as an adjunct professor on the faculty of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University teaching aviation law and business law at Paine Field in Everett. In her two years at Helsell Fetterman, she not only bolstered the capabilities of the firm’s robust Land Use & Real Estate practice, but she also made the community richer with her delightful demeanor. Known around the law firm for her cheerfulness, sense of humor, and being down-to-earth, Sehlin was a terrific real estate, landlord-tenant, and land use attorney, achieving peer-review recognition in “Best Lawyers.”
Ruth Apahidean Harper is a Trusts and Estates attorney at the Law Office of Neil R. Sarles. She is easily reached via email at ruth@sarles.com or by phone at 253.234.4676.
