Summit Law Group has maintained its compact, flexible, boutique model that gives way to a steady stream of diverse work and creative business structures, such as all litigators receiving partner status. Peers and co-counsel especially remark on the firm’s unique structure and talent. A market peer says, “They are all recovering from large firms, and now have the freedom to not have to deal with someone telling them ‘You can’t charge that rate to take on some interesting work.’ They have a lot of autonomy, without hierarchical turf wars. They don’t carry anybody’s bags.” Fellow litigators who have served as co-counsel on big-ticket litigation and large class actions say, “Summit law Group is a tremendous litigation firm in Washington. They are trial and litigation specialists who know the Washington courts better than anyone.” Summit is known for its bench of “next generation” litigators, a relatively youthful group compared to other law firms of the same status.
Alex Baehr is one of the firm’s prominent litigators, leaning on his in-house counsel experience to guide clients through litigation. “Baehr is a tremendous trial lawyer and litigation strategist,” notes a peer. His practice emphasis is in two key areas: business litigation and employment law. Baehr is representing the Seattle-based National Women’s Soccer League team, OL Reign, in a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Black player. The plaintiff played with the team in its 18 and under development academy, and filed the claim under the Washington Law Against Discrimination, although it is written for use against employers, publicly owned and operated facilities, and public institutions. Acting as plaintiff in a separate matter, Baehr represents NTCH in its lawsuit against T-Mobile, alleging breach of contract and duty of good faith claims against the telecommunications giant.
Shannon Phillips, a labor and employment-focused practitioner, represented a call center in defense of wage-and-hour class action seeking damages for alleged unpaid pre- and post-shift work. Phillips secured summary dismissal on a claim for double damages, prevailed on most of the plaintiffs’ claims, and obtained a favorable ruling that prevented the plaintiffs’ economic expert from offering a planned damages opinion. The series of wins led to the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissing the remaining claims. Jessica Goldman is a commercial litigator with a niche practice in First Amendment and media/defamation law, representing a range of public and private clients. Goldman represents the City of Seattle in a First Amendment challenge to its Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, which bans landlords from inquiring about or using a tenant’s criminal record. She succeeded at the district court on summary judgment but was reversed on appeal. Goldman seeks a rehearing en banc at the Ninth Circuit. Additionally on the public side of her practice, she represents a group of subpoenaed legislators and legislative staff in a redistricting lawsuit that was set for trial in June 2023.
Chris Wion is a trial lawyer with a multidisciplinary practice. In his most recent one, he served as first chair in a three-week jury trial defending Cooke, owner and operator of a fish farm that had a catastrophic failure in 2017 that released roughly 250,000 non-native Atlantic Salmon into fishing grounds historically tied to the Lummi Nation. The Nation declared a state of emergency, recapturing as many fish as possible. Afterwards, the Lummi Nation filed a lawsuit against Cooke, claiming environmental damages, uncompensated expenditures, and non-economic damages that threatened the existence of their way of life. The jury verdict found there was no harm to the environment or the native salmon and awarded no non-economic damages. The jury awarded only $595,000 versus the $8 million demanded by the plaintiffs.
