Through his company, American Life, Liebman controls a large section of Seattle's industrial SoDo area and has been described as the neighborhood's "900 pound gorilla".
Originally from Florida, Henry Liebman moved to Seattle in 1970 to attend the University of Washington, receiving his undergraduate degree in political science from there in 1973.
[1][2] According to Liebman, he early worked as a tax specialist for Touche Ross and Company before moving to practice law at, first, Franklin and Watkins and, then, Franco, Asia, Bensussen.
[2] By the early 2000s, through American Life, Liebman controlled large swaths of real estate in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, a fact which reportedly made city officials, area businesses, and labor leaders "nervous".
[9][10] A dish called "Henry Liebman's Noodle Soup" is a menu item at the Seattle Chinese restaurant The Orient Express.