Scott Easter

Scott Easter represents clients in a wide range of real estate, construction and general business litigation. The emphasis in his litigation practice is upon realistic initial assessment of the client’s legal position and options, together with focused attempts to settle while maximum saved litigation costs can be applied to a solution of the underlying problem.

If intensive efforts to negotiate and settle disputes (thus minimizing legal costs) fail, he aggressively pursues all available cost-effective litigation strategies to achieve the best possible result for the client.

An increasing percentage of Mr. Easter’s practice is devoted to insurance coverage issues, usually on behalf of the insured individual or business. Coverage issues can range from general liability coverage and excess/umbrella coverage, directors and officers coverage, employment practices coverage, life insurance, accident and disability coverage.

Such coverage includes environmental claims, as well as coverage for intellectual property disputes, including patent and copyright infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and other related business disputes.

Convincing the client’s insurance carrier that it has a contractual obligation to pay for counsel to defend the client against liabilities alleged against a client often can be the single most important issue to a client given the expense of litigation and costs of settlement. Mr. Easter’s most recent victory for insurance policy holders in the Washington Supreme Court was American Best Food, Inc. dba Café Arizona v. Alea London, LTD.

Mr. Easter also represents clients in the health law area, usually individual physicians or physician groups. His work for physicians and other health care providers in that area include disputes between shareholders and/or partners, disputes with professional and nonprofessional employees, disputes with hospitals or other organizations, licensing issues, and insurance issues.

Mr. Easter participated in filing of an Amicus Brief on behalf of the Washington State Medical Association and other physician groups in a case decided by the Washington Supreme Court, Columbia Physical Therapy, Inc., P.S., v. Benton Franklin Orthopedic Associates, P.L.L.C.; et.al.

In addition to commercial litigation, Mr. Easter also handles fiduciary litigation – for example, litigation arising out of estates, trusts, and guardianships. In this increasingly technical and emotion-laden area of the law, he advises clients both as to the strength of their legal position and the likely legal costs involved in prolonging the dispute. Fiduciary litigation presents particular advantages and disadvantages given the fiduciary’s enhanced duties to beneficiaries and other related parties.

Education:

• Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA
  • Juris Doctor, 1974
• University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • Economics/Honors program, Magna Cum Laude, 1971
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Rhodes Scholarship Regional Finalist

Professional and Community and Activities:

• American Bar Association (Litigation, Health Law, and Insurance Coverage Sections)
• Washington State Bar Association (Litigation Section, Health Law Section, Professional Discipline Subsection)
• King County Bar Association