History

Learning what services a law firm provides is easy. Much more difficult is learning its personality, values, strength of client relationships, and adaptability to clients' evolving business and legal needs. You need to know what a firm's values are, whether it attracts long-term clients and how well it adapts to their changing needs. The brief history below touches on all these elements and will help you understand what makes our firm tick.

1966
Garvey Schubert Barer is founded by three University of Washington School of Law classmates in their 20s. With just 39 files and $800 in the bank, a $12,000 line of credit guaranteed by their parents and unbounded optimism, the three friends form a Seattle law firm. What they lack in experience, they compensate for with innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment.

1971
Garvey Schubert Barer begins representing the Quileute Indian Tribe, the start of a long history representing tribes. Today, we represent the Muckleshoot, Quileute and Tulalip Tribes as well as other tribes in the Pacific Northwest and in other parts of the country, including the South and Southwest.

1972
Recognizing the growing importance of federal policy to the Pacific Northwest’s future, Garvey Schubert Barer becomes the region’s first law firm to open a Washington, D.C., office. The office now employs nearly 30 attorneys. They serve a diverse client base, from technology start-ups and multinationals, to trade associations and government entities. The office’s multidimensional practice spans numerous federal administrative areas, government relations as well as lobbying, litigation and commercial transactions.

1973
Our firm represents the purchasers of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington State’s first winery. Today, Ste. Michelle is the state’s largest producer of premium wine and is among the top 10 U.S. wine producers with annual sales in excess of $350 million. Garvey Schubert Barer continues to represent Ste. Michelle.

To advance its Pacific Rim trade practice, Garvey Schubert Barer stations Charles Routh with the Matsuo & Kosugi law firm in Tokyo, becoming one of the first U.S. law firms to place a lawyer in Japan.

1979
After a 30-year hiatus, named-partner Stanley Barer negotiates the resumption of shipping trade between the United States and China.

China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company designates Garvey Schubert Barer as its U.S. counsel, a representation that continues today.

1980
Garvey Schubert Barer adopts a strong public service policy that rewards its lawyers for devoting time to pro bono legal and community services. We consistently contribute more than $2 million annually in these services.

1982
Garvey Schubert Barer becomes the second law firm with offices in both Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Our Portland office now employs more than 25 attorneys. They provide a full range of business and commercial litigation services to middle-market companies as well as to a broad range of privately held businesses, investment firms, financial institutions, governmental bodies, nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Garvey Schubert Barer represents the management of Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. (TOTE) in management’s acquisition of the company from Sun Co. A privately held Alaska corporation, TOTE operates a fleet of cargo ships between the ports of Anchorage, Alaska and Tacoma, Washington. Since the acquisition, Garvey Schubert Barer has continued to serve TOTE as outside counsel.

1983
Garvey Schubert Barer begins representing PeaceHealth, the start of a long history of serving the healthcare industry. Today, we represent major healthcare providers and institutions such as Regence BlueCross BlueShield, Swedish Medical Center, Group Health Cooperative, Oregon Health & Science University, PeaceHealth, LabCorp of America and HCA/Alaska Regional Hospital.

1989
Garvey Schubert Barer founds Whitman Garvey Inc., a healthcare consulting firm operating as our affiliate. Whitman Garvey is our response to economic trends and government regulation in the healthcare field. It offers healthcare providers integrated legal and business arrangements that align their mission and the ever-changing dynamics of the healthcare industry.

1992
Garvey Schubert Barer becomes outside counsel to Nautilus, Inc., a global fitness products company with annual sales of more than $400 million. We represented Nautilus in its initial public offering and its acquisition of Nautilus International, Schwinn Fitness and Stairmaster. In 2005 we represented Nautilus in its acquisition of Pearl iZumi USA, and in 2008 we represented Nautilus in its sale of Pearl iZumi to Shimano Corp.

Garvey Schubert Barer establishes the first permanent endowed professorship at the University of Washington School of Law.

1997
Garvey Schubert Barer represents China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company in the first securitization financing ever completed in the United States by a Chinese company.

2000
Haley Bader & Potts, P.L.C., one of the nation’s oldest telecommunications law firms, joins Garvey Schubert Barer in our Washington, D.C., office. Lawyers from this firm now form the core of our Communications and Information Technology Practice Group.

2001
Garvey Schubert Barer opens its New York City office to expand our sports, entertainment and intellectual property practices. The office now represents superstar clients such as Venus and Serena Williams, Wynton Marsalis and Ludacris. It also is the strategic center of our firm’s representation of security industry clients.

We join Globalaw, a non-exclusive network of 93 independent law firms, with more than 5,000 lawyers in 167 cities worldwide.

2002
Garvey Schubert Barer joins the Participating Group, a multistate network of 14 U.S. law firms. Through this network and our Globalaw affiliation, we have immediate access to trusted law firms and lawyers outside our usual geographic area.

2003
Garvey Schubert Barer establishes the Dallaire Public Service Award. It honors Greg Dallaire, a retired managing director of the firm whose goal was to make commitment to public service part of the firm’s character. Given annually, the award recognizes attorneys and staff members who make extraordinary contributions in pro bono legal or community services.

2004
We open a Beijing office, reinforcing our longstanding commitment to Pacific Rim trade and the PRC. The office enhances our ability to provide additional resources and deliver an even higher level of service to Chinese and U.S. clients. Today, the Beijing office serves U.S. companies doing business in China and, in collaboration with our firm-wide International Practice Group, provides legal representation to Chinese companies in trade cases, immigration and all aspects of doing business in the United States.

2006
We celebrate our 40th anniversary. The 39 files our founders started with have grown to more than 25 service areas and a national and international footprint. Today, we continue to expand at a measured pace that never compromises our time-tested values: exceptional client service, a collegial and diverse culture, and a commitment to our communities and public service.

We expand our corporate, broker-dealer and litigation practices in the New York City office, enhancing our ability to serve securities industry clients.

Our Labor and Employment Group launches two innovative products: AdviceOnline, an online labor and employment resource, and the Win² Alternative Dispute Resolution process. Both are developed with client input and as part of the firm’s commitment to deliver legal services more efficiently and cost-effectively.

2007
Garvey Schubert Barer is selected by corporate directors as one of the top five corporate law firms in Portland, Oregon. The firm is featured in the July/August 2007 America's Best Corporate Law Firms issue of Corporate Board Member.

To better serve our clients in New York, we move to a larger, upgraded office at 100 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.

2009
Garvey Schubert Barer is named as one of the “2009 Best Companies to Work For” by Seattle Business magazine.