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Williams Kastner Member

Daniel A. Brown

Daniel A. BrownMember
Bar Admissions

Washington

Oregon

Federal Court of Claims

Idaho

Tribal Courts
Puyallup
Tulalip
Quinault
Sauk-Suiattle
Skokomish
Stillaguamish

U.S. Court of Appeals
9th Circuit
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5th Circuit

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Multiple Circuits/Districts

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Daniel A. Brown

About

Daniel Brown is a Member of the Seattle office of Williams Kastner and is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice on litigation and dispute resolution, with an emphasis on creditor rights and financial institution litigation. Dan has extensive experience as a trial lawyer and in all phases of state and federal civil litigation, including discovery, motion practice, trials/arbitrations, and appeals. He has independently handled, or significantly assisted in, more than 50 trials and arbitrations on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants; and litigated and settled hundreds of cases, including claims for product liability, premises and construction liability, class actions, violation of trade secrets, noncompete agreements, employment cases, copyright infringement, all manner of real estate disputes, credit and banking issues, and condemnation actions. Dan has served as an arbitrator for the King County Superior Court for the last 20 years. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in 2010 – 2015, then again in 2024, and Washington Super Lawyers for 2010 – 2023. He has and continues to be Martindale-Hubbell “AV” top-rated by his peers in the legal community.

Dan 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 written agreements and your word was your bond, and you never, ever considered reneging on a deal. Though the world may no longer operate that way, it is how Dan 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 father.

It is in this spirit that Dan 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, banks and financial institutions, highly compensated individuals, landowners, land buyers, land renters, individuals, and 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.

Dan’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 own son and daughter, especially when one was blaming the other for something or starting the argument: “You are only as good as your word.” That is how Dan practices the law.

After nearly 31 years of serving hundreds and hundreds of clients in their litigation and other business disputes, Dan’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. Dan 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; Director of the Board; Lawyer Hiring Committee Chair; Contingent Fee Committee Chair | 2010 – Present
  • Pro Tem Judge for Numerous Tribal Courts and Court of Appeals through the Northwest Intertribal Court System | 2005 – Present
  • Miller Nash, Partner and Seattle Litigation Practice Group Chair | 1992 – 2010

Memberships

Dan is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and has served as special district counsel for the Washington State Bar Disciplinary Committee for many years. 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 25+ years.

Since 2005, Dan has served as a pro tem tribal court judge for numerous tribes, including the Puyallup, the Skokomish, the Sauk-Suiattle, the Tulalip, the Quinault, 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 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.

Community Involvement

  • NW Seattle Little League, Board Member/Secretary (4 years); Coach (6 years)
  • Seattle Public Schools, Broadview Thomson PTA Auction Committee (4 years)
  • King County Boys and Girls Clubs Executive Committee (3 years)
  • North Seattle Boys and Girls Club of King County, president for three terms and various other officer positions over a 10-year period

Recognitions & Awards

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Native American Law (2024)

Education

  • University of Washington
    School of Law, J.D. 1992
    BA in History, 1989

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.

Representative Experience

  • Represented plaintiff in an agricultural breach of contract case of $100 million against a state university.
  • Represented partner in a casino management agreement dispute over $115 million.
  • Represented a CRA in a Federal Court FRCA claim.
  • 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 international product manufacturer defendants in $100 million class action involving closed water heating systems in residential/commercial construction projects.
  • Represented plaintiffs in $5 million real estate/title claims against developer.
  • 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).
  • Represented several financial institutions and defendants in successful dismissal of plaintiff consumer class actions. 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.
  • Represented large restaurant chain in defense of employee wage and hour class action.
  • 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 pharmacy chain defendant in employee/pharmacist wage and hour class action.
  • 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 financial institution in class action claim by securities investors.
  • 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.