Phone: 206-233-2949 Fax: 206-628-6611 Email: dbrown@williamskastner.com V-Card

Two Union Square 601 Union Street, Suite 4100 Seattle, WA 98101

Experience

Daniel Brown is an equity member in the Seattle office of Williams Kastner and Chair of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice on litigation and dispute resolution and is a member of the firm’s Product Liability and Mass Torts, and Tribal Law Practice Groups. Mr. Brown has extensive experience as a trial lawyer and all phases of state and federal civil litigation, including discovery, motion practice, trials/arbitration's, and appeals. He has independently handled, or significantly assisted in, more than 25 trials and arbitration's on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants; and litigated and settled hundreds of cases, including claims for product liability, premises and construction liability, violation of trade secrets, noncompete agreements, employment cases, copyright infringement, all manner of real estate disputes, credit and banking issues, and condemnation actions. Mr. Brown has served as an arbitrator for the King County Superior Court for the last ten years. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in 2010 and Washington Super Lawyers in 2010 and 2011. He has and continues to be Martindale-Hubbell “AV” top-rated by his peers in the legal community.

Mr. Brown grew up and lived on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Eastern Washington. His family still lives there, where his father was (and his father was before him) a cattle rancher and farmer. They did business in a time where contracts were made with handshakes, not notarized signatures and contracts and your word was your bond, and you never, ever considered reneging on a deal. Though the world no longer seems to operate that way, it is how Mr. Brown chooses to conduct himself nonetheless. In his relationships with his clients, opposing counsel, and the bench, he holds himself—and them—to the highest standard of honor and integrity. It’s just how he was taught by his dad.

It is in this spirit that Mr. Brown has served hundreds and hundreds of clients, whether their issues are multimillion-dollar disputes or merely one “just for the principle of it.”  It is in this spirit that he has tried and arbitrated many cases, and mediated and negotiated many more, that he has represented big business, corporations, the banks and financial institutions, highly compensated individuals, land owners, land buyers, land renters, individuals, not-for-profit entities, both as defendant and plaintiff. And it is in this spirit that he conducts his personal life, be it with his civic duties or traveling and camping with his family.

Mr. Brown’s wife, a descendant of the Yakama Nation herself, and he raise their children to revere the worth of a promise made and kept. He often times finds himself echoing the words of his father to his young son and daughter often, especially when one is blaming the other for the broken dish, for the mess in the playroom, or for starting the fight: “You are only as good as your word.” That is how Mr. Brown practices the law.

After 18 plus years of serving hundreds and hundreds of clients in their litigation and other business disputes, Mr. Brown’s job has been and continues to be helping his clients solve a specific problem presented.  Sometimes that means simply negotiating a fair resolution. Sometimes it means fighting tooth and nail for the client's best interests. He loves doing it all. He enjoys learning about his clients' businesses and understanding the clients' needs in both the dispute before him and the overall impact the dispute (or others like it) might have on the future of their business. Mr. Brown believes clients get great value when they hire him to help them. There are plenty of great lawyers in this city, but in choosing legal representation the lawyer needs to give the client everything he has in working the problems and getting the best resolution possible. That's what he does and he has built his legal reputation on these principles.

Professional Experience

• Williams Kastner, Member | 2010 - Present
• Miller Nash, Partner and Seattle Litigation Practice Group Chair | 1992 - 2010

Affiliations

Mr. Brown is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and has served as special district counsel for the Washington State Bar Disciplinary Committee. He is admitted to the United States Federal Court of Claims, Ninth and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and numerous United States district courts. He has served as an arbitrator for the King County Superior Court for the last ten years.

Mr. Brown is a pro tem tribal court judge for numerous tribes, including the Skokomish, the Tulalip, the Quinalt and the Stillaguamish. Since 2006, he has also served as a court of appeals judge for NICS (the Northwest Intertribal Court System), a consortium of Indian tribes based in the Puget Sound Region that have joined their resources to ensure that each member tribe is able to have its own court by sharing related court services and resources.

He has concentrated his pro bono work for many years by serving as an attorney for the King County Guardian Ad Litem program and with the Neighborhood Legal Clinics program.

Civic Activities

• King County Boys and Girls Club's (Executive Committee)
• North Seattle Boys and Girls Club of King County (President for three terms and various other officer positions)
• Seattle Public Schools, Broadview Thomson PTA (Auction Committee)
• NW Seattle Little League (Rookies)—the Ballard Kiwanis Dragonslayers (Coach)

Representative Experience

• Defended $14.5 million real estate dispute alleged sale of property owned by large mall developer (successfully obtained summary judgment dismissal, case affirmed on appeal).
• Represented plaintiffs in real estate/title claims against developer (case currently on appeal).
• Represented large defendant/counter-plaintiff hop company in contract/insurance agreement dispute involving $1.5 million Eastern Washington crop fire loss (mediated successfully for full payment).
• Represented commercial landlord in $1 million lease/guaranty claim (prevailed at trial and appeal).
• Successful representation of two Indian tribes in separate land use and commercial disputes arising out of casino enterprises, both involving state and federal litigation.
• Defended hospital in federal claims brought by doctor/plaintiff arising out of medical review/privilege termination (dismissed on summary judgment).
• Successfully settled multimillion stock option/employment dispute for a group of highly compensated officers and sales staff.
• Represented plaintiff employee in litigation of a $4.5 million stock option/breach of contract case (trial verdict and judgment in favor of plaintiff/settled after extensive successful collection efforts).
• Represented plaintiff hospital in $1 million contract claim involving defective radiation therapy planning and software system (successfully settled).
• Represented plaintiffs in breach of contract/trade secrets claim against real estate division of major Northwest insurance company in four-week jury trial in superior court (co-counsel - obtained judgment of $5.1 million/affirmed on appeal).
• Defended international snowmobile manufacturer against product liability claim for alleged defective brake assembly in two-week jury trial in King County Superior Court (co-counsel/co-chair - obtained 12-0 defense verdict after plaintiff demand of $1 million plus).
• Defended international footwear manufacturer against claims for breach of distribution agreement and copyright, trademark, and trade dress infringement in one-week arbitration (co-chair - obtained defense verdict on intellectual property issues and injunction claims).
• Represented plaintiff telecommunications company in tariff and breach of contract case in one-week bench trial in federal district court (local counsel/co-chair - obtained judgment for plaintiff in amount of demand/settled after appeal filed).
• Represented plaintiff national telecommunications company in approximately 80 superior court condemnation actions in five Washington counties in connection with fiber optic cable project linking facilities in Seattle and Portland (multiple trials/mediations/arbitrations/dispositive motions).
• Defended Northwest software companies against trademark infringement claim in two-week jury trial in federal district court in Houston, Texas (directed verdict for defendant after plaintiff demand of $1 million-plus/settled on appeal to the 5th Circuit).
• Represented defendants and plaintiffs in approximately two dozen arbitrations and district court trials involving a variety of contract and real property issues.

Media Coverage

• “The Impact Of Changes To Dodd-Frank Regulation Z,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, January 2012.
• "Today’s hot law firm practice—banking and finance," Puget Sound Business Journal, August 26 – September 1, 2011.