Attorneys of Portland-Based Ater Wynne to Merge Practice with Buchalter
Portland, Oregon, September 9, 2019 – Ater Wynne and Buchalter are pleased to announce that Ater Wynne, a full-service business law firm based in Portland, Oregon, will merge its practice into Buchalter – a move that will significantly expand Buchalter’s presence in the Pacific Northwest.
Adding Ater Wynne’s 22 attorneys in Portland, which is set to occur on October 1, 2019, will bring Buchalter to approximately 300 attorneys in nine locations including Los Angeles, Napa Valley, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale and Seattle. This is Buchalter’s second office in the Pacific Northwest following the opening of an office in Seattle less than two years ago. Buchalter’s Seattle office, led by Jeffrey G. Frank, has grown to 12 attorneys and recently relocated to the premier US Bank Centre in downtown Seattle.
Ater Wynne Managing Partner, Todd A. Mitchell, will become Managing Shareholder of the Portland office and a member of the Firm’s Board of Directors. He will also spend a significant amount of time in the Seattle office. Half of the attorneys in Portland are licensed to practice in the State of Washington and the Portland and Seattle offices will have a very close working relationship. Other Ater Wynne Partners joining Buchalter as Shareholders are Ernest Bootsma, L. David Connell, Akana J. Ma, Michael (Sam) J. Sandmire, Michael W. Shackelford, Gregory E. Struxness, Andrea Bartoloni, Nena Cook, Frank X. Curci, Thomas M. Karnes, Daniel P. Larsen, and John C. Ramig.
“Bringing in a practice like Ater Wynne positions us to continue helping business leaders and innovators throughout the Pacific Northwest stay ahead of the curve,” said Adam J. Bass, President and Chief Executive Officer of Buchalter. “This move is about looking to the future and the right cultural and business fit – and we are delighted to welcome the lawyers and staff of Ater Wynne to Buchalter.”
Under Adam Bass’s leadership, Buchalter previously added more than 130 attorneys and opened offices in Napa Valley, Sacramento, San Diego and Seattle. With the addition of the attorneys in Portland, the firm offers clients deeper expertise across a broad range of practice areas, including mergers and acquisitions, banking, real estate, health care, technology, global trade, and commercial litigation.
“After meeting with Adam and the attorneys at Buchalter, we recognized this opportunity would allow us to provide stronger counsel to our clients in Portland and the surrounding region,” Mitchell said. “In recent years we have entertained discussions with other firms that wanted to enter the Portland market, but Buchalter further bolstered our strong track record and was by far the best cultural fit.”
Additional Ater Wynne attorneys joining Buchalter include Jonathan Ater (Partner Emeritus), Claudia K. Powers (Special Counsel), John M. Schultz (Senior Counsel), Kirk W. Smith (Senior Counsel), Alexandra Shulman (Of Counsel) and Associates Robyn Bishop, Daniel Lis, and Amy Opoien.
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Buchalter is a full-service business law firm representing local, regional national and international clients in a multitude of practice areas and their subspecialties, including Commercial Finance, Corporate, Health Care, Litigation, Insolvency and Financial Solutions, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Real Estate, and Tax and Estate Planning. Buchalter has offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sacramento, San Diego, Scottsdale, Seattle, and Portland. For more information about the firm, visit buchalter.com.
Contact for Buchalter: Tiffany Hughes, Director of Marketing
213.891.5082 or thughes@buchalter.com
Contact for Ater Wynne LLP: Wendy Lane Stevens at Finn Partners
503.546.7900 or wendy.lane@finnpartners.com