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Ronald S. Bemis
Stafford Frey Cooper, PC
3100 Two Union Square
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101-1374
206.667.8213 Direct
206.624.6885 Fax
Email:
Ronald
S. Bemis
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Ron Bemis' civil litigation
practice of over 25 years includes an outstanding record in trials
-- having won nearly every jury verdict -- as well as in settlements
and litigating precedent-setting, high-value and complex cases
locally and nationally.
Representing defendants as well as plaintiffs, he has
been litigation or trial counsel for a wide diversity of individual,
professional, and business clients, including as National Counsel
for the Dow Chemical Company (silicone products) and ESC Medical
Systems (laser products), and as Regional or Primary Trial Counsel
for major government, insurance, medical, negligence, Seattle
police, Product Liability, sports, toxic substance and asbestos
matters. He joined the Stafford Frey Cooper law firm in 1976,
and has served in its management and as its President. Ron Bemis
teaches, critiques or judges trial skills at the National Institute
of Trial Advocacy, the University of Washington Law School trial
advocacy classes, and legal seminars. He has the highest rating
(preeminent "AV") in the national lawyers directory, and has
long been active in the community, bar associations, and public
service projects. Education
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Hastings
College of the Law, Univ. of California (J.D., 1976) (member
of its International Moot Court team placing 1st in Western
States Regional and 2nd in National Finals (authored 1st
place brief) |
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Willamette University
(B.A., Political Science, 1973) |
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College of Europe,
Institute of International Education (Bruges, Belgium, Spring
1972) |
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Long Beach Polytechnic
High School (California, 1969) |
Representative Cases
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In
trials, winning nearly every jury verdict to date. |
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Winning
the Nation's first asbestos "property damage" trial with
mixed-product defendants at trial (Highline Schools v. Fibreboard
et al., King County, WA) (defense verdict; $10 million claim
to remove asbestos pipe cover/ceiling products from 95 buildings;
opposing counsel of Ness Motley; first such trial nationally
for client) |
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Winning
Washington State's first defense verdict in asbestos personal
injury litigation (Kinsman v. Fibreboard et al., King C.,
WA) (mesothelioma death claim; the lead opposing attorney
was nationally known Ronald Motley of South Carolina) |
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Winning
Washington State's first defense verdict in formaldehyde
personal injury litigation involving particleboard emissions
(Bobst v. Golden West Mobile Homes, Clark C., WA) |
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Working
with Shareholder Anne Bremner to achieve Washington State's
largest reported single-victim child student sex abuse recovery
($2.5 of total $3.05 million settlement) (Jane Does v. Seattle
School District, King County Superior Court, 2008). |
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Obtaining
substantial settlements for clients, whether plaintiffs or
defendants, e.g., Sprague et al. v. Tesoro et al., Anchorage, AK (over $5
million settlement for plaintiffs; property owners' class
action for damages from underground leaking petroleum)
Honeywell v. ICI (settled for defendant at < 10% of
the $10 million electronic circuit board contract and commercial
damages claimed)
Rainier Ice & Cold Storage (settled for defendant
at < 15% of $9 million fire loss claimed)
Draper v. Prescott
Development et al. (settled for defendant at < $150,000
on triple-death damages claims from a car plunging off
a downtown Seattle elevated parking lot) |
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Managing
National or Regional Complex Litigation involving formaldehyde
emissions, chemical exposure, asbestos personal injury, asbestos
property damage, silicone implants, lasers, and other products. |
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Winning
major appealed summary judgment decisions, e.g.,
Rice v.
Dow Chemical, 124 Wn.2d 205 (1994) (herbicide/dioxin/leukemia
claims: summary judgment affirmed on conflicts of law;
opposing counsel was the President of WSTLA)
Multnomah County
School District v. 1J v. ACandS, Fibreboard, et al., 5
F.3d 1255 (9th Cir. 1993), cert. denied 114 S.Ct. 2742
(1994); 767 F.Supp. 1051 (1991); 139 F.R.D. 164 (1991)
(multi-million dollar claims to remove asbestos products
from buildings in Oregon; summary judgment affirmed on
proximate cause and product identification defenses) |
Publications and
Presentations
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Speaker
at legal seminars and CLE programs, including KCBA, WSBA,
WSTLA, WDTL, and others |
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Co-author, "Civil
Trial Practice and Techniques," Wash. Lawyers Practice
Manual (1979-80 supp.) |
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Author, "Product Liability Claims: Elements & Proof of Damages," KCBA
(1991 & 1993), and of articles on various legal topics. |
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Present or past
member of the King County, Washington State, California State
(inactive), and American Bar Associations, of Washington
State, Federal & U.S. Supreme courts, and of the IADC. |
Memberships
and Service
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Statewide
Chair of Washington's "Law Week" ("a lawyer or judge in every
school," 2001) and Statewide Law Week Coordination Committee
(developing classroom lesson plans and website for teachers
and students on civics, constitution, and legal rights and
responsibilities, 1999-2002) of the Washington State Bar
Association. |
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Board of Trustees
(1998-2001), Judicial Screening Chair (1995-97), Judicial
Fair Campaign Practices Task Force (1997-98), Judicial Screening
Committee (1991-94, 1995-98), and Legislation Committee (1988-90)
of the King County Bar Association. |
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Board of Trustees
of (nonprofit) Civil Society International (helping people
in the former Soviet Union and other Totalitarian countries
to develop their own nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
and more democratic/civil/legal alternatives, 1980s-2002). |
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Faculty member,
National Institute for Trial Advocacy (teaches all phases
of trial advocacy to attorneys in nationally recognized annual
weeklong program, 1990s-date, and Depositions training program,
1990s). |
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Judge or Assisting
Instructor, Univ. of Wash. Law School Trial Advocacy and
Moot Court programs. |
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| Washington |
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All
Washington State Courts |
| Federal
District Court |
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Western
District of WA |
| United
States Court of Appeals: Ninth Circuit |
| US Supreme Court |
| All
California State Courts (inactive) |
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