About Allison Peryea
Articles written by Allison Peryea
Dan Dunne Takes ont he NRA
The litigator has defended the city of Seattle twice, pro bono, against challenges by gun-rights organizationsSince the 1990s, Dan Dunne has been fighting for responsible gun ownership. But the cause became a personal one for him in 2001, when his friend, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Wales, was shot to death at home. The murder was never solved. “[It’s] one of those things that continues to spur you on,” said Dunne, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, who focuses his practice on securities and corporate governance litigation. Wales was the president of Washington CeaseFire, and in …
The Worker's Warrior
Scott Blankenship wants employment cases that are bigger than one lawsuitScott Blankenship runs a small firm known for getting big results for employees in high-profile employment discrimination cases. He sees each case as an opportunity to do more than get justice for one client. “It has to be bigger than just the issue at hand,” he says. “What I like about employment law especially is the ability to make individual change that creates financial incentive, through lawsuits, to make large-scale positive changes.” About six years into his 27-year career, …
‘A Society That Gets Along’
Judge Michael Scott says his landmark Arlene’s Flowers case boils down to respecting each other despite differencesWhen Robert Ingersoll visited his regular florist’s shop in Richland in March 2013 to order flowers for his wedding to longtime partner Curt Freed, he was stunned when owner Barronelle Stutzman, citing religious beliefs, turned him down. Same-sex marriage had been legalized in the state three months earlier. Stutzman’s action gave rise to a lawsuit that garnered national attention and tested the state’s anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws. Four years later, the state …
‘Out of the Jury Box’
Sheri Pewitt’s personal mantra guides her practice—and her pro bono work representing political protestersNearly 15 years ago, in King County Superior Court Judge Richard F. McDermott’s courtroom, a jury found a defendant guilty—and inspired a mother of two young girls to go to law school and become a criminal law attorney. Sheri Pewitt was on that jury, serving as the foreperson, shortly after having her second child. “It mattered to be there,” she recalls. “Every role fascinated me.” A few years earlier, Pewitt, who holds an MBA from the University of Washington, had left a …
It is Not ‘OK’
Local attorneys volunteer their time to help domestic-abuse victims become survivorsEven after years of abuse, victims of domestic violence often find that the toughest decision is whether to escape. “The most dangerous situation is when a person tries to leave the abuser,” explains Lisa DuFour, a partner at Integrative Family Law in Seattle who has provided reduced-fee services to victims in severe cases. Once they’ve made the decision to get out, victims have to navigate an overwhelming legal system. Attorneys like DuFour provide free or low-cost legal assistance to …
Budding Business
Seattle lawyers have high hopes for Washington’s fledgling marijuana industryAn entirely new industry was born in Washington state on Nov. 6, 2012, when voters approved Initiative 502, making the state one of the first two in the nation to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults age 21 and older. “I don’t think this happens twice in a lifetime, where we get to see an American industry built from the ground up,” says Hilary Bricken, head of the new Canna Law Group at Harris Moure in Seattle. While the measure decriminalized, under state law, adult …
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