Michael Arne Larson

Picture a tennis court. Thwack! A ball crosses the net. Thwack! It zooms back across the net, perhaps with a spin you weren’t expecting, and takes an unpredictable bounce. That’s the way things often work in business, and one of those unpredictable bounces was what steered Mike Larson into the practice of law. “I had an MBA in transportation and was working for a big company down in California. Then Jimmy Carter deregulated the whole industry. Bam! My company was going to shut down the Los Angeles office and move everyone to Dallas. The University of Oregon was willing to apply some of my MBA transportation credits toward law school, so it was off to law school.”

The contrast between the regulated world of transportation at that time and the entrepreneurial approach required to succeed in business was what kindled his interest. “The transportation industry had been stuck in a technical world of rules and regulations. It’s a whole little world of ‘don’t do this; don’t do that.’ The business world is the exact opposite. People want to get things done. They’ll get advice, weigh the risks, then make a decision and do what it takes to succeed.” After getting his law degree and moving back to his Seattle roots in the mid-‘80s, Mike was busy doing transactional law, including a few divorces. “I don’t do divorces any more, but it gave me a good grounding in how community property laws can affect a business. It’s the same when partners fall out of favor with each other. It gave me good experience to handle tough situations with a broad-based approach.”

His own entrepreneurial instincts prompted Mike to consider starting his own practice in 1997. His partners have nicknamed him “the Rain Maker.” He admits that seeing the impact of changes in the transportation industry of the 1980s prepared him to stay tuned as the wave of computerization rolled through the business world in the ‘90s. “I had started in a paper world, cutting and pasting contracts together, writing comments in the margins and then having them retyped. The business world was changing rapidly. I thought it was a good time to take the risk, use those productivity tools in the legal profession and start a practice our own way.”

Going through that risk and challenge has made Mike very appreciative of the work he does for his clients. “It’s really rewarding working with smart people dealing with exciting challenges. I love what I do. It’s a good life.”

One of the most gratifying parts of building a successful practice is the amount of new business referred to LHS by current clients. “It’s great that we have a reputation of integrity. Many of our clients are referred to us from people or companies that we have worked for in the past and how have been pleased with our services.” Mike compares legal services to putting on your seat belt when you get in your car: “You want to avoid a risk that you can’t see right now. It’s important to get your business set up correctly right from the start. We can start from zero documentation through incorporations and partnerships. Then there are outside factors like vendor relations, payment disputes, warranty issues, leases and real estate transactions that need to be clear and specific up front so they don’t come back and give you unforeseen problems later.”

With the energy that drives him around the tennis court, Mike and his wife of 27 years Barbara are extremely active in the community with a long volunteer list that includes Casa Latina and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. That outlook carries over to the firm’s goal of being a positive force in the community by allocating time, resources and talent to volunteer legal work. “We’re working really hard to build a legacy of respect. We have a great staff and everyone’s door is always open. It makes us feel good when we hear from a client ‘We’re so glad we chose Larson Hart & Shepherd to do our business legal work…it allowed us to quickly end a dispute and we prevailed.’”

Mike Larson is admitted to practice in the State of Washington, United States District Court for the Western and Eastern District of Washington and of Federal Claims, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also provides a full range of Estate Planning services, from initial consultations, document drafting, final preparations and document execution, to semi-annual reviews to accommodate any significant changes to your estate or financial situation.