Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com
MARCH 20, 2015 – Portia Moore, a partner in the Seattle office of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, has been named to the 2015 list of Most Influential Black Lawyers by Savoy magazine.
Moore and the other honorees are featured in an issue of Savoy published this month.
"Portia sets a high bar for all of us," said Jeff Gray, firmwide managing partner at Davis Wright Tremaine. "She is an outstanding lawyer, a leader on diversity and inclusion issues, and is committed to giving back to the community. We are thrilled to see her receive this well-deserved recognition."
Moore has decades of experience defending employers in complex litigation. She has served as lead counsel in numerous employment discrimination cases, including cases involving charges of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and wrongful termination. She has regularly won positive outcomes for her clients at trial, even in the face of difficult facts and inflammatory allegations.
Her experience also includes the successful defense of major product liability claims. With an undergraduate degree in nursing, Moore has special knowledge of the health care arena, and has had considerable success defending two of the country’s largest hospital systems.
Prior to practicing employment law, Portia served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, where she presented criminal indictments to federal grand juries, conducted jury and bench trials, and presented oral arguments before the 9th Circuit. She successfully litigated jury trial cases involving charges of money laundering, racketeering, and national security issues.
Moore is an active member of the Loren Miller Bar Association—the oldest minority bar and the largest organization of African-American attorneys in the U.S. She is also a former board member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Puget Sound. She became chair of Davis Wright Tremaine’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee in 2013.
Moore recently travelled to Starbucks headquarters to receive, on behalf of the firm, the 2014 ‘Excellence in Diversity’ award from the Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs Department. Lucy Lee Helm, executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Starbucks, said Davis Wright Tremaine “consistently demonstrates leadership in enhancing diversity and creating critical opportunities for legal professionals of all backgrounds.”
For more on Davis Wright Tremaine’s efforts, and to read the firm’s annual Diversity & Inclusion Report, go to dwt.com/diversity.
Savoy magazine is published by Savoy Media Group, based in Atlanta.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with approximately 500 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.