About Eric John
Eric John Makus built a legal path that bridges planning, regulation and intellectual property. He trained first as an undergraduate in political science and then returned to study planning in public and private enterprises. Those twin strands underpin much of his practice today.
Makus earned a B.A. in Political Science from Whitman College in 1984 and later completed a Master of Planning and Land Use (MPL) at the University of Southern California, conferred in 1987. He also completed a professional certificate in Intellectual Property Management at the University of Washington, a credential that informs the work he does for clients facing commercial and technology-related disputes.
Early in his legal career he spent time at the Law Offices of Dean Standish Perkins & Associates in 2009. The following year he established Makus Law PS, the office he has practiced from since 2010. Those moves reflect a shift from working inside an established small firm to running a practice built around a narrower set of matters.
Makus is admitted to practice before several federal and state courts. His admissions include the U.S. Supreme Court, the District of Columbia, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the State of Washington. That range of admissions has supported both trial-level and appellate work. He has handled matters that require navigation of administrative and regulatory frameworks as well as courtroom advocacy in federal settings.
Colleagues describe Makus as methodical in his approach to complex statutory and contractual issues. He draws on his planning training when cases touch land use, municipal regulation, or public-private project agreements. His IP management training guides analyses of licensing, portfolio strategy and dispute resolution for technology and creative-industry clients. The combination of regulatory and intellectual property perspectives shapes how he evaluates risk and structures settlements.
His practice in Seattle centers on counseling businesses, municipal actors and individual clients where planning, property and intellectual property intersect. He prepares filings and briefs for administrative hearings and for appeals, and he represents clients in settlement negotiations and litigation where necessary.
Makus maintains Makus Law PS as his primary office and continues to accept matters that involve intellectual property, land use and related regulatory disputes. His current practice focuses on intellectual property and planning-related legal matters.
