John Ayer is an American lawyer and partner at Reed McClure, a Seattle law firm founded in 1890. Born in 1947 in Ayer, Massachusetts, he earned degrees from the University of Washington in mechanical engineering and law and was admitted to the Washington bar in 1975. His practice has covered insurance, construction, and tort litigation.
Background
John Ayer was born on October 2, 1947, in Ayer, Massachusetts. The town lies in northwestern Middlesex County and was originally part of Groton, from which it was separated and incorporated in 1871. It was named for Dr. James Cook Ayer, a Lowell pharmaceutical manufacturer whose funding helped build the town hall.
Ayer's development during the mid-nineteenth century followed the rapid expansion of railroads, and the town became a junction for lines running east-west and north-south. During the Civil War, Camp Stevens, a training camp for Massachusetts volunteers, was located nearby. In 1917 Camp Devens, later Fort Devens, was established to train soldiers for the First World War, and the base's personnel shaped local commerce until it closed in 1994.
Education
John Ayer studied at the University of Washington in Seattle, earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1975. Founded in 1861, the university is a public institution in Seattle and offered both engineering and law programs during the years he studied.
His law degree came from the university's School of Law, which was established in 1899 with John T. Condon as its first dean. In 1975, the year Ayer completed his law degree, the school moved out of Condon Hall, which was renamed Gowen Hall, into a new facility that provided much more space.
Ayer was admitted to the Washington bar in 1975 and to the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington. Admission to these courts authorized him to practice law in Washington state and in federal litigation arising in the state's eastern and western districts.
Career
Ayer was admitted to the bar in 1975, which qualified him to practice law in Washington and before the federal district courts for the state's eastern and western districts.
He worked as a partner at Reed McClure, a Seattle law firm founded in 1890. The firm is considered one of Seattle's oldest practices and traces its origins to a small office in Seattle's Pioneer Square. Its services have included appellate, construction, employment, insurance, and professional liability litigation.
The practice areas recorded for Ayer include insurance law and coverage, labor relations and employment law, maritime law, municipal law, professional liability, taxation, trusts and estate planning, construction and design litigation, and general tort litigation. Together they combine courtroom litigation with tax and estate work.
Membership
Ayer belongs to the legal profession's professional associations at local, state, and national levels. The Seattle-King County Bar Association serves lawyers practicing in King County, which includes Seattle.
The Washington State Bar Association licenses and regulates lawyers in Washington, while the American Bar Association is a national professional organization of American lawyers.
Seattle-King County Bar Association
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United States
