News and events | Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson Law Offices

Alerts

4.19.12 - Legislative Update: Washington Welcomes a New Kind of Business Entity: The Social Purpose Corporation, by Robert Van Cleve and Kurt Kruckeberg
4.5.12 - Legislative Alert: JOBS Act Changes Business as Usual, by Kurt Kruckeberg

5.1.12 - Supreme Court victories for HCMP's Litigation Group and its clients:

In a case argued by HCMP trial lawyers on behalf of a major homebuilding client, the Washington Supreme Court recently issued a decision confirming the enforceability of contractual agreements to arbitrate. HCMP successfully argued that a home buyer who agrees to arbitrate future disputes cannot later file suit in state court against the homebuilder or its parent companies. This is a significant win and great precedent for Washington businesses that value the efficiency and fairness of arbitration.
In another HCMP case, the Washington State Supreme Court endorsed the right of state institutions of higher education to manage their budgets responsibly in the face of dramatic funding cuts from Olympia. On behalf of one of its higher education clients, HCMP convinced the Supreme Court to reject an appeal from a faculty member who claimed entitlement to certain annual raises that were temporarily frozen in response to hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding cuts to the university.

4.26.12 - Steve Roos spoke at a meeting of the Washington State Bar Association Land Use/Environmental Mediation Steering Committee Focus Group, providing insights into what makes for a successful mediation in the land use/environmental law context. Steve represented CalPortland Company in a negotiation with environmental groups and government agencies that resulted earlier this year in a multi-party settlement agreement. The Agreement addresses both the restoration of Sequalitchew Creek and CalPortland's sand and gravel mining plans in designated areas adjacent to its existing mine in the City of DuPont. For more details about this settlement, please see the settlement parties' joint press release on this topic.

3.16.12 - Client Projects in the News: Four HCMP client projects -- all being developed with the assistance of our real estate and land use teams -- were featured in the January/February 2012 issue of Urban Land, a real estate and development magazine with national circulation. HCMP Land Use Practice Chair, T. Ryan Durkan, and HCMP Business & Real Estate Practice Chair, David E. Myre, Jr., were both quoted in the article, "Regional Spotlight: Canada/Pacific Northwest," by Mike Sheridan.

4.26.12 - HCMP hosted an Employment Law Seminar on Social Media in the Workplace: What Every Employer Needs to Know, presented by Laurie Lootens Chyz, Eric Lansverk, Mike Scott and Robert Van Cleve.
1.13.12 - Richard Wilson was a presenter at Law Seminars International's conference on SEPA & NEPA, in Seattle, Washington. Richard spoke on recent case law and other developments for SEPA and NEPA that are confronting land use and environmental professionals today.
11.4.11 - Melody McCutcheon spoke at Law Seminars International's Growth Management and Land Use Conference, in Seattle, Washington. Melody spoke on "Climate Change Developments Under SEPA: Ecology's New Guidance and Pending Appeals / GHG appeal of the PSRC Transportation Plan."
4.11.11 - Melody McCutcheon spoke at the National Business Institute's seminar on "Mastering Land Use and Planning Processes," in Seattle, Washington. Melody spoke on ethics.
3.22.11 - Alex Wu spoke at the continuing legal education event open to the public, Law & Liberty: Student Bullying and Harassment, presented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, in Seattle, Washington.

6.1.10 - Jerry Hillis was profiled by the King County Bar Association's June 2010 edition of the Bar Bulletin, in "A Window on the World," by Richard Wilson.
10.1.09 - T. Ryan Durkan was profiled by the King County Bar Association's October 2009 edition of the Bar Bulletin, in "Land Use Suits Her to a 'T,'" by George Kresovich.
7.1.07 - Louis Peterson was featured in Washington Law & Politics' Summer 2007 issue, in "The Player," by J. Kingston Pierce.

Thomson Reuters' Super Lawyers® has named ten HCMP attorneys to its 2012 Washington Super Lawyers list:

Ranked in the Top 50 Women, attorneys who received the highest point totals in the nomination, research and blue ribbon review process

Ranked in the Top 10, attorneys who received the highest point totals in the nomination, research and blue ribbon review process

Thomson Reuters' Super Lawyers® has named two HCMP attorneys to its 2012 Washington Rising Stars list:

Chambers USA has once again ranked HCMP as a Band 1 Leading Firm for Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use, Chambers USA 2012: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. Additionally, four of our attorneys have been ranked as recommended leaders in this field:

Congratulations to Steve Rovig on his election to King County Bar Association Second Vice President, effective July 1, 2012. As provided in the Association's bylaws, he will become KCBA President July 1, 2014. See KCBA press release for full details.
HCMP is pleased to announce that James C. McGuire has joined the firm as Of Counsel - February 2012.
HCMP is pleased to announce that Amit D. Ranade is now a Principal in the firm - January 2012.
For 2012, HCMP has again been selected by the general counsel at Fortune 500 companies as a "Go-To Law Firm." This recognition is established by surveys sent to general counsel of the top 500 companies and through independent investigation by the publishers of Corporate Counsel magazine.
Four HCMP attorneys have been recognized as "Best Lawyers," selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2012 edition of Best Lawyers in America^®:

Bet the Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Securities/Capital Markets Law

Energy Law, Environmental Law, Land Use & Zoning, Natural Resources,
Real Estate Law

Energy Law, Environmental Law, Land Use & Zoning, Natural Resources,
Real Estate Law

Governor Gregoire has appointed HCMP's Ryan Durkan to the Washington State University Board of Regents – December 14, 2011. To view the Governor's press release concerning this announcement, please click here.
HCMP is pleased to announce that Holly D. Golden has joined the firm as an Associate - December 2012.
U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers^® "Best Law Firms" 2011 rankings list HCMP in the National Rankings in the following tier/area of law:
- Tier 2: Land Use & Zoning Law
HCMP has also been listed by U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers^® "Best Law Firms" 2011 rankings in the Metropolitan Rankings/Seattle in the following tiers/areas of law:
- Tier 1: Energy Law, Land Use & Zoning Law, Natural Resource Law, Real Estate Law
- Tier 2: Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Litigation - Eminent Domain & Condemnation, Litigation - Land Use & Zoning, Litigation - Securities
- Tier 3: Litigation - Intellectual Property
HCMP is pleased to announce that Kurt E. Kruckeberg has joined the firm as an Associate - October 2011.
HCMP is pleased to announce that founding member Mark S. Clark has resumed his active practice with the firm - August 2011
HCMP celebrates its 40th Anniversary - 2011