Foster, Pepper and Sheffleman is arguably the most powerful law firm in Washington State at the moment.
They rose to prominence as counsel to the well run savings bank, Washington Mutual, I believe avoiding the scandals of the savings and loan debacle of Keating, et al.
Under Norm Rice they entered the public bonding arena doing the first low-income housing bond. This looks to be largely the accomplishment of senior Partner Judy Runstad - a former land use official who married the inheirited wealth of the Wright and Runstad construction firm, Jon Runstad. (I'm not sure in exactly what order these events occurred).
At the passage of the first Sound Transit regional light rail bond they rose to an equal status with the traditional public brokers, Preston Gates and Ellis - sharing the responsibility - and operating out of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Under circumstances I'm still trying to figure out they seem to have risen to the top, with the still quiet fall of PGE (though not Bill Gates, Sr.).
However in the eyes of this recently re-activated and somewhat educated observer, they seem to have lost the support of many of their earlier backers. I won't go into details here, but it looks like, in the eyes of their old 'friends' they've now become the same as the old 'boss'.
