Britenae Pierce

Britenae is a trial and appellate lawyer with an extensive and diverse litigation practice.  She spends the majority of her practice handling both employment law and real property disputes.  Her practice also includes:

• Employment litigation
• Trade secret and misappropriation cases
• Employment advising
• Real property disputes
• Title insurance defense
• Construction law
• Contract/breach of contract cases
• Commercial and business litigation
• Dispute resolution
• State and federal appellate work

As chair of Ryan Swanson’s Employment Rights, Benefits & Labor Group, Britenae works with company owners and HR professionals to implement practical, creative solutions that protect their businesses from potential threats that can disrupt their workforce or business operations.  She counsels her clients on how to best comply with the law and meet the company’s business needs.  This encompasses various employment issues, including employer-employee agreements, employee claims, wage disputes, requests for accommodation, hiring/termination, employee handbooks and policies, investigations, trade secrets, and non-competes. She most often helps employers comply with employment laws and respond to various employee claims yet also advises employees in negotiating separation agreements.  When an employment matter reaches the litigation stage, Britenae is a thoughtful and zealous advocate, balancing business concerns with skilled courtroom experience whether in arbitration, trial, and on appeal.

Representative Employment Litigation Experience

• Represented national railroad in federal court jury trial, securing defense verdict against claims of disability discrimination and arguing the case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Represented national railroad in federal court case securing summary judgment dismissal of plaintiffs’ disability discrimination claims
• Represented large technology company in settling employee’s state court claims of failure to accommodate and disability discrimination

In her real property practice, Britenae handles a variety of disputes on behalf of property owners, lienholders, escrow companies, and title companies. Britenae works regularly as outside counsel for title companies and also represents their insureds in negotiated resolutions and litigation.  She handles matters ranging from adverse possession to intricate lien priority issues and many unusual and complex disputes in between.  Britenae’s real property and title insurance practice often finds her in the courtroom on summary judgment motions, in trial, and arguing cases on appeal.

Representative Real Property Litigation Experience

• Represented national railroad in successful summary judgment dismissal of plaintiffs’ property claims in state court and succeeded in affirming the judgment on appeal
• Represented individual in quiet title action to resolve ownership of property and won ownership rights as a bona fide purchaser on both trial and appeal
• Represented title company in recoupment action and won requested damages at trial
• Represented lienholders in various summary judgment motions securing requested lien priority
• Represented property owner in successful resolution of case against 12+ neighboring properties in a complex boundary line dispute encompassing an entire city block

Britenae is responsive, engaged, and genuinely enjoys helping individuals and businesses reach their goals, whether it is through litigation or an alternative resolution process. While her favorite days are spent arguing her clients’ cases in court, her practical and creative approach often results in early resolution for her clients.

Britenae values her continuing relationships with clients, many of which she has been working with since she began her practice. She also enjoys creating new client relationships in the greater Puget Sound community.

Within Ryan Swanson, Britenae is an active member of several groups and committees. She is the current chair of Ryan Swanson’s Employment Rights, Benefits and Labor Group. She leads the Associate Group and was recently a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

Outside of work, often you will find Britenae putting her creativity and problem-solving skills to good use as she wields power tools to update her 1924 home. When she puts the safety goggles down, Britenae is engaged in the never-ending pursuit of sunshine, whether traveling to a sunny destination, scouting Seattle’s latest outdoor eatery, or simply enjoying a cloud-free afternoon on her deck.