My grandparents escaped Europe right before World War II.  My step-father’s parents were interned in the United States.  I was raised in the shadows of two sides of a war. Battling for what is just and fair is ingrained in me. That is what motivates my legal practice, along with my curiosity about cultures, science, and philosophy.

At the University of Oregon, I studied political science and geology.  I took Spanish and decided why not take French too. For whatever reason these diverse subjects captivated and came easily to me. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude got me into the University of Washington Law School at 22. 

More than fifteen years into my career, I have been honored to represent some amazing people who suffered terrible injustices. I was second chair to Karen Koehler in the four-month long Ride the Ducks trial, resulting in an unprecedented $123 million verdict.  I have had the privilege of representing the family of a young woman who was abandoned and drowned while Scuba diving, a mentally disabled man who fell victim to millions of dollars in predatory business loans, a man who survived nine gunshot wounds but lost the use of his legs, the surviving spouse and son of a horrific condominium fire, the family of a man killed aboard a tugboat, the family of a man killed by contaminated eyedrops, a man badly burned while riding a go-kart, a man exposed to chemicals at a worksite, and many more incredible people deserving of justice in the face of wrongdoing.

Part of my practice also protects consumers. I have also brought class actions to protect child patients and government employee health plan members, and brought claims against some of the largest insurance companies in the world for misconduct toward their customers and injured victims. These types of claims level the playing field between consumers and the most powerful companies.