Lane Powell PC was an American

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, with offices in

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. The firm was established in 1875, making it one of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

's oldest and longest-running law firms. Employing approximately 200 lawyers, its clients have included individuals, startups, and large businesses, offering corporate, regulatory, and litigation services. The firm represented clients such as

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, and BNSF Railway Co. As of January 1, 2025, the firm merged with and took the name of Ballard Spahr.

History

Portland

In 1875, William D. Fenton began practicing law as a partner at Portland law firm McCain and Fenton. Upon his death, Fenton's home library was donated to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, which built Fenton Hall in his name. His home, the William D. Fenton House, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979. After Fenton's passing in 1918, McCain and Fenton was renamed to Hampson and Nelson, and moved to the Pacific Building in Portland. From 1918 to 1979, the firm went through several leadership and name changes with the addition of partners like Herbert Anderson, Oglesby Young and William Lubersky. In 1979, John Bledsoe joined as a naming partner, changing the firm’s name to Spears, Lubersky, Campbell and Bledsoe. Anderson and Young were also added to the naming partner group, renaming the firm in 1988 to Spears, Lubersky, Bledsoe, Anderson, Young and Hilliard.

Seattle

Lane Powell's Seattle office began in 1889 when John H. Powell arrived in Seattle and practiced law in the firm Stratton, Lewis & Gilman. In 1900, William A. Peters and Powell entered into a partnership under the name Peters & Powell, located in the Dexter Horton Building. The addition of partners such as W. Bryon Lane and Gordon Moss in 1959 led the firm to be named Evans, McLaren, Lane, Powell & Moss. In 1966, Pendleton Miller joined the firm as naming partner, changing the firm to Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller. During this time, the firm expanded to

by merging with Ruskin, Barker & Hicks.

Mergers

In 1990, the Portland firm Spears, Lubersky, Campbell, Bledsoe, Anderson, Young & Hilliard merged with Seattle-based firm Lane, Powell, Moss & Miller, leading to the name Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP. In 2002, when the firm was called "Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP", it was part of a court settlement regarding the collapse of the Portland-based investment firm Capital Consultants LLC, for which the law firm was the primary outside consultant. The settlements, amounting to $25 million, came from the law firm's insurance coverage. The company renamed to Lane Powell PC in 2005. In September 2024, Lane Powell agreed to merge with

Ballard Spahr Ballard Spahr LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm practicing throughout the United States. Founded in 1885, the law firm focuses on litigation, securities and regulatory enforcement, business and finance, intellectual property, public finance, and rea ...

as of 2025, with the combined firm to operate under the Ballard Spahr name.

Philanthropy

In partnership with the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Asso ...

, Lane Powell annually supports the school through the Ronald E. Beard Scholarship, Gregoire Fellows program and Lane Powell & D. Wayne Gittinger Endowed Professorship. Other beneficiaries include the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

Basic Rights Oregon Basic Rights Oregon is an American nonprofit LGBT rights organization based in Portland, Oregon. It is the largest advocacy, education, and political organization working in Oregon to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender ident ...

, Campaign for Equal Justice, Food Lifeline, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, Start Making A Reader Today (SMART), and the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

Leadership

In 2019, Barbara Duffy was named president of the company.

Notable alumni

* William T. Beeks * Thomas Samuel Zilly, federal district court judge *

James Robart James Louis Robart (born September 2, 1947) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Early life and education Robart was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1947. Robart's f ...

Awards and honors

*2019 – Received 100 percent score in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Annual Corporate Equality Index *2018 – Named One of the Nation's Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by The

Human Rights Campaign Foundation The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LG ...

*2018 – Named in Puget Sound Business Journal "Top 75 Corporate Philanthropists" listCrowe, Melissa. (April 9, 2018
Revealed: The 75 biggest corporate philanthropists in Washington

Puget Sound Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

. Retrieved April 16, 2019.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Economy of Portland, Oregon Economy of Tacoma, Washington Law firms established in 1875 Law firms based in Seattle 2025 mergers and acquisitions