Porter Foster Rorick is a mission-driven law firm that allows its attorneys to walk the line between the private and public sectors. Our clients are public servants who chose their profession because they care about Washington’s students. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. In representing our clients, PFR attorneys have the privilege of playing a role in the education of Washington’s students. – Josh Halladay
The best part of practicing law at PFR is being involved in our community through representing public school districts. I feel so connected to the community around me and get genuine joy out of assisting students and administrators. I believe strongly in students’ rights to education, and I am excited to be able to work with school districts to help facilitate that. There is such a wide range of topics we get to advise our clients on; as an attorney I get the opportunity to expand my knowledge base on a variety of areas of law. – Kimberly Shely
I enjoy the variety of legal work I have the opportunity to experience. One day I may be attending a school board meeting. The next day I may be helping a client with a novel legal topic, and the next I may be appearing in front of an administrative law judge or sitting at a bargaining table with clients and their labor partners. My days never feel monotonous, and I value my close collaboration with clients. – Olivia Hagel
PFR represents the best of what it means to be a practicing attorney. It is the opportunity to represent clients that are engaging in the most meaningful work. It is the opportunity to feel like you are making a difference in the world around you. Nothing beats that feeling. – Rachel Miller
The best part of practicing law at PFR is the people who work for our public school clients. Having a clientele focused on such a positive endeavor makes it easy to find meaning and value in our work. Interacting with kind, compassionate, hard-working, clients makes it that much easier to be a kind, compassionate, hard-working attorney. – Lance Andree
One of my favorite aspects of working at PFR is how dynamic my law practice has become. This is true of both the diverse slate of legal issues I encounter and the very nature of how I practice day-to-day. While PFR may regularly advise clients on more “typical” issues of labor and employment, contract, and real property law, we are often called on to advise on niche First and Fourth Amendment constitutional questions and other unique issues impacting public school district staff, students, and their communities. Because every attorney at PFR is encouraged to explore and develop legal areas of specialization beyond our collective general counsel practice, I have also enjoyed the opportunity to travel across Washington State to work alongside PFR clients as part of my collective bargaining practice. – Greg Swanson
Practicing primarily in the area of special education law enables me to spend time at the school level working directly with teachers, therapists, and other support staff to design and implement appropriate programming for students with disabilities. I am constantly inspired by the skill, dedication, and empathy that educators bring to their profession, and it’s rewarding to use my legal expertise to clear obstacles for school teams so that they can do their best work with students. – Lynette Baisch
The best part of practicing law at PFR is the people: the thoughtful and altruistic educators we get to represent; the smart and generous lawyers and advocates we work alongside; and the remarkable and diverse students who are the beneficiaries of all the work we get to do. – Buzz Porter