Pacifica Law Group is proud to celebrate 15 years of service to Pacific Northwest Clients this month.
Pacifica opened its doors on April 4, 2011, with a mission to provide high-quality legal service to clients shaping the present and future of the region. The founders also envisioned a firm culture that championed collegiality and collective achievement, and valued community service and engagement.
Those values continue to drive the firm forward today.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate this milestone together,” said Pacifica Managing Partner Denise Stiffarm. “We are thankful for our clients, who trust us to support them as they pursue their goals. We also appreciate the dedication and effort of our attorneys and staff, who over the years have embraced and strengthened the firm’s values and commitment to service, and have contributed to our growth and evolution.”
The attorneys who founded Pacifica built the firm around their existing, regionally focused and civic-minded practices, which were primarily in the areas of public finance, litigation, municipal law, public policy, and public-private partnerships. Early clients included the cities of Bellevue, Bellingham, Renton, and Tacoma, Kitsap County and Kitsap Transit, Pike Place Market, the Port of Seattle, the Seattle Art Museum, Sound Transit, the University of Washington, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, and the Woodland Park Zoo.
As the firm grew, it added attorneys practicing in the areas of construction and procurement, real estate, and school law. Pacifica is now home to 51 attorneys and 25 staff members, and represents numerous state and local government entities, public school districts and universities, nonprofits, and civic-minded private clients.
Community service remains a strong focus for the firm. Pacifica attorneys currently serve as board or committee members for numerous nonprofits and institutions serving the region including the Associated Recreation Council, Seattle Central Waterfront Oversight Committee, Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Ethics & Elections Commission, Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle Public Library Foundation, Treehouse, Washington State Budget and Policy Center, University of Washington, and Western Washington University.
The firm’s service mindset is also reflected in the legacy of Pacifica attorneys who have entered public service, and in the number of attorneys who have joined the firm after working at public institutions. Pacifica attorneys currently serve, or have served, in the Washington State Office of the Attorney General; as judges in federal and state courts; as deputies and general counsel in the offices of the Seattle Mayor and King County Executive; in the Federal Public Defender’s Office and King County Department of Public Defense; and as attorneys for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
From its startup roots to its present status as one of the most trusted and respected law firms in the Pacific Northwest, Pacifica has maintained its focus on serving and representing our region and its communities and institutions. As the firm looks forward, it will continue to build on this foundation and support public entities, nonprofits, and private clients in the delivery of services, the development of critical infrastructure, and efforts to increase equity and prosperity throughout our region.
