Douglas L. Batey

Practice Areas

Doug Batey helps individuals and businesses form startups, negotiate and draft commercial contracts, buy and sell businesses, license and commercialize technology and intellectual property, analyze and mitigate legal and business risk, and reorganize businesses. He emphasizes being available and responsive to his clients and focuses on helping them solve their legal and business problems.

Deep Experience and Expertise

Before starting his solo law practice, Doug practiced law for 34 years with Stoel Rives LLP, a major West Coast law firm, and was a partner since 1987. He has represented individuals and startups, small and mid-size companies, and major enterprises with operations nationwide and abroad. He offers the expertise, in-depth experience, and attention to detail of a big firm, but with personalized attention and follow-through at reasonable rates. He takes the time to listen hard to his clients and strives to find the right solution for them.

Background

Before practicing law, Doug served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including one tour in Vietnam in 1966-67, and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. He attended the University of Washington and was awarded a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, summa cum laude. He worked for five years as a computer programmer for Boeing Computer Services and for National Cash Register. In 1980, he obtained his law degree with honors from the University of Washington Law School and was the Law Review's Executive Editor for Operations.

Professional Activities

Member and past chair, Business Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA)
Member and past co-chair, Partnership and Limited Liability Company Law Committee, Business Law Section of the WSBA
Member, Board of Directors; Secretary and Vice President of Administration, Seattle Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, 2009 through 2014

Publications

From 2009 through 2014, Doug was the primary author of Stoel Rives' blog on the law of limited liability companies, publishing approximately 200 articles. His articles on LLC law have been republished repeatedly by the American Bar Association in The LLC & Partnership Reporter, the newsletter of the ABA's Committee on LLCs, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Entities. Several of his articles on LLC law have been republished in Business Law, a periodical of the Business Law Section of the WSBA. Doug has also written several articles on intellectual property protection and the licensing of intellectual property for various publications of Stoel Rives and for other periodicals. From 1986 through 1996 he wrote a monthly column titled "Financings, Mergers and Acquisitions" for the Northwest Venture Group Newsletter.

Doug served as the Co-Executive Editor, Washington Partnership and Limited Liability Company Deskbook (Wash. State Bar Assoc. 3d ed. 2020).

Presentations

Doug has been a frequent speaker on corporate and LLC law issues at legal education seminars sponsored by the WSBA and others. Topics of his recent presentations include the organization of LLCs and partnerships in Washington; entity conversions; judicial dissolution of LLCs, series LLCs, and limited liability partnerships; drafting considerations when forming Delaware LLCs; the 2016 comprehensive revisions to the Washington LLC Act; and the 2022 revisions to the Washington LLC Act and the Washington Uniform Limited Partnership Act.

Civic Activities

Former merit badge counselor; former member, Scout Committee; former Cubmaster; former Assistant Scoutmaster, Boy Scout Troop 597, Redmond, Washington
Little League Umpire, Redmond North Little League, Redmond, Washington (2007-2009)
Secretary, Washington Software Foundation (1993-1997)