Lish Whitson, Esq. joined JAMS after several decades as a successful civil trial attorney. During his career he represented both plaintiffs and defendants. He handled a great variety of cases with a wide range of clients, including individuals, families, small businesses, corporations, and government entities. He handled cases involving contract disputes, consumer class actions, all types of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, plane crashes; and insurance disputes involving general liability coverage, as well as medical disability and commercial coverage. He also litigated matters involving intellectual property, administrative law and antitrust, criminal, defamation, environmental and real property law.
In addition, Mr. Whitson has served as a mediator and arbitrator for more than 30 years. He has also been asked to serve as a lead arbitrator on three person panels, as a court appointed special master and as a pro tem judge.
He is widely respected as a consummate professional, listening to the parties on both sides of each matter and fairly and efficiently following the facts and the law.
As an arbitrator, Mr. Whitson calls upon his depth of legal experience and knowledge to reach a reasoned decision. As a mediator, he is known for his thorough preparation prior to mediation and for working diligently with parties to reach an agreed upon settlement.
Mr. Whitson has held leadership positions in many legal, community and nonprofit organizations as noted below. The King County Bar Association awarded Mr. Whitson its 2000 outstanding lawyer award for his work representing women seeking insurance coverage for breast cancer treatment.
All matters below were handled by Mr. Whitson as an attorney.
Representative Matters
- Business Commercial
- Breach of contract
- Ownership disputes
- Unfair competition
- Partnership disputes
- Purchase and sale of businesses
- Business dissolution/valuation
- Consumer protection
- Breach of fiduciary duties of loyalty and care
- Fraud
- Class Action & Mass Tort
- Personally identifiable Information (PII) sold to data-mining companies
- Video Privacy Protection Act
- California Customer Records Act
- California Unfair Competition Law
- Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act
- Unauthorized credit card charges for online subscribers
- Employment Law
- Wrongful termination and retaliation
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and discrimination
- Failure to accommodate
- Sexual harassment
- Sex, race and age-based wage discrimination
- Estate Probate Trusts
- Dispute over assets and capacity to execute estate documents
- Governmental & Public Agency
- City police and fire departments
- Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
- City negligence
- Health Care
- Payor-provider disputes
- Contracts disputes with insurance companies
- Insurance
- Numerous first and third-party property insurance, coverage and liability disputes
- UIM and PIP coverage
- Long-term care insurance policies
- Life insurance policies
- Claims handling, bad faith and Insurance Fair Conduct Act (IFCA) cases
- Health insurer denial of coverage
- Self-insured health benefit plans
- Intellectual Property
- Trademark
- Trade secrets
- Patent infringement and litigation
- Court-appointed Discovery Referee for IP matter
- Copyright infringement
- Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)
- Washington's Consumer Protection Act
- Trade name protection
- Personal Injury
- Auto, pedestrian, bus, bicycle, motorcycle, golf cart and boat liability
- Catastrophic injuries, traumatic brain injuries
- Personal injuries involving uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
- Premises liability
- Negligence and wrongful death
- Product liability: consumer products, elevators
- Construction accidents
- Dram shop
- Sexual/physical assault
- Professional Liability
- Dental, medical, legal, clergy, professional negligence and malpractice
- Standard of care
- Lack of informed consent
- Real Property
- Trespass
- Boundary disputes
- Easements
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
Professional Memberships
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Past Board Member and President, Washington Defender Association
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Member, Washington State, Federal, American and King County Bar Associations
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Past Member, National Board of the American Judicature Society, Litigation Counsel of America and the Oregon State Bar Association
- Past Governor, Washington State Bar Association
- Past Member and Chair, King County Medical Society/King County Bar Association Medical/Legal Committee
- Past Member, Washington Judicial Council Task Force (drafted the Rules of Evidence for Washington)
- Past Member and Chair, Judicial Recommendation Committee, Washington State Bar
- Board Member and Past President, Western Trial Lawyers Association
- Current Member, American Bar Foundation and King County Bar Foundation
- Alumnus, William Dwyer Inn of Court in Seattle
- Past Board Member and Chair, University of Washington School of Law Alumni Association
- Past Member, ABA Commission on Women in the Profession (helped found the breast cancer initiatives that are now part of the Health Law Section)
- Past Member and Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Medical Professional Liability
- National board Member and Co-Chair, Constitution and Bylaws Committee and the Editorial Board, American Board of Trial Advocates
- Member, Washington Chapter Executive Committee; Past President, Washington Chapter
- Member, American College of Trial Lawyers; Member, Sandra Day O’Connor (judicial courage) Committee
- Member and Past Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Washington State Bar; Member, Planning Committee, Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference
Community Involvement
- Past Board Member and President, Allied Arts of Seattle; Member and Past President, Allied Arts Foundation
- Past Board Member and President, Downtown Emergency Service Center Board (the largest shelter and advocacy organization for the homeless in the Northwest)
- Past Board Member, Seattle Youth Symphony; Past Chair, Marrowstone Music Festival
- Past Member and President, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center Board (a center devoted to serving disabled children through horseback riding); Member, Little Bit Advisory Board
Selected Speaking Engagements
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Multiple continuing education seminars in Washington state and nationally, as well as in Germany and China
- Lectured and written extensively on trial practice, evidence, ethics and professionalism, and alternative dispute resolution
- Faculty of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) Northwest regional programs in Trial Advocacy and Deposition Practice; past national faculty at the NITA Education Center in Colorado
- Adjunct faculty in trial advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law
Selected Awards and Honors
- Outstanding Lawyer of the Year, King County Bar Association, 2000
- Pro Bono Award, King County Bar Association, 1993
- Service Recognition Award, University of Washington School of Law Alumni Association, 2002
- Washington Super Lawyers, 2000–2024
- AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2002–2024
- Marquis Who’s Who, 1985–2024
- American College of Trial Lawyers, 1998-2024
- Litigation Counsel of America, Senior Fellow Emeritus 2024
- American Board of Trial Advocates, 1995-2024
Background and Education
Education
- J.D., University of Washington School of Law
- B.A., Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University
Work History
- Lish Whitson, PLLC
- Stokes Lawrence, P.S.
- Badgley Mullins Law Group
- Helsell, Fetterman, Martin, Todd & Hokanson
- Staff Attorney, Public Defender Association, Seattle
- United States Peace Corps (serving in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan)
Home Office
HOME OFFICE
Seattle, Washington
1420 Fifth Ave., Suite 1650, Seattle, WA 98101
Available to Travel
AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL
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