Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt recently bolstered its Construction and Commercial Litigation practices with the addition of Joseph Straus as a shareholder in its Seattle office and Jeremy Vermilyea in its Portland office. Both attorneys worked at the same regional firm prior to joining Schwabe.

The addition of these two talented attorneys positions our Construction Litigation Practice Group well for continued growth,” said Mark Long, managing partner at Schwabe.

Seattle Business as one of Seattle’s top four construction attorneys. He will continue to focus his practice in the area of construction and commercial litigation and comes to Schwabe with nearly 30 years of experience representing clients in all facets of construction disputes.

Straus has been named one of Washington’s top commercial litigators by Chambers USA and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine’s Top Lawyers in 2010. He is a member of Seattle University’s Board of Regents and is involved in numerous other state and local professional and civic organizations. Straus graduated from the University of Santa Clara, School of Law, with a juris doctor degree.

Vermilyea will continue to focus his practice in the area of construction and comes to Schwabe with 15 years of experience representing general contractors, specialty contractors, developers, design professionals and other members of the construction industry.  He has litigated numerous complex matters in state and federal courts in Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Idaho and California.

Vermilyea graduated from Vermont Law School with a juris doctor degree.  He is a member of the Oregon, Washington, Alaska and California state bar associations, and was named as an Oregon Super Lawyer in the area of construction litigation in 2010.

Also joining the firm’s Portland office is Kristin Vermilyea, a paralegal with nearly 30 years of experience in the areas of construction, commercial and complex litigation, and personal injury and product liability.