Bryan Cave Combines With 12-Lawyer Litigation Firm in Seattle

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has combined with Seattle trial firm Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen, tripling the size of its Pacific Northwest outpost.

The combination adds 12 lawyers to the Seattle office Bryan Cave opened a year ago when it added litigators from Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, a Portland-headquartered firm.

The move “builds on our momentum in the region by expanding the important work we’ve been doing there,” Steve Baumer, BCLP’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The combination comes after a string of partner departures at BCLP, including a seven-lawyer group heading to Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer in February and a trio of restructuring partners heading to Seyfarth Shaw in January.

Formed by a merger between US-based Bryan Cave and UK-founded Berwin Laighton Paisner, the firm’s headcount has dwindled since the 2018 tie-up. Firm revenue and profits per partner were roughly flat in 2023 at $840 million and $950,000, respectively, according to The American Lawyer.

The 40-year-old Harrigan Leyh has handled big-ticket disputes in the Seattle area, including litigation representing public entities like King County, the Port of Seattle and Washington State.

The three name partners joining from the Seattle firm are Timothy Leyh, Tyler Farmer and Randall Thomsen.

Leyh’s practice includes mass tort claims, class actions, claims involving the funding and operation of public utilities and other business matters. He’s argued multiple cases before the Washington State Supreme Court and state and federal appeals courts.

Farmer, who will serve as co-managing partner for the Seattle office, handles civil litigation, corporate disputes and internal investigations and tech and intellectual property litigation.

Thomsen has handled business and shareholder disputes, class actions, and product liability cases, among other matters.