Jul 16, 2026

Greater Seattle Partners

Braddock

Greater Seattle Partners is a public-private economic development organization that sometimes touches upon real estate projects. It announced this spring that Shannon Braddock was appointed CEO and president. She served last year as interim King County Executive. In a press release, she said, “GSP plays a critical role connecting our cities, counties, industries, and global partners around a shared vision of sustainable growth and opportunity. I look forward to building on the foundation that the entire GSP team and the Board have established, and to working alongside our public and private partners to ensure our region remains a destination for talent, innovation and investment.”

Commercial Brokers Association

Hull-Drury

The Commercial Brokers Association announced in late May that Mary Hull-Drury was appointed its new president and CEO. After many years with the CBA, she was elevated to the role after last fall's unexpected death of CEO Chris McDougall. (During the interim, industry veteran Rob Aigner filled the post.) “Mary brings a powerful combination of strategic vision, industry expertise and dedication to the clients, colleagues and communities she serves,” says the CBA.

Ogletree Deakins

Bigos

Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, welcomed Brad Bigos to the firm's Seattle office as a shareholder. Bigos joins the firm from another firm in Seattle, where he was a partner.

Bigos has practiced employment litigation in private practice for nearly 10 years, defending companies against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and related claims. He works closely with employers to investigate claims and identify priorities that align with business goals.

Bigos has jury trial experience and has handled matters ranging from single-plaintiff claims through class actions under Washington and federal law, guiding employers through every stage of litigation from prelitigation strategy to trial.

Bigos holds an LL.M. with highest honors from The George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Seattle University.

Ogletree Deakins' Seattle office has doubled in size since early 2025, with further growth expected in the coming months.

Jul 15, 2026

Foushée & Associates

Green

Shull

Foushée & Associates has added two professionals to its construction team. Cooper Shull joins the company as project engineer, bringing a background in corporate logistics and experience coordinating complex operations. Sean Green has rejoined Foushée as superintendent. Green brings more than 20 years of construction experience leading projects in the field.

Since 1977, Foushée has built a reputation for tackling complex projects, building lasting relationships, and bringing together the right people to deliver exceptional results.

Ballard Spahr

Picone

Ballard Spahr has elevated Ethan Picone to Counsel in the Seattle office effective July 1, firm Chair Peter Michaud announced.

Picone advises employers in a wide range of industries on both traditional labor relations as well as employment matters. On the labor side, he has extensive experience handling unionization, collective bargaining and labor arbitrations. On the employment side, he counsels employers on regulatory and wage-and-hour compliance, including class action litigation. He also has extensive experience counseling employers on preventive labor law training, and designing overall strategy and compliance programs. Picone is a regular contributor to the firm's Best Practices for Best Employers Labor & Employment Seminar, which is now in its 44th year.

Ballard Spahr has more than 750 lawyers in 19 U.S. offices, serving clients across industries in litigation, transactions and regulatory compliance.

Swenson Say Fagét

Renouard

Rosman

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers (SSF) has promoted two tenured staff members to principal. Karl Rosman was promoted in January, and Francesca Renouard was promoted in June.

Rosman joined SSF's Seattle office in March 2005. A graduate of Montana State University, he has provided structural engineering solutions and project management for more than 1,200 projects during his two-decade career with SSF. His project portfolio spans a wide range of building types, including more than 800 new and renovated single-family residences, as well as commercial, multi-family/mixed-use, hospitality, community, and religious projects. Prior to earning his engineering degree, Rosman's hands-on experience working as a carpenter gives him a unique insight into the construction process. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Washington, Idaho and Montana. Rosman has lent his structural expertise to some unusual project types, including more than 24 treehouse homes spanning locations from Orcas Island to Upperville, Virginia, and Trapper Creek, Alaska. Recent projects include the new Social Retail Shops at Suncadia Lodge in Cle Elum, new and renovated structures in the Pacific Northwest and Western Montana, and an extensive renovation to his own residence in Missoula.

After completing two SSF summer internships and her master's degree from UC Berkeley, Renouard joined SSF's Seattle office full-time in September of 2014. Renouard has been laser-focused on the renovation, historic preservation and adaptive reuse of community assets. She served on the city of Seattle's URM Task Force and helped co-author the URM Alternate Method, which is included in the 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code. She is a King County Landmarks Board Commissioner, serves on the Historic Seattle Real Estate Committee, and was recently nominated for the AIA Seattle Board. In 2023, she joined Building Design + Construction Magazine's 40 Under 40 Class of outstanding young professionals. Some of her completed projects include the Metropole Building, an adaptive reuse and addition to a historic drug store in Pioneer Square for the Satterberg Foundation; West Canal Yards, the adaptive reuse of two cold storage buildings on the ship canal for office and retail for Unico Properties; and the Green Lake and University Carnegie Library Full Seismic Retrofits for Seattle Public Library. Coming soon to Renouard's resume – the next phase of Pike Place Market renovations.

Jul 14, 2026

Washington State Department of Commerce

Buckler

Amy Buckler, a longtime public sector leader, will join the state Department of Commerce as its new Housing Division assistant director on Aug. 3.

Buckler comes to Commerce from the city of Centralia, where she was the assistant city manager and interim city manager helping oversee city operations, advising elected officials, and leading strategic initiatives that strengthened community well-being and positioned the city for future growth. Prior to that, she worked for the city of Olympia for 16 years in a variety of roles helping solve complex challenges.

At Commerce, Buckler will lead the Housing Division, which provides tools to local governments, nonprofits and community action agencies to ensure that everyone is housed in their communities, ranging from homelessness services to support for first-time homeowners. The Housing Division has eight units and leads 60 programs, advisory committees or councils, and has more than 200 employees.

Buckler holds a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Michigan State University. She lives in Thurston County.

Jul 10, 2026

BakerHostetler

Knowles

Sean Knowles has joined BakerHostetler's Seattle office as a partner in the firm's Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Securities and Governance Litigation team.

Knowles joins from an Am Law 100 firm, where he served as the firm-wide chair of the securities litigation practice. He has experience representing clients in securities class action litigation, shareholder derivative lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions litigation and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings and investigations.

With a career spanning nearly 30 years, and nationally recognized by Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America, Knowles is adept at defending securities class actions and shareholder derivative actions against public companies of all sizes in a wide range of industries.

Knowles helps public companies, officers and directors navigate high-stakes shareholder and regulatory matters. Clients turn to him to defend securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, merger and acquisition disputes, SEC enforcement actions and investigations and claims under the Washington State Securities Act, as well as to provide practical guidance on corporate governance issues.

Knowles began his career in New York. Since 2007, he has been based in Seattle. He received his A.B. from Brown University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

BakerHostetler has six core practice groups — Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Tax — and more than 1,000 lawyers coast to coast.

Snohomish County Superior Court

Nelson

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Lacie Nelson to the position of Snohomish County Superior Court Judge. Nelson's appointment fills the position that Judge Millie Judge's resignation will vacate.

Nelson is a career litigator with more than 18 years of experience in both criminal and civil cases. She currently practices at the law firm of Brewe Layman, P.S. in Everett, handling family law, personal injury and medical malpractice matters. She also serves as a judge pro tempore in Snohomish County District Court and as an arbitrator for King, Snohomish, and Skagit County motor vehicle tort claims.

Prior to joining Brewe Layman, P.S., Nelson spent three years as in-house counsel at GEICO. She also served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County and a deputy district attorney in Jackson County, Oregon. She has extensive courtroom experience, having tried 70 cases to verdict, over 60 of which were jury trials. Nelson also volunteered with the Snohomish County Family Law Clinic, providing legal advice to clients who could not afford to hire an attorney.

Nelson earned her bachelor's degree from Columbia University and her law degree from University of Oregon School of Law.