Workland & Witherspoon PLLC, a 10-attorney law firm here, says it has maintained a steady volume of legal work during the recession by focusing on the needs of long-term clients. It also says it isn't looking to expand.

"We're at a comfortable size," says James McPhee, managing member of the firm. "At some point a firm is too big for a small-firm feel."

The firm's attorneys have established strong relationships with their clients and enjoy good camaraderie with each other, McPhee says.

"We're still one cohesive unit," he says, adding there's no need for the firm to divide its members and associates into different legal departments like bigger firms do.

Workland & Witherspoon's areas of emphasis include civil trial and appellate practice; corporate, banking, and real estate transactions; state and federal taxation; estate planning; and employment law. The firm leases about 6,000 square feet of space on the seventh floor of the Washington Mutual Financial Center, at 601 W. Main .

Peter Witherspoon, a founding member of the firm, says the recession hasn't reduced the volume of work the firm is performing.

"The economy hasn't affected how busy we've been," Witherspoon says. "I'm not seeing any drop in revenue."

While real estate transactions have slowed, for example, the firm has taken on some receiverships and has seen a rise in subdivision financing issues, he says.

"Credit issues are rising," Witherspoon says. "That part of the practice has expanded."

He also says the firm has maintained its size intentionally at about the same level for the last few years to stay close to its clients.

"We believe in having the opportunity to maintain contact with clients," Witherspoon says.

Witherspoon cofounded the firm in 1985 after leaving the prominent Spokane firm Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport & Toole PS, in which his father and grandfather spent their law careers.

"I left primarily because the firm was growing to a size greater than what I wanted for myself in the future," he says. "I enjoyed working there and I still have a good relationship with attorneys in that firm."

The four members, or partners, of Workland & Witherspoon are Witherspoon, McPhee, Gary Brajcich, and Eric Sachtjen. James Workland, the other namesake, remains of counsel, or contractually affiliated, with the firm, but is no longer an owner.

Along with the members, the firm has four associates, another attorney of counsel, and a support staff of nine.

A large number of the firm's clients are locally owned businesses, and many owners of those businesses retain the firm to meet their personal legal needs, Witherspoon says.

"We hold ourselves out as a full-service business, transactional, personal, and estate-planning firm," he says. He adds that the firm attracts new clients largely through referrals from its longtime clients and from other law firms.

Because of the firm's intentionally limited growth, it doesn't take on every new potential new client or case that comes its way, Witherspoon says.

"I've been contacted about five or six new matters in two days' time," he says. "I declined three because I didn't have the time that would be needed to work on them."

The firm declines to disclose the names of its clients and doesn't seek publicity for its cases.

"You get your name in the paper when it's related to litigation," Witherspoon says. "While most of the attorneys do a significant amount of litigation, they don't go out seeking publicity."

Witherspoon estimates that more than 30 percent of the firm's attorneys' hours are spent on litigation matters, although some attorneys work on litigation more than others.

"We're comfortable taking on complex litigation matters," he says.

Each of the firm's clients has a primary attorney contact, although the attorneys collaborate on some matters depending on their areas of expertise.

Not all cases that are prepared for litigation end up in court, because settlement alternatives can reduce the risks and costs of expensive court battles, Witherspoon says.

"A lot of cases get resolved through mediation or arbitration," he says. "With the cost of litigation, you have to emphasize good business judgment in dealing with dispute resolution."

All but three of the firm's attorneys are graduates of the Gonzaga University law school, and several have been instructors there.

"We've got good ties to Gonzaga," says Witherspoon, who's a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and a former adjunct professor at Gonzaga. "That's assisted us in getting good law clerks and legal interns. A couple of them have developed into associate positions."

Current associates have been with the firm for as long as five years, he says.

Two former associates, including McPhee, are now partners in the firm, although the firm doesn't have a formal partnership track for associates, Witherspoon says.

McPhee says the firm checks with other law firms for recommendations when it recruits new associates.

During the interview process, members of the firm gauge the applicant's personality and interests as well as professional and academic history, he says.

"The firm is not highly structured," McPhee says. "We're looking for self-motivated self-starters. We've been lucky finding people who fit that mold."