Introduction

Andy has been a lawyer approximately 30 years. A former prosecutor and insurance defense attorney, for the past 15 years Andy has solely represented persons with substantial injury and damage claims. Martindale-Hubbell, the worldwide information resource for the legal profession, has given Andy its highest rating (AV) for Legal Ability and Ethical Standards.

Education

Raised in Southern California, Andy attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he quickly became a diehard Bruin fan. (He also roots for both the Huskies and the Cougars, which non-natives in Washington are allowed to do.) Andy graduated in 1974 with a B.S. degree and departmental honors in Political Science. He received his law degree three years later from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles.

Experience

After passing the California bar, Andy began working in early 1978 for the Orange County District Attorney. A prosecutor for five and a half years, he investigated and filed new criminal cases, represented the State at countless hearings, negotiated with defense attorneys, and took those cases to trial that could not be resolved. During this span of time, Andy had more jury trials than most attorneys have in their lifetime. Since it was essentially his office, to this day he feels very at ease in the courtroom.

Andy later decided to leave government work for the challenges of private practice. After a short stint in the Newport Beach office of a large San Francisco-based law firm, in early 1984 he accepted a position with a civil litigation firm (then known as Tuverson & Hillyard) that represented insurance companies and their insureds. For the next four and a half years, Andy defended numerous lawsuits involving tort claims for, among other things, wrongful death, products liability, and premises liability. When he first joined this firm, Andy was the fourth lawyer in its Orange County office and the ninth overall. Through hard work and superior results, he became a partner in only three years and contributed to the firm’s substantial and rapid growth. When Andy resigned in August 1988, he was the number two partner in the 17-attorney Orange County office, and overall the number five partner in a 45-attorney firm with offices in four counties.

While vacationing in the Puget Sound area, Andy discovered where he should have been born. After passing another bar exam, he left his thriving practice amid the hazy (but boring) sunshine of Southern California to relocate with his family to Bainbridge Island, a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Andy has been a contented ferry commuter since September 1988.

For a little over four years, Andy continued his insurance defense practice. Depending on one’s perspective, he either left or went to “The Dark Side” in January 1993, and has limited his practice ever since to the representation of injured persons. Initially, Andy joined a small, established plaintiff’s personal injury firm (formerly Pence & Dawson) and contributed significantly to its reputation for competence and quality. When the firm dissolved in 2004, he opened his own law office where he continues to represent clients with substantial injury and damage claims. Andy is pleased to report that he still gets along fine with the new management.

Licenses and Memberships

Andy is licensed to practice law in the states of California and Washington, and in federal court for the Western District of Washington. He also belongs to the following groups:

• Washington State Bar Association.

• King County Bar Association.

• Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.

• American Association for Justice.

• California State Bar Association.

Personal

Andy is the proud father of Kathryn, a recent graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, and Andrew, a senior at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. Besides being a Wildcat, Andrew is also a Bruins fan – though much more “fair weather” than his father.

Writing is one of Andy’s passions. Since 1992, Andy has written an entertaining and informative legal column for the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. He also is a regular contributor to Trial News, which is published monthly by WSTLA. [see Publications page] Time permitting, Andy also enjoys whacking a golf ball around – even if it rarely goes straight..