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Robert Cooper

Originally from San Francisco, Robert moved to the District of Columbia in 1979, where he attended Howard University (BBA-Finance/Commercial Banking, 1984), and George Washington University Law School (JD,1987).

Robert began his career as an attorney with the law firm of Jackson & Campbell, P.C., where he specialized in real estate transactions, litigation, and local administrative law, including zoning and land-use issues. Robert ended his 21 year association with Jackson & Campbell to open his own real estate/land use and litigation firm, Cooper & Crickman, PLLC in 2007.

In addition to pursuing his career in law, Robert is active in local politics, serves numerous civic and community based organizations, and provides aid and counsel to tenants and tenant associations in purchasing residential properties.

Robert recently served as a member of the District of Columbia's Housing Finance Agency, having been nominated by Major Adrian Fenty and confirmed by the District's City Council in May 2007. He was elected to serve on the National Conference of State Housing Associations (NCSHA). 

 Robert's primary mission is to increase the role and exposure of the District's Housing Finance Agency in those neighborhoods and communities that have, historically, been underserved by traditional lenders, with appropriate programming and products.

Darrah Hinton

Darrah Hinton puts into practice her litigation and first-hand collective bargaining experience as a union association president to help businesses resolve pain points in their employer-labor relationship. In addition to her labor dispute resolution and negotiation practice, Darrah maintains an active employment litigation practice focused on defending employers in matters arising out of wage-and-hour claims, allegations of discrimination and harassment, and state agency actions.

Prior to joining DWT, Darrah served as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, where she utilized an analytical and public health approach to tackle firearm violence, developed community-based firearm prevention programs, and handled felonies of all classes. While serving as a prosecutor, Darrah was also the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Association's union president. In her role as union president, Darrah represented her association in countywide and inter-office contract negotiations related to wages, benefits, and working conditions.

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

EDUCATION

MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

BACKGROUND

Sheryl Willert

Sheryl Willert is a Member in the firm’s Seattle office and served as the firm’s Managing Director from 1996-2001 and again from 2006-2013. Ms. Willert continues to serve the firm on its Board of Directors and chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group as well as the Diversity Committee.

Ms. Willert concentrates her legal practice on counseling, investigations and dispute resolution. She has broad experience in all aspects of employment law for unionized and nonunionized employers in both the public and private sectors. A nationally recognized speaker and author on such topics as employment discrimination, implicit bias, compliance and privacy matters, Ms. Willert has been “AV Preeminent”- the highest peer-review rating available, for over 25 years. She has worked locally with various organizations and individuals on a wide range of legal issues. Sheryl has a long-term work relationship with the Puget Sound Pilots, providing counsel on maritime law and various other legal matters.

Additionally, Ms. Willert has represented clients in matters involving commercial litigation, products liability and medical negligence. She has provided council to numerous professional athletes on business and personal matters in addition to assisting in legal matters for various nonprofit organizations including Russell Wilson’s Why Not You Foundation. Ms. Willert was designated by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the region’s “Women of Influence,” a recognition of women in commerce, service and philanthropy who are “a force in the Seattle community.”

Ms. Willert is a past president of the DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar, the nation’s largest association of civil litigation defense attorneys. She is also the organization’s first female and first African-American officer. In 2009, DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar, renamed its Pioneer Diversity Award after Ms. Willert. The award, now known as the Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award, recognizes an individual attorney for his or her demonstrated commitment to diversity in the legal profession. In 2010, Ms. Willert was honored as one of the Women of Power in Law at the Women of Color Empowered event hosted by the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation. In 2011, Ms. Willert received the Loren Miller Bar Association’s Pioneering Woman Award, presented to African-American female attorneys who are trailblazers in the legal profession. In 2013, Ms. Willert was named to On Being A Black Lawyer’s Power 100 list, a compilation of the nation’s most influential black attorneys working in government, academics, and both the private and public sectors. Also in 2013, USLAW Network recognized Ms. Willert for her dedication and service to the organization with the O’Hagan Award. In 2014, Ms. Willert received the Washington Most Powerful and Influential Women Award from the National Diversity Council.

Ms. Willert received her B.A. degree with distinction from Duke University in 1975 and her J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1978.

MEMBERSHIPS

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS

EDUCATION

Vanderbilt University

J.D., 1978

Duke University

B.A., with distinction, 1975