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Join Us  Meet GSB
Garvey Schubert Barer was founded in 1966 by three law school classmates who were first- and second-year associates at Seattle law firms that were large by the standards of that time. Mike Garvey had been asked to pick up dog licenses for a senior partner in his firm. Ken Schubert, Jr. was expected to do his firm's library filing. Bill Houger spent a year at his firm's "garnishment desk" doing repetitive work. With 39 files, $800 in the bank, a $12,000 line of credit guaranteed by their parents, self-built tenant improvements and a wealth of optimism, the three friends set out to form a different kind of law firm.
The firm's practice has grown from 39 files to more than 25 practice areas listed in our Index. We now offer a broad and sophisticated legal practice, as described in our Firm Profile. The balances in our bank accounts and the amounts of our lines of credit have also grown dramatically. However, our significant growth has occurred at a measured pace that does not jeopardize the values forged in earlier days. These values are particularly manifested in our commitment to preserve an informal, collegial culture and our commitment to public service.
Garvey Schubert Barer's culture emphasizes our people - our most valuable asset - over structure and hierarchy. We want our lawyers and staff members to have long and rewarding careers with us, and we believe that preserving an informal, collegial atmosphere is critical to that goal. Certainly we have policies that promote efficient delivery of legal services to our clients. However, in managing our firm, we believe the benefits of sharing information and inviting dialogue significantly outweigh the inefficiencies those steps may involve. We also believe that social interaction within - and, whenever possible, between - our offices enhances working relationships. To that end, the firm organizes river rafting trips, outings to baseball games, "Movie Night," St. Patrick's Day parties and a team for the Hood-to-Coast run, among other activities. The particular events may vary from office to office, but the same culture prevails throughout the firm.
We believe that the extent of our commitment to public service is also unusual among law firms. For more than twenty years, we have encouraged our lawyers to devote 10% of their time to pro bono legal matters and given chargeable hour credit for work on approved matters. In 1985 we decided to go further and award billing credit as well. For example, a lawyer who has a chargeable hour goal of 1800 hours receives credit for up to 180 hours of public service work and corresponding billing credit at his or her standard hourly rate. By taking this step, we aligned the economics of our law practice with our stated values. Examples of our Pro Bono Legal Work and Community Involvement are provided elsewhere in this site.
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