Judge J. Kathleen Learned (Ret.) has earned a reputation for her hard work, thorough preparation, and quick mastery of complex and difficult matters, with a fair, gracious, and good humored but no-nonsense style.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- Since joining JAMS in 2003, Judge Learned has had a high rate of resolution success; during her prominent 14-year judicial career on the King County Superior Court, she was involved with the settlement of numerous civil matters in a wide range of areas in after hours settlement conferences
Representative Matters
- Business Commercial
- Resolved many contract matters with issues ranging from commercial leases to shareholder/partnership agreements. As an arbitrator, Judge Learned has decided cases involving consumers and various companies over fraud, misrepresentation, and non-payment of claims
- Class Action & Mass Tort
- Handled a large employment benefits case against the county, and cases involving consumer products, financial institutions, and telecommunications companies
- Construction Defect
- Claims arising from major construction projects involving multiple parties, insurance liability and contractor liability disputes involving large condominium and other large building projects, construction defect matters involving residential construction
- Consumer Protection
- From small to large matters
- Employment Law
- Disputes involving claims of wrongful termination; discrimination based on disability, gender, and race; breach of contract; ADA; hostile work environment; constructive dismissal; pay and hour issues; and non-compete. While a prosecuting attorney, she tried a ground breaking affirmative action case for the county
- Environmental Law
- Pollution cleanup insurance coverage claims including one of the largest multi-state claims
- Estate Probate Trusts
- A large estate dispute involving multiple out of state parties and significant assets. Has also resolved cases with multiple parties, complex issues, and large estates
- Family Law
- Dissolutions involving small to multimillion dollar estates
- Partnership Dissolutions
- Including claims of trade secret violations
- Personal Injury
- Wrongful death cases, auto accidents, slip and fall
- Product Liability
- Claims involving safety devices and warning adequacy, drugs, industrial machinery
- Professional Liability
- Medical, legal, claims of trustee, breach of public duty doctrine, breach of fiduciary duty in administering retirement plan
- Real Property
- Has mediated several condemnation matters involving local municipalities, also resolved matters involving property line disputes
- Toxic Torts
- Asbestos cases and other environmental and work place hazards and exposures
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
- Judge of the Year, King County Washington Women Lawyers, 1997
- Award of Merit, ADR section of the Washington State Bar Association, 1994
- Chief, King County Superior Court Civil Department, 1997
- Chair, Judges ADR Committee, King County Superior Court, 1990-1996
- Member, Delay Reduction Task Force, King County Superior Court, 1987-1989
- Co-Founder & Board Member, Northwest Women’s Law Center, 1975-1981 (Co-operating attorney, 1975-1988)
- Member, ADR Council, Washington State Bar Association, 1993-1995
- Member, Mediation Section, King County Bar Association
- Member, Supreme Court Gender and Justice Implementation Committee, 1990-1993
- Member, Medical/Legal Committee, Seattle-King County Bar Assn., 1985-1988
- Arbitrator, King County Mandatory Arbitration Panel, 1985-1988
Background and Education
- JAMS "Remedies in Arbitration" Training, 2009
- JAMS Mediation Training, 2003
- Judge, King County Superior Court, 1988-2002
- Partner, Schroeter, Goldmark and Bender, 1979-1988
- Deputy, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, (Civil Division, 1977-1979; Criminal Division, 1975-1977)
- Staff Attorney, State of Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 1974
- J.D., with honors, University of Wisconsin School of Law, 1974 (Am. Jur. Award in Criminal Law)
- M.A., Political Science, University of Washington, 1967
- B.A., Political Science, University of Washington, 1965
- “Judge Learned was wonderful, patient and perfect for this case”
- “I would use Judge Learned again without reservation.”
- “Judge Learned was great [I] didn’t think this case would settle but it did.”
Home Office
HOME OFFICE
Seattle, Washington
1420 Fifth Ave., Suite 1650, Seattle, WA 98101
Available to Travel
AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL
Atlanta, Georgia
1230 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 2950, Atlanta, GA, 30309
Boca Raton, Florida
2500 N. Military Trail, Suite 200, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Boston, Massachusetts
One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street, Suite 3300, Boston, MA 02108
Century City, California
1925 Century Park East, 14th Floor, The Watt Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Chicago, Illinois
71 S. Wacker Drive Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606
Dallas, Texas
5956 Sherry Lane, Suite 1330, Dallas, TX 75225
Detroit, Michigan
150 West Jefferson, Suite 1600, Detroit, MI 48226
Houston, Texas
609 Main Street, Suite 3930, Houston, TX 77002
Inland Empire, California
Citrus Towers, 3390 University Ave., Suite 450, Riverside, CA 92501
Las Vegas, Nevada
7160 Rafael Rivera Way, Suite 400, Las Vegas, NV 89113
London, United Kingdom
1 Paternoster Lane, St. Paul's, London EC4M7BQ UK
Los Angeles, California
515 S. Flower St, Suite 4500 Los Angeles, CA, 90071
Miami, Florida
One Biscayne Tower, 2 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3600, Miami, FL 33131
Minneapolis, Minnesota
90 S. 7th Street • Suite 3875, Minneapolis, MN, 55402
New York, New York
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
Orange County, California
5 Park Plaza, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1717 Arch Street, Suite 3810, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Sacramento, California
1415 L Street, Suite 700, Sacramento, CA 95814
San Diego, California
401 B Street, Suite 2100, San Diego, CA 92101
San Francisco, California
Two Embarcadero Center, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94111
Santa Rosa, California
50 Old Courthouse Square, Suite 600, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Silicon Valley, California
160 W. Santa Clara St., Suite 1600, San Jose, 95113 CA
St. Louis, Missouri
190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1450, Clayton, MO 63105
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
77 King Street West, Suite 2020, Toronto, ON M5K 1A1
Walnut Creek, California
1255 Treat Blvd., Suite 700, Walnut Creek, CA 94597
Washington, D.C.
1050 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20001
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