Lane Powell’s Private Client Services and Fiduciary Litigation Teams, and team members Jenifer Jewkes, Gary Kirk, Sarah MacLeod, Gail Mautner, Mary Lee Moseley, Heidi Orr, Chuck Riley and Dawn Spratley, who were ranked in Chambers High Net Worth 2021 in the area of Private Wealth Law for Washington.
This widely acclaimed team counsels clients on the full range of estate and gift planning, estate administration, family business governance and transition planning, family office services and dispute resolution matters. They have extensive experience working with high net worth individuals and multi-generational families, including founders, owners and leaders of businesses, and charitable organizations of all sizes.
During the research process, Chambers & Partners received comments regarding the team, including the following:
- "I have always been impressed with their thorough, thoughtful approach, their knowledge and their follow-through. One of their biggest strengths is their interest in understanding a problem, turning it on its head and seeing if there is a better solution or another way to approach the problem."
- "They continue to be top players; they have a pretty large group of estate planners in town."
- "They have talented and hard-working people."
Chambers & Partners’ sources also shared the following commentary regarding the ranked attorneys:
- Jewkes, newly ranked this year, was observed by a source for: "Her advice [being] really sharp, really clear and she is very user-friendly." Another impressed source enthuses: "Her estate plan not only demonstrated her high level of knowledge and expertise, but also her level of discretion."
- A wealth expert commented on Kirk that "He is technically very good and understands the economic tradeoffs that clients are focused on."
- Mautner, who was among a select group to receive the highest ranking in Chambers High Net Worth, was highlighted as "one of the go-to people in Seattle for fiduciary litigation." A commentator noted: "She is responsive, she is practical and she can be tough when she needs to be. She doesn't fight for the sake of fighting if it's not the right thing to get to resolution." Another added: "She is very engaged, very proactive and thorough in her approach."
- Moseley is regarded as "a very good practitioner" by sources. An interviewee said: "I found her to be extremely knowledgeable and very good from a client interaction standpoint." Another commented: "She is incredibly intelligent, incredibly knowledgeable and detail-oriented."
- A wealth insider said that Orr: "[H]as a lot of experience which allows her to quickly see practical solutions to issues, and she is top-notch technically." Another source praised her client service, saying: "She is thorough, thoughtful and cares about clients."
- Riley, who was among a select group to receive the highest ranking in Chambers High Net Worth, was recognized as "[O]ne of the go-to advisers for wealth transfers. He is very experienced, very skilled and has very good relationships with clients." Another source commented: "Chuck puts himself in the shoes of the client and focuses on both legal and non-legal issues in advising clients. He is a great issue spotter and has the ability to combine knowledge and experience to quickly hone in on a directionally correct answer."
- Spratley was described by a source as having "a very open and thoughtful demeanour, and is really dedicated to taking care of her clients. She is very bright, very engaged and really responsive."