Personal Injury

People get hurt in an amazing number of ways. If someone else was at fault (in whole or in part) for your injuries, they should be responsible for compensating you for your losses. That includes “special damages”: medical bills, lost wages, property damage or any other out of pocket expense. That also includes “general damages,” or what some call “human damages”: pain and suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, disability, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium.

Collisions

You’ve been rear ended. Someone turned left in front of you. Someone ran a red light. However it happened, and whatever kind of vehicle is involved, call me. I’ll contact the insurance companies. I’ll coordinate to make sure your medical bills and wage loss get taken care of right away where possible. I’ll also help to make sure your vehicle is repaired or totaled. Because no one wants to pay full price for a car that’s been in an accident, we’ll seek damages for diminished value. Then we can turn to the next phase—getting money from the person or business responsible (or their insurance company) for ALL of your damages and filing suit when necessary.

Premises Liability

A lot of attorneys don’t take—or don’t like—premises liability cases. I think they’re fun and interesting. “Premises liability” covers a lot of things—slip and falls, trip and falls, sidewalk defects, broken or inadequate railings, design defects, “attractive nuisances” and more. If you were hurt on someone else’s property due to a dangerous condition, give me a call.

Wrongful Death

Death cases involve unique legal, factual and emotional issues. There are claims belonging to the deceased’s estate, their family members and beneficiaries. These cases require skill and sensitivity. While there’s no amount of money that can ever make up for a loved one’s death, taking action to ensure accountability and appropriate financial compensation is an important part of our civil justice system.

Government Liability

There used to be a rule that you couldn’t sue the government because of “sovereign immunity”. It was based on the idea that “the king can do no wrong”. In personal injury cases this is mostly a thing of the past, but there are unique procedural and substantive aspects applicable to claims or lawsuits against the government that require careful navigation. (There are also interesting issues when pursuing claims against Native American tribes or their employees for incidents occurring on reservations.) I’ve handled cases against cities, counties, the State of Washington and the federal government.

Bicycle Accidents

I ride to work and for fun. In the greater Seattle area we’re lucky to live in bike-friendly territory. But sometimes drivers don’t “share the road” and the bicyclist gets the worst of it. Get in touch and let’s talk about how to get paid for your bike and your injuries.

Medical Malpractice

We’re fortunate to have some of the best medical providers in the world in the greater Seattle area. But unfortunately medical mistakes happen (and more often than you might think) because of individual or institutional failures. If a medical provider hasn’t followed the standard of care in providing treatment and you’ve experienced a significant injury, feel free to contact me.

Assault/Battery/Intentional Torts

Most cases that attorneys handle involve negligence rather than intentionally-inflicted harm. While there are usually challenges in cases involving intentional torts (particularly, availability of insurance coverage), sometimes there are good reasons for these cases to be pursued civilly (in addition to any remedies afforded by the criminal justice system).

Other?

If you got hurt in some way that’s not listed above, that doesn’t mean I can’t help. Hurt on the construction site? Injured on a cruise ship? Dog bite? Trampled by a runaway horse (yes, it has happened)? I’ll tell you if it’s up my alley and if I think there’s a case.

Civil Litigation

You or your business needs to sue someone—or you’ve been sued. Call me and I’ll let you know if I can help. If I can’t, I’ll try and recommend someone who can.

Business Disputes/Commercial Litigation

Over the years I’ve worked on a number of cases involving claims against and by businesses. Breach of contact. Tortious interference. Landlord’s interference with a commercial lease. Consumer protection. Solicitation of employees or customers. Taking company secrets. Not paying bills. Whether it needs to be negotiated and/or handled in court, get in touch.

Insurance Coverage

Sometimes insurance companies refuse to provide coverage for a loss, arguing it’s not covered by the insurance policy. Sometimes they’re right and sometimes they’re wrong. The point is—don’t just take the insurance company’s word for it. I’ve convinced insurance companies and courts that initial denials of coverage were wrong (and that the insurance company was responsible not just for coverage but for attorney fees). If you’re having a dispute with your insurance company about your personal or commercial policy, give me a call.