Susan J. Harriman

A veteran litigator, Harriman joined Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP in 1985 and made partner four years later. She handles a range of complex business disputes and is active in the American College of Trial Lawyers, where she was recently elected secretary effective September 2019.

“I’ll become the group’s third woman president in 2022,” she said.

Harriman is preparing for an Oct. 21 jury trial in Portland, Oregon, where she is defending the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and two of its locals against a Philippines-owned company operating container terminals at the Port of Portland.

“I’m expecting the judge’s orders on the motions in limine to see what kind of case I can try,” Harriman said.

The case began with company allegations that her union clients engaged in deliberate work stoppages and slowdowns. The union contends that the company, ICTSI Oregon Inc., committed serious safety violations and created a miserable working environment. ICTSI Oregon Inc. v. ILWU and Locals 8 and 40, 3:12-cv-01058-51 (D. Ore., filed June 13, 2012).

“The other side is anxious to destroy the union and is seeking inordinate damages,” she said. The plaintiff’s damage estimate is $190 million. “There have been a lot of findings against us, but still, I feel good going in,” Harriman added. “We have great witnesses with a great story to tell.”

She’s recently been assessing the jury pool. “Portland is a blue town, though not too strongly pro-union,” she said. “There’s been a lot of negative publicity against my client that left a lot of people with a bad impression. We’ll see how long people’s memories are when I’m picking the jury. You know, there’s an art to that. You go with your gut.”

Other clients include a major liquor distributor, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC. She won summary judgment last November in successfully defeating a fraud lawsuit brought by the owner of a San Francisco nightclub, the Boom Boom Room. Andreas v. Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits LLC, CGC-17-559258 (S.F. Cty. Super. Ct., filed June 1, 2017).

Then there are the confidential cases in which Harriman represents law firms and lawyers. “I can’t talk much about them, but I greatly enjoy working for firms and lawyers,” she said. “When you’re developing a strategy, they get it.”

In one such case, in which she declined to name her attorney clients, she recently won a motion to compel arbitration of a plaintiff’s claims of negligence, legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty. Harriman will be lead trial lawyer at the arbitration.

“These are intellectually challenging and enjoyable cases,” she said. “I come out a better lawyer.”

—John Roemer