Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie
Csmith37 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Perkins Coie
Founded	0 1912
Founder	Paul R. Perkins, John H. Coie
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Num offices	19
Num attorneys	~1,200
Practice areas	Full-service

Perkins Coie. It is a prominent international law firm founded in Seattle in 1912. With approximately 1,200 attorneys across 19 offices, the firm provides a broad range of legal services to leading technology companies, established corporations, and public sector entities. It is widely recognized for its deep roots in the Pacific Northwest and its influential work in venture capital, intellectual property, and political law.

History

The firm was established in 1912 by Paul R. Perkins and John H. Coie in Seattle, initially focusing on regional business and transportation law. It grew alongside the Boeing Company and other major Pacific Northwest industries, establishing an early reputation in corporate and litigation matters. Significant expansion began in the late 20th century, with the opening of an office in Washington, D.C. in 1979 and a pivotal entry into the Silicon Valley legal market in 1994. This move positioned it at the center of the dot-com boom, representing emerging technology and life sciences companies. Subsequent growth included mergers with firms like Davis Wright Tremaine's Los Angeles intellectual property practice and the establishment of offices in international hubs such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Practice areas

The firm maintains a full-service platform with several nationally recognized practice groups. Its corporate practice is a leader in venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, and securities offerings for high-growth companies. The Intellectual property group handles extensive patent prosecution, trademark portfolio management, and complex IP litigation, particularly for the technology and biotechnology sectors. Its Litigation department manages high-stakes disputes in areas including antitrust law, product liability, and white-collar crime. Other key areas include privacy and data security, environmental law, real estate, and a premier Political law practice advising on campaign finance, government ethics, and election law.

Notable cases and clients

The firm has represented a prestigious roster of clients in landmark matters. It served as national counsel for Microsoft in the historic United States v. Microsoft Corp. antitrust litigation. The firm has long advised Amazon on corporate and intellectual property matters since its early days. It represented Starbucks in significant commercial litigation and Alaska Airlines in major transactions. In the political realm, it represented the Democratic National Committee during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Other notable clients include Intel, T-Mobile, Dropbox, and numerous unicorn startups throughout Silicon Valley and beyond.

Political involvement

The firm operates one of the nation's most prominent political law practices, particularly through its Political Law Group. It routinely provides counsel to political committees, Super PACs, corporations, and nonprofit organizations on compliance with Federal Election Commission and Internal Revenue Service regulations. The firm has served as outside general counsel to the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for many years. Attorneys such as Marc Elias have been involved in significant election law cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and have led legal challenges on issues like voter ID laws and redistricting.

Leadership and offices

The firm is managed by a Chair and an Executive Committee. It maintains its global headquarters in Seattle, with a major administrative and practice hub in Washington, D.C. Key domestic offices include San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Austin. International offices are located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. Each office typically focuses on core local industries, such as technology in Silicon Valley, government relations in Washington, D.C., and international trade in its Asian locations.

Recognition and rankings

The firm consistently ranks highly in major legal industry publications. It is perennially listed in the top tiers of Chambers and Partners for practices including Technology & Venture Capital, Privacy & Data Security, and Political Law. The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 survey regularly includes it among the highest-grossing law firms in the United States. Its Intellectual property practice is frequently recognized by Intellectual Property Today and Managing Intellectual Property. Individual attorneys are often cited as leaders in their fields by publications like The Best Lawyers in America and Law360. Category:Law firms of the United States Category:Companies based in Seattle Category:1912 establishments in Washington (state)