Top best Class Action Lawyers in ZIP 98101 | 95 available

Steve served as lead counsel for the largest settlement in world history against Big Tobacco, the largest antitrust settlement, the largest ERISA settlement and, at the time, the largest U.S. securities settlement in U.S. history.Steve Berman represents consumers, investors and employees in large, complex litigation held in state and federal courts. Berman’s trial experience has earned him significant recognition and led The National Law Journal to name him one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in the nation, and to repeatedly name Hagens Berman one of the top 10 plaintiffs’ firms in the country.Berman co-founded Hagens Berman in 1993 after his prior firm refused to represent several young children who consumed fast food contaminated with E. coli—Steve knew he had to help. In that case, Steve proved that the poisoning was the result of Jack in the Box’s cost cutting measures along with gross negligence. He was further inspired to build a firm that vociferously fought for the rights of those unable to fight for themselves. Berman’s innovative approach, tenacious conviction and impeccable track record have earned him an excellent reputation and numerous historic legal victories. He is considered one of the nation’s most successful class-action attorneys.RECENT SUCCESS. NOTABLE CASES. PERSONAL INSIGHTSteve was a high school and college soccer player and coach. Now that his daughter’s soccer skills exceed his, he is relegated to being a certified soccer referee and spends weekends being yelled at by parents and coaches. Steve is also an avid cyclist and is heavily involved in working with young riders on the USA cycling team and who are trying to transition to the pro cycling tour.

Soccer is a very important part of my life.  I hold a Soccer Players' Agent License issued by the United States Soccer Federation in accordance with licensing requirements of FIFA, the governing body for global soccer.  This license enables me to represent soccer players and teams worldwide.. I play on two "old boys" teams:  Red Zingers (over 50) and Bainbridge island United (over 55) in the Greater Seattle Soccer League.  It's a lot of fun and we get to play against some former pros from the old North American Soccer League, guys I used to pay to watch play.. I got into soccer in Denmark in the early 1970s thanks to my wife's brother, sister and father all of whom were heavily into the Danish national team.  I've followed Denmark and its club teams including FC Copenhagen and Odense Boldklub since then and was lucky enough to have been in Copenhagen when Denmark won the European Championship in 1992.  I have several friends in Denmark who played professionally and for the Danish national team.  Some of them are now coaches.. In 2009 I attended a Copa Libertadores match at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, and Boca Juniors became another favorite of mine.  Unfortunately for Boca, their performance has declined steadily since then!  I also follow Estudiantes and Independiente.. A Seattle Sounders FC inaugural season ticketholder, I look forward to great success for the team, and to Portland and Vancouver joining the fray in 2011!

Practice focus: commercial and class action litigation, i.e., condemnation, environmental, construction, products liability, insurance coverage, and securities matters. Appointed special attorney general for Washington State; lead counsel to manage state and federal class actions; profiled in Who's Who in American Law; recognized as a "Super Lawyer" in Washington Law & Politics magazine; in the Best Lawyers in America; and Fellow of the American Academy of Trial Counsel.

My diverse practice focuses on representing plaintiffs in securities, investment fraud, antitrust, consumer fraud, employment, environmental, and intellectual property cases. I have substantial experience in managing multi-state and nationwide class actions through an organized, coordinated approach that implements an efficient and aggressive prosecutorial strategy in order to place maximum pressure on the defendant.

Mike Woerner works for the public good. A member of Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group since 1985, Mike focuses on class action and mass personal injury cases. He is skilled at focusing the Courts’ attention on key issues in litigation and at negotiating favorable settlements to bring relief to people who have experienced physical, emotional, and financial harm from environmental contamination, dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, and other negligent acts with far-reaching consequences.Mike was a member of the litigation team that received the 1995 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from Trial Lawyers for Public Justice for the In re Exxon Valdez litigation resulting from the devastation of thousands of miles of fishing ground around Prince William Sound, Kodiak Island, Chignik, and Cook Inlet after the infamous oil spill. He has more recently represented hundreds of clients in multiple states at risk of heart-valve damage or primary pulmonary hypertension from fen-phen diet drugs. Mike also has experience litigating and negotiating widespread medical negligence issues and misconduct by fiduciaries charged with investing retirement plan assets. With his focus on impact litigation, Mike strives to achieve full compensation for his clients as well as to compel institutional reform and change the conduct of powerful bad actors to prevent them from causing future harm. Outside of work, Mike enjoys traveling with his family experiencing new places and cultures, as well as staying closer to home cheering on his kids’ basketball and volleyball teams.

Mike Reilly is a nationally recognized labor, employment and employee benefits attorney, named one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Employment Attorneys in the Nation” for the past five consecutive years by Human Resource Executive®. He has decades of experience providing strategic employment advice to local, regional and national clients, and has successflly handled more than 75 jury trials, arbitrations, bench trials  He also represents employers before the EEOC and Washington State Human Rights Commission.

Mat has extensive experience representing corporations and individuals in his litigation practice, which emphasizes employment law, trust and estate litigation, and class action defense.. An experienced trial lawyer, has obtained successful results for his clients, including trying numerous cases to jury verdict as lead counsel.  Mat handles all aspects of complex civil litigation — from pre-suit investigation and discovery through dispositive motion practice and trial.  He deals with post-trial proceedings as well as appeals.  Mat’s litigation experience is broad.  He has advocated for clients in lawsuits relating to employment law, non-compete agreements, trusts and estates, antitrust law, class actions, accounting malpractice, breach of contract, business torts, deceptive trade practices, fiduciary duties, fraud, insurance coverage, real property transactions, and trade secret misappropriation.. Mat was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Super Lawyers, and has previously been recognized as “Rising Star.”

Lynn Lincoln Sarko is a nationally-recognized leader in complex litigation, having been selected by federal courts nationwide to serve as lead or co-lead counsel in a wide variety of cutting-edge cases. Since 1991, Lynn has led Keller Rohrback’s diverse and accomplished Complex Litigation Group. He is widely recognized for his ability to lead very complex litigation and his expertise dealing with bet-the-company, crisis lawsuits. He is viewed by judges, clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and opposing parties as the consummate diplomat. Through smart, efficient, strategy and tailored, creative problem solving, Lynn and his team have accomplished outstanding outcomes while minimizing costs and maximizing value.. Lynn serves on the Court appointed leadership teams in the Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” litigation, consumer cases involving drug pricing, and class actions seeking to protect healthcare workers against wage and pension plan irregularities. In addition to his highly-regarded work on behalf of classes of consumers, fishermen, employees, and retirees, among others, Lynn regularly represents parties in international legal actions. Lynn has represented sovereign nations, foreign consumers, and institutional clients who are victims of financial and consumer fraud, environmental harm, as well as other corporate malfeasance. Lynn represents sovereigns in treaty disputes in both United States and International Courts.. Lynn has led the firm’s environmental, financial, pension, and consumer practices for over 25 years and regularly serves as lead counsel in multiparty individual and class action cases involving Antitrust, RICO, securities, breach of fiduciary duty, and other corporate fraud issues. His successes in this area include many multimillion-dollar settlements and judgments to resolve litigation involving the largest corporations including Pfizer, Merck, Enron, Worldcom, Exxon Mobil, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, State Street, Bank of New York Mellon, Ford Motor, AIG, Delphi, Visteon, Williams Companies, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Southern Companies, Anthem, United Companies Financial Corp., Cardinal Health, Global Crossing, Health South, Delphi, Washington Mutual, Countrywide, Lucent, Merrill Lynch, and Xerox Corporation.. Lynn’s dispute resolution skills are widely-respected. Other law firms often hire him as settlement counsel in complex cases because of his national reputation as a skilled, diplomatic negotiator and mediator. Because of his experience in high-profile cases, Lynn has deftly handled intense press scrutiny of litigation, and he is frequently quoted in a wide variety of media.. In addition, Lynn was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Ecodiesel Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation. Previously, Lynn served as one of the negotiators in the $15 billion Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Fraud class action settlement for 2.0-liter vehicles, the largest auto-related consumer class action settlement in U.S. history, as well as the 3.0-liter settlement.. Courts and professional organizations have honored Lynn for his work on environmental, financial fraud, consumer, and other high-profile cases. After serving as trial counsel in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill case, which resulted in a $5 billion punitive damages verdict, Lynn was honored to be the only lawyer appointed by the court as Administrator for all funds recovered. He prosecuted the Microsoft civil antitrust case, vitamin price-fixing cases, the MDL Fen/Phen Diet Drug Litigation, and notable public service lawsuits such as Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., which established a woman’s right to prescription contraceptive health coverage.. Prior to joining Keller Rohrback, Lynn was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Criminal Division, an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of Arnold & Porter, and law clerk to the Honorable Jerome Farris, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Seattle.

Laura R. Gerber is a strong advocate for her clients.  From her early years in a whistleblower protection organization, to her current practice litigating against some of America’s largest corporations, Laura has built her career as an advocate on behalf of both employees and customers of large corporations. Laura represents her clients with skill, tact and diplomacy. As a result, Laura’s clients trust her to listen carefully, keep them informed, provide excellent legal advice, and to diligently pursue their interests in litigation against powerful defendants.. For over a decade, Laura has practiced in Keller Rohrback’s Complex Litigation Group where she has developed a diverse practice with a focus on holding banks and other institutions accountable to their customers and employees. She has experience litigating mutual fund excessive fee cases, Ponzi scheme cases, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty cases, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) cases, and consumer protection class actions. Laura’s strategic persistence in complex cases has led to impressive results with certain of her clients receiving substantial individual recoveries.. While in law school, Laura concurrently received a Master’s degree in Public Administration and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Board.

Ken Payson’s practice focuses on class action defense, other complex commercial litigation and appellate work, particularly with respect to claims under state and federal consumer protection laws. Ken represents clients from a variety of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, software and digital media companies. He has obtained numerous orders dismissing putative class actions and has successfully defended them on appeal. Ken also has broad experience representing clients in product liability, employment, licensing, contract, insurance coverage, securities and intellectual property cases.

Juli Farris’ clients count on her commitment to excellence and high quality work to meet their legal needs. Juli is a member of Keller Rohrback’s nationally-recognized Complex Litigation Group and serves as Supervising Partner of the firm’s Santa Barbara office. She has more than 25 years of experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation involving banking and securities regulation, antitrust, ERISA fraud and other areas. She has also represented officers and directors of active and failed financial institutions in investigations and litigation regarding bank regulatory matters.. Her recent and pending cases involve environmental litigation, whistleblower litigation and consumer protection matters, including appointment as co-lead counsel representing victims of the 2015 Refugio California Oil Spill and representation of patients affected by prescription drug overcharges. She is also part of the team investigating claims to hold drug manufacturers accountable for the current opioid health crisis.. Before joining Keller Rohrback in 1991, Juli served as a judicial law clerk for Judge E. Grady Jolly of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, and she practiced law at the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin, where her practice involved litigation covering a wide array of subject matters.. Juli divides her time between the firm’s Seattle and Santa Barbara offices.

Janissa practices complex civil litigation, including securities, minority shareholder oppression, shareholder derivative, class action, and commercial litigation. She has litigated matters involving complex financial instruments including structured products, principal protected notes, and derivatives, such as interest rate swaps. Janissa has significant trial experience with commercial cases involving claims of fraud, securities fraud, professional malpractice, consumer protection violations, and breach of contract.. Janissa's practice also includes trust, estate, and fiduciary duty litigation in which she has represented charitable and individual beneficiaries and individual fiduciaries. She has also litigated property damage and hazardous waste issues in cases involving contaminated sites, including the ASARCO Tacoma Smelter and the Tacoma Landfill Superfund sites, and has obtained favorable settlements for plaintiffs exposed to uncontrolled asbestos releases.. Janissa is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and has received an "AV" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating for demonstrating the highest level of legal skill and integrity.. Before entering private practice, Janissa was a law clerk to the Honorable Eugene A. Wright, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and a television news reporter and anchor.

I have been a successful litigator for more than 30 years. During those years, I've handled hundreds of hearings, arbitrations, and trials. This has given me broad litigation experience covering product liability claims, toxic tort claims, serious motor vehicle accident claims, complex insurance claims, work-related injury claims, consumer class action claims, and serious premises injuries.I joined Schroeter Goldmark & Bender in 1977 because I believed it was the finest trial firm in the Northwest and one of the finest in the nation. I carry the highest rating for attorneys for both competence and ethics from the nationally respected Martindale-Hubble service (AV rating), which is accorded to only 5% of reviewed attorneys.. I prefer to limit the number of cases that I handle at any one time so that I can give personal attention to clients in what is often one of the most important events in their lives.

I focus my trial practice on complex, commercial, health care and regulatory disputes. I am the Director of the Lane Powell Litigation Department firm-wide. I am Chair of the Lane Powell Long Term Care and Seniors Housing Client Service Team and also chair one of the Lane Powell Litigation practice groups

Havila Unrein gives her clients a voice in the legal system. Havila practices in Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group where she is dedicated to helping clients who have been harmed by others engaged in fraud, cutting corners, and abuses of power. Havila made significant contributions to Hartman et al. v. Ivy Asset Management et al., a case involving fiduciary breach related to Madoff investments that resulted in a $219 million settlement with consolidated cases. She currently represents plaintiffs in multiple cases alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) by healthcare institutions attempting to claim exempt “church plan” status under ERISA. During law school, Havila provided tax and business advice to low-income entrepreneurs and hi-tech startups as a student in the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. She also served as an extern to the Honorable Stephanie Joannides of the Anchorage Superior Court. Prior to law school, Havila worked and studied abroad in Russia, Azerbaijan, and the Czech Republic.

Gwendolyn Payton is a shareholder at Lane Powell PC, admitted to practice in Washington and Alaska. She is the chair of Lane Powell's Class Action practice group. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, class actions, intellectual property, antitrust and trade litigation.

Gretchen Obrist provides her clients with a clear voice in complex cases. Gretchen is a member of Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group whose work as a dedicated advocate dates back two decades to her role at a nonprofit organization focused on impact litigation.. With her work as a law clerk and as a litigator, Gretchen has significant experience with a broad range of federal cases at all stages. Her nationwide practice focuses on Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) fiduciary breach and prohibited transaction cases. Gretchen’s work has helped curtail excessive and conflict-ridden fees in the multi-trillion dollar retirement savings industry and provide recourse to retirement plan participants and beneficiaries who have faced pension reductions, misrepresentations, and other unfair practices related to their retirement plan benefits. Gretchen’s ERISA experience includes a successful appeal to the Eighth Circuit in Braden v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. reversing dismissal of the lead plaintiff’s excessive fee case, significant contributions to cases challenging cash balance pension plan conversions by Washington Mutual and JPMorgan, and representation of the employees who lost nearly all of their ESOP savings with the collapse of Bear Stearns.. More recently, Gretchen has been instrumental in the firm’s litigation against pharmacy benefit managers, drug manufacturers, and other entities whose business practices have driven up the cost of prescription drugs for ERISA welfare plan participants, as well as Medicare plan and ACA/individual plan members, and the uninsured.. Gretchen’s breadth of practice extends to consumer protection and financial fraud claims, civil rights issues, and qui tam relator representation. She has played a key role in class action and multi-district cases arising out of the collapse of the mortgage securities industry and the residential mortgage modification and foreclosure crisis, including several ERISA actions and a consumer MDL against JPMorgan Chase.. Prior to joining Keller Rohrback, Gretchen served as a law clerk to the Honorable John C. Coughenour, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Washington. Before obtaining her law degree, she worked at a public defender’s office, the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition, and the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest—where she recently was profiled for Nebraska Appleseed’s 20th Anniversary celebration as an innovator in the organization’s earliest days.. Gretchen is a Plaintiff Co-Chair of the ABA Employee Benefits Committee’s Fiduciary Responsibility Subcommittee and a Chapter Editor for Employee Benefits Law (Jeffrey Lewis et al. eds., 3d ed. BNA 2012; Ivelisse Berio LeBeau, 4th ed. BNA 2017). She frequently speaks at conferences and CLEs, is quoted in pension-related publications, and has published a number of articles related to her practice areas.

Gabe Verdugo practices in Keller Rohrback’s Plaintiff Tort Litigation and Complex Litigation practice groups. Gabe’s practice focuses on litigating on behalf of individuals and classes who have been injured. He has represented insureds in disputes with insurance carriers and litigated class actions on behalf of consumers who were deceived by drug manufacturers and other companies. Currently, Gabe is investigating claims related to the opioid crisis.. Before joining Keller Rohrback, Gabe served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Judge Rosanna M. Peterson of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington. Gabe also clerked for Justice Steven C. González of the Washington Supreme Court. During law school, Gabe externed for Judge Robert S. Lasnik of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. He is proficient in written and spoken German.

Erin Riley knows that strong relationships are key in complex cases. Erin was a summer associate at Keller Rohrback in 1999, and joined Keller Rohrback’s complex litigation group in 2000.. Since the Fall of 2001, her practice has focused on representing employees and retirees in ERISA actions involving defined contribution, defined benefit, and health benefit plans. She has successfully litigated a number of ERISA breach of fiduciary duty cases including cases filed against Washington Mutual, Merrill Lynch and WorldCom. Erin has worked on ERISA-related articles and amicus briefs, and has spoken at ERISA-related conferences. She is a former Plaintiffs’ Co-Chair of the Civil Procedure Subcommittee for the ABA Employee Benefits Committee, and is currently a senior editor of the Employee Benefits Law (BNA) treatise.. She earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, where she served as an editor of the Wisconsin Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University.. When not at work, Erin enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Brad protects the interests of small and large companies in the areas of antitrust, intellectual property and consumer protection. He also counsels the owners and managers of these companies on how to reduce their risk of litigation through sound business practices. Whether litigating or counseling, he seeks to thoroughly understand each client’s business so that he can help achieve the client’s objectives as efficiently and effectively as possible. Brad has represented a wide variety of businesses and individuals, including telecommunications companies, musical groups, artists, software companies, farmers, contractors, partnerships, non-profits, and small and large investors.. Brad served on the firm's executive committee from 2015 to 2017.

Beth Leland pays attention to the details. As a longtime member of the firm’s Complex Litigation Group, Beth prides herself on crafting creative arguments to plead cases in her clients’ best interests. She also strives to be on the forefront of technological innovation, managing electronic discovery in complex cases to increase accuracy and efficiency in order to maximize benefits to her clients, while minimizing client discovery burdens and costs. Beth has nearly twenty years of experience litigating complex cases arising from investment fraud at both the trial and appellate levels and has also gained experience in consumer protection, mass tort, and antitrust litigation. Notable cases include mortgage-backed securities litigation on behalf of the Federal Home loan Banks of Boston, Chicago, and Indianapolis. She has also played a key role in numerous cases resulting in multi-million dollar settlements, including against Anicom Inc., Apple, Inc., Dynegy Inc., IKON Office Solutions, Merrill Lynch & Co., United Companies Financial Corp., and Xerox Corporation.. Beth has spoken at conferences and as a guest lecturer at the Seattle University School of Law.. Before joining Keller Rohrback in 1998, Beth spent several years in general civil practice in the Seattle area. Outside of work, Beth can be found skiing, spending time with friends, or cheering on her favorite team at Husky Stadium.

As a partner in Keller Rohrback’s nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group, Cari Laufenberg maintains a national practice representing consumers, employees, and institutions in complex consumer and employee class actions involving corporate fraud, privacy and data breach issues, breach of fiduciary duty, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”). Since joining Keller Rohrback, she has played a key role in obtaining multi-million dollar recoveries for consumers, employees, and shareholders in many of the firm’s largest and most complex cases, including cases involving Anthem Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Marsh McLennan Companies, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., and HealthSouth Corporation.. Cari has been appointed to numerous leadership positions in federal courts across the country and serves as Co-Lead Counsel for over 2 million data breach victims in In Re: 21st Century Oncology Customer Data Security Breach Litigation in the Middle District of Florida. She also serves as an appointed member of several leadership committees including: In Re: Experian Data Breach Litigation in the Central District of California, In Re: Vtech Data Breach Litigation, and In Re: 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, both in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.. Over the past 14 years, Cari’s background in nonprofit management and public administration has served her clients well. She is adept at organizing large complex cases, working collaboratively with other counsel, and developing a cogent strategy which achieves short-term goals and long-term successes. Before joining Keller Rohrback in 2003, Cari served as a judicial extern for Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences on class actions, identity theft and privacy, and other complex litigation topics.