Attorneys

Cyrus Vance, Jr. is a trial lawyer with extensive trial experience in both civil and criminal cases in federal and state courts. He has successfully represented private citizens, major public universities, national law firms, members of law enforcement, attorneys, politicians, corporate executives and directors of publicly traded companies, and major corporations in highly publicized and complex federal and state criminal and regulatory litigation and investigations. In his civil practice, he has tried complex and extended cases for both plaintiffs and defendants in disputes involving real estate, contract, personal injury, business torts, and lawyer liability claims, among others.

Mr. Vance received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School in 1982 and served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where he supervised extensive grand jury investigations and prosecuted cases involving murder, organized crime, career criminals, political corruption, international art fraud, and white-collar crime. After moving to Seattle, he co-founded McNaul Ebel Nawrot Helgren & Vance, which became one of the pre-eminent litigation firms in the Northwest. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Seattle University School of Law teaching trial advocacy, and was a consulting expert to the Office of Family and Children Ombudsman in its investigation into the Wenatchee sex-abuse cases. By gubernatorial appointment, he served on the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, advising the governor and legislature on issues pertaining to state sentencing policies. He was appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General to represent the State in investigations and litigation. Upon returning to his home town of New York City in 2004, he joined Morvillo Abramowitz as a principal.

Among other community and professional activities, by appointment of the Governor Mr. Vance is a member of the New York State Appellate Division, First Department, Judicial Screening Panel, and a member of the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform. Mr. Vance is also a member of the Criminal Justice Council of the New York City Bar Association, the Federal Bar Council, and the New York Council of Defense Lawyers. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Modern Courts, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, and is a former Co-chair of the Seattle Symphony Board of Directors.

Mr. Vance is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America – The New York Area’s Best Lawyers, and New York’s Superlawyers – Manhattan Edition.

Mr. Vance is admitted in New York, Washington, D.C., and Washington state and to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, and the District Courts for the Southern District of New York, the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington and the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.