P. Arley Harrel

P. Arley Harrel is a Member in the Seattle office. His practice emphasizes civil litigation, trust and estate litigation, and trial, real estate and commercial advice in the states of Washington and Oregon. His primary areas of civil litigation practice (in alphabetical order) include antitrust, banking, class action, commercial, condemnation/eminent domain, construction, employment, environmental, franchise, intellectual property, municipal, personal injury, products liability, professional liability, real estate, securities, trade regulation and transportation. His real estate and general business practice focuses on client counseling and advice.

Mr. Harrel acted as MDL counsel for one of the world’s largest consumer good’s companies in a highly visible product liability matter. The matter was heard in U.S. District Court by Judge Barbara Rothstein.

Mr. Harrel acted as Special Counsel to the City of Wenatchee regarding the Greater Wenatchee Regional Events Center Public Facilities District (Town Toyota Center), including lead attorney for the City in a bond validation lawsuit filed in Chelan County Superior Court and decided by the Washington Supreme Court.

Mr. Harrel was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the area of Commercial Litigation each year since 2012. He has also been nominated by peers and colleagues to the International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers every year since 1997. Mr. Harrel has been recognized by Seattle Met magazine as a “Top Lawyer” in Commercial Litigation for 2010, a designation based upon Martindale-Hubbell’s ranking of those practitioners in King County who have been judged by their peers to be “AV Preeminent”—the highest peer-review rating available. He was named by Seattle Magazine as one of Seattle’s “Top Business Litigation Lawyers” in 2003 and has also been named a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine for 2003 – 2006 and 2014 – 2019. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America^® every year since 2012. Mr. Harrel chaired the firm’s Litigation Department from 2000 to 2006 and chaired its Business Litigation Practice Group from 2006 to 2008. He served on the firm’s Board of Directors from 1991 to 2003, and chaired the firm’s Environmental Practice Group from 1992 to 1996.

• American Bar Association
  • Director, Committee Development for the Section of Litigation, 2020 – 2021
  • Member, Commission on Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts, 2011 – 2012
  • Member, Standing Committee on Paralegals, 2008 – 2011
  • Litigation Section (largest section of ABA, with over 70,000 lawyer members):
    • Co-chair, Admiralty Maritime Litigation Committee, 2014 – 2015
    • Co-chair, Trust and Estates Litigation Committee, 2012 – 2014
    • Member, Judicial Intern Opportunity Program Working Group, 2013 – 2014 Co-chair, Employment and Labor Relations Committee, 2009 – 2012
    • Task Force on the Independence of the Judiciary, 2007 – 2009
    • Member of the Council, governing body for the Section, 2000 – 2003
    • Co-chair, Section of Litigation Annual Meeting, 1998 – 2000
    • Member, Federal Practice Task Force, Division VII
    • Co-chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2002 – 2003
    • Member, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2001 – 2002
    • Co-chair, Unpublished References Committee, 1996 – 1998
    • Co-chair, Appellate Practice Committee, August 1993 – 1996
    • Co-chair, Products Liability Committee, 1990 – 1993, 2004 – 2005
    • Co-chair, Council Meeting, 1993
    • Ninth Circuit Representative to the Task Force on the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990, 1991 – 1992
    • Moderator, “Mass Justice or Mass Confusion? The Mass Torts and Product Liability Crises,” Fall Meeting, 1991
      • Vice-Chair, Products Liability Committee, 1989 – 1990
• University of Washington School of Law Alumni Association
  • Board of Trustees, 2016 – Present
  • Member, Board of Directors, 2006 – Present
  • President, Alumni Board, 2006 – 2008
• Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC)
  • Sustaining Member, 1989 – Present
• BNA, Product Safety & Liability Reporter
  • Board of Advisors, 1990 – Present

• Best Lawyers^®
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation (2012-2024)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Real Estate (2022-2024)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Real Estate Law (2021-2024)

University of Washington
J.D., Order of the Coif 

Washington State University
B.S., Agricultural Economics

Represented a large public company in an eminent domain case brought by Sound Transit for the Redmond light rail link.  Sound Transit condemned our client’s entire 2.5 acre distribution center near the Redmond station, even though Sound Transit did not need the property permanently.  We appealed the order of Public Use and Necessity and the issues were fully briefed and set for oral argument in January, 2021.  Prior to that we engaged an architectural expert to prepare a massing study to demonstrate the number of multifamily units that would fit on this site, which influenced the just compensation appraisal.  Sound Transit ultimately increased its initial offer for just compensation of $4,100,000 to a final figure of $12,300,000.  We withdrew the appeal and the case settled at the $12.3M figure, which was about triple the initial offer.