Seattle Office

John B. Dorris is an Attorney with Betts, Patterson & Mines P.S. where he practices general insurance defense. John joins the firm after serving as the Assistant Director of the Northwest ADA Center at the University of Washington where he specialized in providing guidance and training on all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act within the Pacific Northwest.

John and his tuxedo cat relocated to Seattle from Orlando, Florida in the Fall of 2023. While in Florida, John primarily practiced corporate bankruptcy and marital dissolution mediation for nearly fifteen years and remains an active member of the Bar in both Washington and Florida. He is a Florida arbiter, and a Florida Supreme Court certified family mediator especially informed on issues of trauma and interpersonal violence.

During his time in Orlando, John was an active volunteer with various organizations including the Citizen’s Dispute and Family Law Mediation Program, the Florida Bar Grievance Mediation & Fee Arbitration Program, and Cornerstone Hospice.

​John continues his passion for adaptive sports and community building in Washington where he’s active in multiple LGBTQIA sports organizations in the region including the Emerald City Softball Association, Unicorn Volleyball Club, and Seattle Pride Sports. John also enjoys cheering on Seattle’s home teams as a season ticket holder for the Storm and Torrent.

​John attended Florida State University College of Law where he earned his Juris Doctorate, cum laude. John also attended graduate school at the University of Houston and Central Michigan University, and he attended Purdue University for his undergraduate work.

Luis E. Carlo is an attorney at Betts, Patterson, & Mines’ Seattle office. His practice currently focuses on all aspects of insurance defense.

Prior to joining Betts, Patterson, & Mines, he worked at a large nationwide insurance defense firm where he handled wrongful death, construction defect, and motor vehicle accident cases. Prior to practicing insurance defense, he counseled clients on the best strategies to handle their serious criminal matters with excellent results. His prior mortgage litigation consulting work resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements in cases where large banks failed to properly service mortgage loans and breached fiduciary duties to investors. Furthermore, Luis has testified at countless trials and depositions while representing a large regional bank, resulting in the recovery of millions of dollars in collateral.

Luis graduated from Barry University School of Law in 2012. He relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2017 from Florida, holding licenses to practice law in both states.

In his spare time, Luis is passionate about international travel. In both undergrad and law school, he studied abroad in Austria. You will often find him on vacation in Western Europe, time permitting. Luis is a native Spanish speaker and speaks a bit of German.

Heather Adams is an attorney in the Seattle office of Betts Patterson & Mines, P.S. Her practice focuses on insurance defense, insurance coverage, and employment law matters.

Before joining Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S., Heather worked for another local insurance defense firm. In addition to her experience as an attorney, Heather has over twenty years of experience in law firm management.

Heather is a native of the Pacific Northwest, born and raised in Southern Oregon. At the urging of colleagues and clients, she enrolled in the Paralegal Studies program at Edmonds Community College in 2001 and embarked on a two-decade journey to obtain her Juris Doctor. Heather graduated cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 2021.

In her spare time, Heather enjoys spending time with her two kids, traveling, cooking, and running.

Ryan Wolff is an attorney in the Seattle Office of Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S. His practice encompasses both estate planning and estate administration, including probate, as well as litigation matters, including insurance defense and bad-faith claims.

Liv Wernecke is Of Counsel, with more than 50 years’ experience at Betts Patterson Mines P.S. He is part of the Estate Planning and Probate practice area and also is a member of the firm’s Business Transactions Practice Group.

Mr. Wernecke’s practice covers estate planning, succession planning for closely held business, real estate and investment entities, compensation and retirement arrangements, probate, trust creation and administration, individual, estate and entity taxation, guardianships, and certain aspects of international trade.

He was co-counsel of a successful Washington Supreme Court case upholding the application of the equal protection clause to state taxes and has lectured at Golden Gate University in taxation of S Corporations, partnerships and estates.

Representative Cases

Estate plan drafted for

• Couple requiring minimal language in federally taxable estate ;
• Couple with federally taxable estate composed of illiquid encumbered real property
• Couple with federally taxable estate largely in Individual Retirement Accounts;
• Couple with federally taxable Estate using grantor retained annuity trusts and qualified personal residence trusts
• Couple requiring gifts in closely held business ownerships
• Beneficiary of a taxable trust and a difficult business/trust arrangement

Estate/Trust administration

• Deceased spouse with JTWROS accounts, real estate and disclaimers to reduce survivor’s estate
• Substantial charitable bequests distributed in several months
• Deceased spouse with disclaimer to reduce estate taxes
• Estate requiring real property sales for distribution
• Assist attorneys with probate litigation and dispute resolution

Business Entities

• Draft Buy-Sell Agreement
• Draft Buy-Sell Agreement for elderly shareholders
• Draft private foundation documents
• Draft limited liability agreements for business succession

Real Property (often in trusts or Estates)

• Prepare sale and security documents for commercial buildings
• Assist with clean up and sale of contaminated properties

Taxation

• Change large IRS estate tax claim in to equally large refund on real estate sold during estate administration
• Dealt with IRS retirement plan claims
• Dealt with audit on real estate values

Mary Ruffin is an attorney in the Seattle office of Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S. Her practice focuses on representing clients in a range of commercial and insurance-related disputes. Ms. Ruffin brings a thoughtful and strategic approach to litigation, informed by her previous experience working on complex transactional matters for both public agencies and private-sector clients.

Ms. Ruffin earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Law, Societies, and Justice from the University of Washington, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law. While in law school, she was a Christine Gregoire Fellow, a Hazelton Research Fellow, and a national competitor on the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Team.

Ms. Ruffin currently serves on the Board of Directors for Solid Ground and is a member of the Loren Miller Bar Association and Washington Women Lawyers.

Sean Paulich’s practice emphasizes insurance coverage, insurance defense, business transaction, and design professional liability matters. He is a member of the firm’s Insurance Coverage, Business & Corporate, and Design Professionals groups.

Mr. Paulich earned his B.A. in History from the University of Washington and his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Paulich worked for KIRO radio, Amazon.com, and the King County Bar Association. While in law school, Mr. Paulich worked for the Washington State Bar Association’s Volunteer Legal Services and Catholic Community Services’ Legal Action Center.

In his free time, Mr. Paulich enjoys music and songwriting. He has performed live at many Seattle venues. Mr. Paulich also enjoys cycling, playing soccer, and cheering on Seattle’s home team Sounders, Mariners, and Seahawks.

Patrick M. Paulich is Of Counsel with Betts Patterson Mines P.S. where he practices insurance coverage, environmental law, construction law, product liability and general insurance defense. Prior to joining BPM, Patrick was President and Managing Shareholder at Thorsrud Cane & Paulich in Seattle from 1988 until 2015. From 1980 until 1988, he was an attorney at the Seattle law firm Tewell, Thorpe & Findlay.

Patrick is rated “AV Preeminent,” the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards, by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named a Washington State “Super Lawyer” from 2003 through 2021 by Super Lawyers Magazine. He earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Washington in 1976 and his J.D. from the University of Washington in 1980.

Scott Noel is a trial attorney with Betts Patterson Mines in Seattle, Washington. He was admitted to practice law in 2002 in Florida and 2005 in Washington. He joined Safeco in 2008. He practices in the areas of Construction Defect and insurance defense. He has tried two complex construction defect claims in Washington both resulting in defense verdicts. He has tried multiple negligence cases in Washington and Florida as well.

Significant appellate cases: Satomi Owners Ass’n v. Satoomi, LLC, 167 Wn.2d 781, 225 P.3d 213 (2009); Edifice Construction Company, Inc. v. Arrow Insulation, Inc. 12. Wn.App. 1019 (2020); Wolff v. Design Guild Homes of WA, Inc. 172 Wn.App. 1034 (2012); NW Cascade Inc. v. WA State Department of L&I, 2. Wn. App 2nd 1056 (2018); IMCO General Construction Inc. v. Department of L&I of State of WA, 2 Wn.App.2D 1014 (2018).

Before joining Betts Patterson Mines, Mr. Noel began his career working as an insurance defense attorney in Florida specializing in construction defect, as well as defending local school boards in North Florida and a national rental car company in cases all over the state of Florida. After moving to Seattle, Mr. Noel worked for two large national insurance carriers as their construction defect attorney as well as a small boutique construction defect firm. Mr. Noel also had a two-year stint defending contractors before the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals for safety citations, including numerous trials for Stute violations.

Mr. Noel received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. He is a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. While in the Army, Attorney Noel studied Arabic (Egyptian dialect) at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.

When not working, Mr. Noel enjoys spending time traveling with his family.

James represents businesses in “bet the company” cases. According to a law partner, “clients want James on the field when the game is on the line.” Like a seasoned quarterback, James focuses narrowly on the goal line. James calls plays that are carefully designed to score quickly and efficiently, mindfully respecting his clients’ budget and goals. James uses his years of experience in court to call the right plays at the right time.

James joined Betts Patterson Mines, P.S. in 1980. Since then he has counseled hundreds of clients in a diverse array of complex business disputes including trade secrets, securities, estate, and consumer class action cases. He has represented manufacturers, engineers, distributors, banks, general contractors, developers, insurance brokers, and technology companies. James is a seasoned litigator whose notable engagements include:

• Defending a Texas-based Fortune 100 manufacturing conglomerate in a suit brought by the largest construction contractor in the Pacific Northwest. The dispute involved a multi-million-dollar contract for the sale of massive diesel generator sets that were specially designed to power an Air Force radar station on a remote Aleutian island. The contractor sued the manufacturer for delaying the project. The manufacturer recovered $2.4 million on its counterclaim.
• Representing an automobile manufacturer that purchased 12,000 motor vehicle engines in Japan for assembly in Windsor, Ontario. The engines were worth $13 million. They had been shipped from Japan to Washington for rail transport to Windsor and were delayed at Sea-Land’s Tacoma dock due to a major West Coast Teamsters strike. Because the delay threatened to shut down the manufacturer’s Windsor minivan plant, the manufacturer brought an emergency replevin action. The engines were released from Sea-Land’s dock within 24 hours.
• Defending the leading manufacturer of digital multimeters in Europe against color-combination-related trade dress claims brought by the largest manufacturer of digital multimeters in the U.S. The U.S. manufacturer claimed that the French manufacturer infringed trademark rights that it had developed in its contrasting yellow and dark color scheme. The case settled on the eve of trial. The French manufacturer acquiesced in the U.S. manufacturer’s trademark rights in the U.S. in exchange for a perpetual, paid up license that allowed it to continue to use its traditional corporate colors on key product lines.
• Defending hotel owners against securities fraud, racketeering, breach of fiduciary duty, and wrongful withholding of wages claims arising out of a troubled hotel acquisition. The defense was seller’s remorse—that is, that the plaintiff withdrew from the partnership because he could not tolerate the risk. The plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction was denied, and the plaintiff’s lis pendens was quashed. The jury returned a defense verdict after deliberating for only two hours following a two week jury trial.
• Representing a decedent’s former business partner in a struggle with the decedent’s estate for control of a corporation. The corporation owned a casino. Initially, the partner won a preliminary injunction blocking an estate-backed special shareholders meeting for the purpose of removing the corporation’s board and halting a 3,333% rent increase. The partner also won summary judgments thwarting the estate’s infringing use of the casino’s trademark and awarding the corporation $3 million on its counterclaim.
• Representing a computer network consulting company in a suit against a former employee who secretly concluded an independent contract with a major customer by presenting proprietary technical information as his own. Following a one-week trial in federal court, an Oregon jury returned a verdict for compensatory and punitive damages for violations of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
• Representing an Alaska corporation in a suit to recover losses it suffered due to theft and mismanagement by the manager of its retail stores and to remove a member of its board of directors who covered up the fraud. Following a one-week jury trial in Alaska Superior Court, the retailer recovered a judgment for compensatory and punitive damages against the former manager and the director. The court also barred the director from re-election to the board pursuant to Alaska Stat. § 10.06.463.

In recent years, James has also developed a substantial mid-market transactional practice that includes business planning, estate planning, and commercial real estate. He works with clients at every stage of the business life cycle, offering clients advice from “cradle to grave.”

James is admitted to practice in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho. He is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” each year from 2003-2025. James served as the firm’s managing partner for 15 years. He graduated from University of Oregon with a B.S. in Economics in 1977 and received his J.D. from University of Washington in 1980.

James is one of the firm’s representatives at LAWorld. LAWorld is a network of 57 mid-sized law firms covering most of the major commercial centers around the world, with more than 1350 lawyers in 100 cities. LAWorld’s purpose is to provide its members’ clients with instant access to quality legal advice anywhere in the world.

James is a frequent writer and speaker in the legal community. His topics include developments in antitrust law that impact intellectual property licensing transactions and law firm organizational health.

Representative Cases

APPELLATE DECISIONS

• Ceva Freight, LLC v. Employment Dep’t, 279 Or. App. 570 (2016), rev. denied, 360 Or. 751 (2016).
• Bryant v. Am. Seafoods Co., 348 Fed. Appx. 256 (9th Cir. 2009) (affirming dismissal for lack of standing).
• Grand View Homes L.L.C. v. Cascade Testing Laboratory, Inc., No. 60217-9-I, 2008 WL 4053439 (Wash. App. Div. I September 2, 2008) (notation of unreported decision at 146 Wash. App. 1044).
• Experience Hendrix L.L.C. v. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation, No. 05-36029, 2007 WL 1748354 (9th Cir. June 18, 2007), cert. denied, 128 S. Ct. 908 (2008).
• Stonebridge Securities, LLC v. Devine, No. 58458-8-I, 2007 WL 1464431 (Wash. App. Div. I May 21, 2007) (notation of unreported decision at 138 Wash. App. 1047).
• Martinez v. Cape Fox Corporation, 113 P.3d 1226 (Alaska 2005).
• Shields v. Cape Fox Corporation, 42 P.3d 1083 (Alaska 2002).
• Omega Environmental, Inc. v. Blohorn, No. 00-35211, 2001 WL 1356831 (9th Cir. Nov. 5, 2001).
• Undersigned Shareholders of the Cape Fox Corporation v. Cape Fox Corporation, No. 0990 (Alaska Sup. Ct. Aug. 30, 2000).
• Hewitt v. Hewitt, No. 36607-6-I, 1997 WL 306417 (Wash. App. Div. I June 9, 1997).
• Hamilton Properties, Inc. v. Associated Grocers, Inc., 144 Or. App. 171, 925 P.2d 1237 (1996).
• City of Ketchikan d/b/a Ketchikan Public Utilities v. Cape Fox Corporation, 65 F.3d 754 (9th Cir. 1995), opinion withdrawn, 74 F.3d 191, opinion replaced, 85 F.3d 1381 (1996).
• BBC Dodge, Inc. v. Chrysler Corporation, No. 36799-4-I, 1996 WL 146723 (Wash. App. Div. I Apr. 1, 1996).
• Ketchikan Public Utilities, 74 Fed. Energy Reg. Comm’n ¶ 62,113, 1996 WL 21903 (Fed. Energy Reg. Comm’n Jan. 22, 1996).
• Tongass Alaska Girl Scout Council, Inc. v. Cape Fox Corporation, No. 94-36177, 1995 WL 555747 (9th Cir. Sept. 18, 1995) (notation of unreported decision at 67 F.3d 309).
• Hewitt v. Hewitt, 78 Wash. App. 447, 896 P.2d 1312 (1995).
• Wright Schuchart, Inc. v. Cooper Industries, Inc., Nos. 93-35778, 93-35946 and 93-36074, 1994 WL 621889 (9th Cir. Apr. 21, 1995) (notation of unreported decision at 40 F.3d 1247).
• Beal v. Aexel, No. 16355-1-II (Wash. App. Div. II Feb. 23, 1995).
• Overlake Chrysler Plymouth, Inc. v. Chrysler Corporation, Nos. 25917-2-I and 26122-3-I (Wash. App. Div. I Aug. 26, 1991).
• Richter v. Trimberger, 50 Wash. App. 780, 750 P.2d 1279 (1988).
• Rawson v. United Steelworkers of America, 111 Idaho 630, 726 P.2d 742 (1986).
• Hewson Construction, Inc. v. Reintree Corporation, 101 Wash. 2d 819, 685 P.2d 1062 (1984).
• Hoppenbrouwer v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, No. 83-3752 (9th Cir. Feb. 17, 1984) (notation of unreported decision at 730 F.3d 766).
• Cascade Cabinet Co. v. Western Cabinet & Millwork, Inc., 710 F.2d 1366 (9th Cir. 1983).
• Williams v. Seattle School District No. 1, 97 Wash. 2d 215, 643 P.2d 426 (1982).

Publications & Presentations

• The “Nuts and Bolts” of Practice Group Management, Address at LAWorld Annual Meeting in Santiago, Chile (April 12, 2018).
• Making Your Law Firm a Great Place to Work (and Keeping It That Way), Address at LAWorld Annual Meeting in Barcelona, Spain (May 3, 2017).
• Consent Judgments in Washington: What You Need to Know to Keep from Getting Burned, Address at RSUI Group Annual In-House Seminars in Atlanta (April 24, 2012) and Los Angles (May 14, 2012).
• Developments in Antitrust Law That Impact Intellectual Property Licensing Transactions, 78 Defense Counsel Journal 274 (July 2011).
• Recent Developments in Antitrust Law that Impact Intellectual Property Licensing Transactions, Address at the Fifth Annual Conference on Complex Licensing Transactions (August 26, 2010).
• Antitrust and Intellectual Property: Where is that Crossroads in 2010?, Address at Antitrust Enforcement in Global Technology Markets Conference (June 17, 2010).
• Understanding the Professional Capabilities of LAWorld’s American Firms, Address at LAWorld’s Annual Meeting in Dublin, Ireland (April 29, 2008).
• Threats to Excellence in Civil Trial Advocacy, Address at the Installation of the Betts, Patterson & Mines Professorship in Trial Advocacy at The University of Washington School of Law (April 11, 2008).
• Losing Priority: Security Interests in Collateral Obtained in Contravention of the Federal Securities Laws, Defense Research Institute Commercial Litigation Committee Newsletter The Business Suit 1-2 (Nov. 2005).
• Composite Trademarks: Deconstructing the Similarity of Marks Element in a Trademark Infringement Action, 72 Defense Counsel Journal 347 (Oct. 2005).
• The Basics of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, Address at the International Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting (July 4, 2005).
• New Class Action Settlement Notice Requirements Made to Combat Clientless Litigation, 18 LAWorld International Business Briefing 5 (May 2005).
• Removing “Loss” from Loss Causation: An Assessment of the Loss Causation Pleading Requirement in the Ninth Circuit, Washington Defense Lawyers: Defense News 1-2, 4 (Feb./Mar. 2005).
• Defending Managed Earnings Cases by Understanding Revenue Recognition, 71 Defense Counsel Journal 289 (July 2004).
• Single Application International Trademark Registration Now Available to the United States, International Association of Defense Counsel Intellectual Property Committee Newsletter 1-2 (Feb. 2004).
• A Few Things Civil Trial Lawyers Need to Know About the Fifth Amendment, Washington Defense Lawyers: Defense News 1-5, 14 (Sept. 2003).
• Survey Evidence of Likelihood of Confusion in Trademark Cases: How Much Confusion Is Enough? International Association of Defense Counsel Intellectual Property Committee Newsletter 1-10 (April 2002).
• Opposing Damages Claims Based Upon Discounted Cash Flow Analysis in Business Cases, International Association of Defense Counsel Business Litigation Committee Newsletter 1-4 (June 2000).
• Barring Consequential Damages Despite the Failure of an Exclusive Remedy, International Association of Defense Counsel Business Litigation Committee Newsletter 1-5 (Sept. 1999).
• ANCSA 14c and Shareholder Benefit Issues, Address at Alaska Bar Association Ninth Annual Alaska Native Law Conference (Oct. 16, 1996).
• The Nuts and Bolts of Commercial Litigation, Address at Seattle Executives Association Luncheon (Feb. 12, 1994).
• What Makes a Legal Matter Newsworthy? (How to Handle Your Case Without Prejudice to Your Client), Address at the Washington State Bar Association’s Road Map to Better Understanding Bench/Bar Press Conference (Nov. 19, 1993).
• Lender Liability: Closing Argument from a Hypothetical Case, Address at the Sixth Annual Pacific Northwest Bankruptcy and Credit Seminar (May 19, 1990).
• When the Going Gets Rough, Address at the Alexander Hutton, Inc. Smart Borrower Seminar (Dec. 9, 1987).