Lish Whitson, Esq., JAMS Mediator and Arbitrator

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

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

Health Care

Payor-provider disputes
Contracts disputes with insurance companies

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

Past Board Member and President, Washington Defender Association
Member, Washington State, Federal, American and King County Bar Associations
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

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)

Lish Whitson Esq.

Representative Matters

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Background and Education

Home Office

HOME OFFICE

Seattle, Washington

Available to Travel

AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL

Portland, Oregon

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