| Steve has been
an active litigator for over 30 years, mostly with Stafford Frey
Cooper. During this time, he has prepared and tried numerous
cases involving Product Liability, personal injury, sports injuries,
construction defects, wrongful death, commercial disputes, malpractice
claims, municipal liability, police misconduct, and civil rights.
He has also maintained an active appellate practice in state
and federal courts.
Steve's practice has primarily focused on representing local
governmental agencies and police officers on allegations of police
misconduct and allegations of violations of civil rights. In
this work, the City of Seattle has been a major focus of successful
litigation, including the aftermath of the World Trade Organization
riots, class actions involving profiling and constitutional violations,
and officer-involved fatalities. Particularly memorable successes
include several wrongful death officer-involved shooting cases
and malicious counterclaim verdicts.
Prior to attending law school, Steve served three years with
the United States Marine Corps. He was awarded the Silver Star
and Purple Heart, and left the service with the rank of Captain.
After attending law school at Willamette University, he served
as the law clerk to Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Robert Y. Thornton,
before moving to Seattle to begin private practice in 1974.
Steve and his wife live on Bainbridge Island, where they are
both very active in the community. His wife, Patsy, works with
high school students on college placement. Steve is on the Board
of the Bainbridge Community Foundation and was the past president
of the Bainbridge Island Public Library Board. He recently retired
from 16 years of coaching Bainbridge youth soccer. His golf game
is interesting at best, but he prefers to spend his remaining
spare time with his family, on skis, or in his woodworking shop.
His daughter graduated from Stanford and Yale Medical School,
and is in residency at UCSF. His son is a recent graduate of
Brown and chasing a career in film. Education
| • |
St. Lawrence University,
Canton, New York, B.A. 1966 |
| • |
Willamette University College
of Law, Salem, Oregon, J.D., cum laude, December 1972 |
| • |
Member, Board of
Editors, Willamette Law Journal, 1971-72 |
Associations
| • |
American
Bar Association |
| • |
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America |
| • |
Federal
Bar Association |
| • |
Washington
State Bar Association |
| • |
Washington
Defense Trial Lawyers |
| • |
Defense
Research Institute |
| • |
Association
of Ski Defense Attorneys |
|
