Leaving behind old habits can help with professional excellence. For example, responsiveness is an important part of client service, but the reflex to answer every message immediately can undermine thoughtful analysis and a sustainable practice. By adopting more intentional communication rhythms and protecting time for focused work, legal professionals can prioritize quality of judgment over speed alone—serving clients more effectively while preserving the clarity and discipline the profession demands. Just a reminder to review current habits and assess whether they’re beneficial or not.
Partner Pronouncements
William Enoch and Rich Johnson have joined Helsell Fetterman LLP as partners. Enoch is part of the firm’s nationally ranked Real Estate and Land Use practice groups. He assists clients in matters involving enforcement proceedings and ownership disputes, such as adverse possession and prescriptive easement. He also has extensive experience litigating contaminated site matters brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), under Washington’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), and under tort theories such as trespass or nuisance. He also regularly litigates matters under other environmental statutes, such as the Clean Water Act. Enoch graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2018. Prior to law school, he attended Western Washington University, graduating in 2013. Enoch has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star and by Best Lawyers as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Johnson is a member of the firm’s nationally ranked Tax Law group. He represents businesses and individuals in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and the Washington State Department of Revenue, with a practice focused on tax controversy and dispute resolution. In addition to his practice, Johnson teaches federal tax procedure in the Master of Science in Taxation (MSTax) program at the University of Washington’s Michael G. Foster School of Business. Johnson earned his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law in 2009 and his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 2006. He received his B.A. in Economics and Chemistry-Biology from Whitman College. Johnson has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Super Lawyer since 2011 and by Best Lawyers as a Best Lawyer since 2018.
New Launches
McGuireWoods is taking root in the Pacific Northwest. The national law firm announces the launch of a Seattle office with a group of leading litigators and appellate advocates, including a former federal judge and two former U.S. Supreme Court clerks. The group is comprised of nine partners, all of whom previously were partners with Perkins Coie in Seattle. Rike Connelly, who had chaired Perkins’ firmwide business litigation practice, serves as managing partner of McGuireWoods’ new Seattle office. She oversees large-scale commercial litigation, including antitrust and intellectual property disputes, with a focus on matters in Washington state and multidistrict cases. The rest of the incoming partners include Eric Wolff, Mack Shultz, Todd Rosencrans, Daniel Ridlon, Judge Abdul Kallon, Christopher Ledford, and Monique Wirrick, many of whom led key practices and industry groups at Perkins Coie. The new partners deepen McGuireWoods’ strong capabilities in class actions, multidistrict litigation, commercial and product liability litigation, antitrust litigation, and appellate matters.
Wolff, who co-chaired the appellate practice, is a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and former chief litigation counsel at The Boeing Company. He served as lead appellate lawyer in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana and was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Shultz served as the firmwide chair of the product liability litigation group. He represents companies across industries, including aviation, consumer electronics, virtual reality, and medical devices. He also advises on strategies for mitigating risk exposure, responding to accidents and participating in government investigations. He has a Chambers USA nationwide ranking for aviation litigation.
Rosencrans, who served as the vice chair of the product liability litigation group, has nearly 30 years of experience in complex product liability and aviation product liability litigation, warranty and contractual risk-allocation consulting, and civil litigation. At McGuireWoods, he will co-lead the firm’s Aerospace & Defense Industry Team.
Ridlon co-chaired the autonomous and uncrewed vehicle systems industry group. He focuses on product liability litigation and regulatory compliance, representing manufacturers in matters involving a range of products, from cell phones to commercial aircraft. He will spearhead McGuireWoods’ new Autonomous Vehicles practice.
Judge Kallon served on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama from 2010 to 2022 and co-chaired Perkins’ trial practice group. He advises leading companies in the technology, communications, retail and consumer products sectors in commercial litigation, multidistrict litigation, and labor and employment matters. He will be a senior member of McGuireWoods’ Trials team.
Ledford defends manufacturers in the aviation, industrial, and consumer products sectors in complex product liability litigation and leads the resolution of commercial disputes. He also provides strategic advice to manufacturers regarding responses to accidents and government investigations. At McGuireWoods, he will co-lead the Product Liability & Mass Tort Litigation Practice Group.
Wirrick represents clients in cases involving aviation accidents, consumer products, and toxic torts, drawing on her technical background as a former engineer for a large aircraft manufacturer.
The new Seattle team also includes McGuireWoods partner Michael Scoville, who joined the firm in 2024. A former federal prosecutor and law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Scoville represents global companies in government investigations and litigation.
Mergers
Clyde & Co has announced its expansion into Seattle through a merger with Forsberg & Umlauf P.S., a leading Seattle-based insurance coverage and trial & defense firm. The Forsberg group consists of twelve partners and twenty non-partner attorneys.
Other Announcements
On January 12, 2026, Judge Averil Rothrock became Presiding Judge of the King County Superior Court. Judge Rothrock has lived in King County since 1970. She became a judge on the King County Superior Court in 2018. The judges elected Judge Rothrock to serve as Presiding Judge for two years from January 2026 to January 2028. Judge Rothrock has served in the downtown Seattle, Kent, and Clark Children and Family Justice Center courthouses.
On January 12, 2026, Judge Tanya L. Thorp became the Assistant Presiding Judge. Judge Thorp joined the King County Superior Court bench on May 1, 2014. She was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee and assumed the position previously occupied by Judge Joan DuBuque, who retired from the bench.
Ruth Apahidean is an estate planning and probate 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.
