Laura Kruse

John Dippold is Managing Partner and former President of Carney Badley Spellman and Co-Chair of its Construction Group, with more than 30 years of experience representing owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers across Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. His practice spans the full project lifecycle — from contract drafting and negotiation to complex litigation involving delay claims, design errors, cost overruns, and government procurement. A Fellow of...

Dipa N. Sudra is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Litigation - ERISA. Dipa N., who practices law in Seattle, Washington, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dipa N. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

BACKGROUND Syed’s practice focuses on U.S. and international patent and trademark prosecution, enforcement, licensing and litigation matters. He received a B.Eng in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University and a M.Eng. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where his graduate research focused on acoustic emissions monitoring of space shuttle external tanks. Syed earned his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law (2012), where he served as a judicial ...

James M. Davis is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law. James M., who practices law in Seattle, Washington, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David B. Starks is a Partner at the Pacific Northwest family law firm McKinley Irvin, PLLC. He is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML ), and current president of the Washington chapter of the AAML. David’s practice concentrates on divorce cases involving difficult custody matters as well as the protection, valuation, and distribution of significant assets or business interests. His passion for res...

Linda D. Walton is a member of the firm's Labor & Employment Law National practice and former chair of the firm's Strategic Diversity Committee. In her practice, Ms. Walton defends both private sector and public sector employers in state and federal employment-related litigation matters. Through day-to-day counseling and the design and presentation of preventative law training programs for managers, supervisors and human resources personnel, Ms. Walton also devotes a significant part of h...

Anne Lawler has extensive experience representing owners, landlords, developers, lenders and business owners in a wide variety of transactions involving real property. In that capacity, she has prepared purchase and sale agreements; exchange agreements; commercial, retail, office & industrial leases; commercial loan documents; opinion letters; organizational documents for limited liability companies, corporations, partnerships and tenancies in common; easements; development agreements wit...

Mica D. Simpson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law. Mica D., who practices law in Seattle, Washington, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mica D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Denkenberger is the managing member of COJK, a member of the firm's executive committee, and chair of the litigation practice group. John has successfully litigated patent, trademark, trade secret, and unfair business competition issues in federal and state courts. He has also successfully litigated AIA post-grant challenges, including inter partes review, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. In addition to his litigation practice, John also advises clients on foreign and domestic p...

Stewart Landefeld, partner and Chair of the firm's Business practice, has 30 years of experience counseling companies and boards in the areas of corporate governance, securities compliance, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, private equity investments and venture capital. Stewart has provided corporate governance and other general corporate counsel to dozens of leading companies, including Microsoft Corporation, Costco Wholesale Corporation, T-Mobile, PetSmart Inc., Orbitz (Audit Com...