John Shervey and Stan Owings established Shervey Owings in 1983. They initially worked out of one office run by a secretarial service in Renton, WA. A rented cubby hole and a used family table and chairs served as the interview and counseling room. Two years later they were able to secure actual office space in Tukwila, WA with approximately seven professional staff members and a professional staff member in Olympia, WA as well.

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In approximately 1987, Mr. Owings bought out Mr. Shervey and continued to manage an ever growing staff. The number of staff was cut back in 1990 to five, a size which was generally maintained from that point forward.

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As time passed, Mr. Owings received a large amount of legal work via word of mouth. Things were just beginning in the field of vocational rehabilitation in the courts with only a small number of professionals performing this type of work. As the industry grew so did the need for services in the legal arena and Mr. Owings was able to establish a well known and highly respected company providing vocational rehabilitation and life care planning services across the Pacific Northwest including Washington, Oregon and Idaho as well as Montana, Alaska, California and other states as necessary.

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Following a case during which a research librarian was utilized to bolster information provided by Mr. Owings (testimony that was ultimately upheld at the state supreme court level), he subsequently hired such an individual to assemble an in-house library. This became and continues to be an important part of the work we do and enables us to produce work based on a solid foundation of information.

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Owings & Associates, Inc. did business as Owings Lewis beginning in 2013 when Shelley Lewis became a partner in the firm. Then in 2014, Ms. Lewis took over the reins and formed Owings Lewis, LLC, the business that operates today.

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