Jocelyn Mackie is a former civil litigator with content published on Findlaw, LifeHacker, and Marketwatch. She became a legal content writer to demystify the law and support informed decision-making by consumers. Jocelyn graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys dutifully serving her cats and horses.
Jocelyn Mackie, J.D.
Jocelyn Mackie is a former civil litigator with content published on Findlaw, LifeHacker, and Marketwatch. She became a legal content writer to demystify the law and support informed decision-making by consumers. Jocelyn graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys dutifully serving her cats and horses.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Reviewed
Adam Ramirez, J.D.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
The Emerald City is known for its striking skyline, courtesy of the Space Needle, and excellent views of the Puget Sound. But like other cities, it also has its fair share of accidents. Large accidents like the South Lake Union crane collapse and Ride the Ducks crash are well-known cases. But there are still everyday incidents like car crashes, dangerous products and slips and falls.
No matter the size of the accident or the extent of your injuries, there are plenty of talented personal injury lawyers in Seattle, WA to help you. Here is Forbes Advisor’s list of the best personal injury attorneys in the city to help you get started.
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Best Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys
Compare Our Top Seattle, WA Personal Injury Attorneys
Seattle, Washington Personal Injury Laws
Washington is a plaintiff-friendly state, but it still has laws that affect how your claim proceeds. Statutes of limitations, comparative fault and recovery limits may affect your claim and how much you receive as compensation.
Statute of Limitations in Seattle, WA
Washington has a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. This deadline starts counting down from the date of the incident. For example, if you tripped, fell and broke an ankle on a restaurant stair on May 2, 2022, your deadline to file a lawsuit is May 2, 2025.
Know that the statute of limitations applies to lawsuits, not insurance claims. If you need to file one, do that within one to three days of the incident.
There are some cases where the statute of limitations can extend. For example, detecting an error can take months or even years in medical malpractice. In those cases, the statute of limitations can adjust to two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered the injury.
Determining Fault in Seattle
Washington is a pure comparative fault state. So, even if you were 50% at fault for your injuries, you can still recover damages. However, that award reduces by your percentage of fault–50%. So, if you sustained $50,000 of damages in a car and pedestrian accident, but the jury found you were half at fault, that award decreases by 50% to $25,000.
However, pure comparative fault doesn’t apply if a party was intoxicated. If a defendant can show the plaintiff’s intoxication was the proximate cause of their injury and they were more than 50% at fault, the court can deny recovery to the plaintiff.
Dog Bite Liability
Dog bites assign strict liability to the dog owner. They are always liable for dog bites, even if the dog never behaved aggressively before the incident. Dog owners are also responsible for damages if a dog injures or kills another companion animal.
Exceptions to this rule include police dogs acting in the line of duty and if the owner proves the plaintiff trespassed on private property or provoked their dog. It always depends on the facts of the case.
Washington Limits on Personal Injury Damages
There are no limits on personal injury damages. The legislature attempted to enact one, but the state Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional. Now, damages arising from pain and suffering are a jury’s decision and are not subject to limitation.
If the potential defendant is a minor still living at home, plaintiffs cannot collect more than $5,000 in damages from them, no matter their actual damages. This cap does not limit the liability of the parents and guardians if they were also negligent.
How to Find a Seattle Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury law includes all claims where someone sustains injuries from another person’s negligence. It includes car accidents most notably, but also medical malpractice, product liability, workplace hazards and slips and falls. If you have experienced any of these events, finding an attorney is an excellent first step to addressing your medical costs, lost wages and pain and suffering.
You want to find a good match for your case but also for you personally. When you talk to attorneys, remember that you will share many personal details with them and must feel comfortable doing so. Here are a few tips for making a good choice.
Use Reliable Referral Sources
If you seek referrals, use sources and listen to people you trust. Friends, relatives and coworkers may have ideas, especially if they recently used an attorney for a personal injury case. At the least, you learn who not to call!
You can also check online and read Google reviews or consult Top Attorney lists like this one. These sources can give you a good start.
The King County Bar Association, a voluntary networking club for lawyers, offers a referral service. Unlike other state bar associations, the Washington State Bar Association does not provide referrals but will guide you to legal resources.
Seek Litigation Experience
Look at attorneys’ websites and confirm that they litigate cases. While only three percent of personal injuries go to trial for a decision, you still need to prepare for that possibility. An attorney willing to go to trial for your case will prove essential if the defendant or their insurance company decides to fight your claim until the end.
Listen to Your Intuition
Personal injury claims often go into the weeds on medical issues. It may figure into your case if you have a pre-existing condition or injury. Many of these issues can be embarrassing or bring back experiences you don’t enjoy discussing.
However, your attorney must know this information to represent you well. So, if incriminating, traumatic or other previous events or injuries affect your claim, you need to choose an attorney you can confide in.
Methodology
Forbes Advisor considered many factors to choose the Best Personal Lawyers in Seattle in 2024. Our mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.
Within the model, we review factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
- Legal experience
- Special licenses and certifications
- Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
- Legal thought leadership
- Education and employment background
- Scholarly lectures and writings
- Awards and honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from various sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Remember that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when facing a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What percentage of my settlement will a personal injury attorney take for fees?
If your case settles before going to court or arbitration, the attorney fee is usually 33% of your recovery. This percentage may increase if the case doesn’t settle and must go through arbitration or a court trial. When that occurs, an attorney may collect up to 40% of the recovery to cover their fee.
How long do personal injury cases take to settle?
A personal injury claim takes one to two years to settle, depending on the injury—since settlement negotiations don’t usually start until after you recover. Claims involving minor injuries are shorter than those involving head injuries or broken bones. If your case goes to trial, it may take two years from the day your attorney filed a lawsuit to receive compensation, up to four to five years.
When should I call a Seattle, WA, personal injury attorney?
While there are times you can likely handle a car accident claim on your own, that is likely not the case if your injury resulted from unsafe land conditions, a defective product, municipal negligence or medical malpractice. The best course of action is to call a personal injury whenever you’re injured through someone else’s negligent or willful conduct, as you may have a case against them and need compensation for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
