Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) is expanding in the US Pacific Northwest through a combination with Seattle litigation boutique Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen (HLFT), adding a 12-lawyer trial group to BCLP’s growing disputes coverage in the region.

The HLFT team includes Timothy Leyh, Tyler Farmer, Randall Thomsen, Shane Cramer and Ariel Martinez, who all join as partners alongside of counsel including Bill Beaver, Michelle Buhler and Charles Jordan. Farmer will serve as co-managing partner of BCLP’s Seattle office alongside existing BCLP partner Jennifer Campbell. BCLP opened in Seattle last year.

Steve Baumer, BCLP’s CEO, said: “The addition of these dynamic trial lawyers complements our existing team and builds on our momentum in the region by expanding the important work we’ve been doing there. This is a collaboration of strategic experience, shared culture and a passion for providing the highest-quality legal work and building long-term relationships with clients.”

Leyh brings with him four decades of legal experience, more than 37 of them at HLFT (and its previous incarnation as Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson). His practice focuses on a wide range of civil litigation matters including mass tort claims, class actions and claims involving public utilities, public agencies and public nuisance, as well as trademark and copyright work and breach of contract, among others.

Farmer joins after 16 years with HLFT, having previously been an associate at Jones Day. He brings experience in civil litigation, corporate disputes and tech and IP litigation, often representing tech companies, real estate investors and entrepreneurs in defence against individual lawsuits or class action claims.

Thomsen joins after more than a quarter of a century with HLFT and its predecessor firm, having joined in 1997 after two years as a law clerk at the Washington State Court of Appeals. He litigates for both plaintiffs and defendants in business and shareholder disputes, class actions and lawsuits against government entities, among others.

Leyh said: “BCLP’s impressive global reach and track record of litigation successes in the US and globally provides a full-service platform with new resources and capabilities for our clients. Culturally, we felt a strong connection with BCLP. Their lawyers share our commitment to excellent legal work and client service, and we knew that this was a good fit for us and for our clients.”