Lewis Roca Rings in the New Year with the Addition of Two Lawyers in Phoenix
PHOENIX (January 12, 2021) – Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP announced Doug Gerlach has joined the firm as Of Counsel and Justin Gowan has joined as an Associate. Gerlach is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group while Gowan is a member of the firm’s Business Transactions Practice Group.
Gerlach joined the firm after serving more than 10 years as a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge. During that time, he was assigned to various divisions at the court; civil (four years), family (three years), criminal (two years), and appellate (18 months).
Prior to his judgeship, Gerlach's legal career consisted principally of business-related litigation at two prominent law firms in Phoenix. He was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation and antitrust law. Gerlach also served as a trial attorney with the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office for two years and was a member of the faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy for more than 20 years. He is a graduate of the College of Law at Arizona State University, with honors.
Gerlach’s participation in community affairs has included service on the City of Mesa’s Library and Human Services Advisory boards. He is also an alumnus of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce's Leadership program and Mesa's Citizen Police Academy. Before attending law school, Gerlach was a member of the Arizona State University athletic department’s administrative staff, which led to opportunities in radio and television sports broadcasting, and for more than 30 years, he broadcast events that included professional and college baseball, including seven College World Series, men’s and women’s college basketball, college and high school football and college and high school volleyball.
Gowan’s practice at the firm will focus on advising clients through a variety of real estate and corporate transactions. He also has experience handling commercial litigation, construction litigation and real estate litigation matters, where he has drafted motions, briefs and conducted pre-trial discovery; drafted demand letters; represented clients in arbitration and negotiated settlements on behalf of clients. He has also represented clients in proceedings before the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
While in law school, Gowan served on the Sports and Entertainment Law Journal as an associate editor and was later appointed as the Journal’s Editor-in-Chief. Prior to pursuing a career in law, Gowan spent five years in the retail banking industry where he assisted both individuals and businesses. He received his J.D. from Arizona State University and his B.S. from the University of Utah.
About Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP is an Am Law 200 commercial law firm handling complex matters in litigation, intellectual property, business transactions, gaming, government relations and other practice areas. Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie offices are located in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Reno, Silicon Valley and Tucson. For more information, visit lewisroca.com.
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