Solo no more

Longtime Moses Lake attorneys merge firms

MOSES LAKE — It's tough for an attorney to fly without a partner.

Brian Dano and Julie Harper know that well.

"One thing about being a solo is that you don't have anybody to bounce things off, and you don't have anybody to meet your clients when you're gone, you're sick—" Dano explained.

"You don't get to go home sick," Harper added.

"It's tough to take a vacation because you're worried about missing somebody that needs some service," Dano agreed.

Dano had been working in his law office practice alone for about five years. Harper launched her business law firm in June 2004. Previously, Harper had practiced with Lukins and Annis in town. In fact, she has a long history with the area, having attended high school, leaving only to get her degrees at Washington State University and at Gonzaga University, returning to Moses Lake in 1993.

She also worked at the Spokane County prosecutor's office for three years while attending law school.

Having known each other as attorneys in the area for years, and through their involvement voluntary attorneys' program at North Columbia Community Action Council, Dano discovered Harper was interested in the same kind of practice, and thought it seemed a natural move to have her join him and continue the practice.

So Dano's law firm and Harper's law firm merged May 1 into Dano and Harper, Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC), located at 100 E. Broadway Ave.

For Harper, the move means more longevity as she establishes a practice. For Dano, it means Harper will eventually continue the practice when he retires, although he stresses that day is still a long ways off.

"We're a lot more comprehensive," he said of the merger. "She and I can both communicate, we can talk about legal issues, talk about problems, and fill in for each other when need be … It gives you more continuity."

Harper also helps Dano with issues of a more technological nature.

"I grew up in a generation where there wasn't much technology, am learning it slowly and will never learn it completely," he said, adding with a chuckle. "She's really up to speed with it and will continue to be, because it doesn't scare her like it does me."

Dano provides Harper with over 30 years of experience, and "an excellent, well-trained" staff of six people, employed full and part time.

"It was helpful to me, having struggled as a solo practitioner, and you do — it's hard to fill everybody's shoes, to do everything," she said. "It was nice to be able to come here, have the benefit of all the experience, have staff — which, having done that for my own for a while, I really appreciate them — and just the continuity, being able to at least have one of us here for our clients all the time."

Now that there's an expanded base, Harper said, she can do more for her clients and offer more services, making it easier for her to meet their needs.

"I've had clients stop by just to see the new office," she said.

Dano said that the limited focus of the practice — wills, trusts, probate, real estate transactions, business law and transactions and some minor litigation in those areas with regards to clients — allows for a service that is fairly unique to the area.

"I think the future for this kind of practice is very good," he said. "The baby boomers — I'm kind of the lead of the baby boom generation — need to take care of their family and estate planning affairs, and so there's a huge population out there that needs the kind of services we offer."