Preg O'Donnell and Gillett is proud to announce that Maggie Sweeney has now become Of Counsel to the firm. Maggie has been a lawyer for 15 years and with the firm for several years.  Prior to joining  POG she was a Deputy Prosecutor for King County, and then a staff trial Attorney for a large insurance carrier. Since joining POG she has successfully tried 3  jury cases, obtaining defense verdicts in each case. She exemplifies POG core values of passion, service and excellence, while maintaining a family life balance and raising 3 children.

Preg O’Donnell & Gillett is pleased to announce that Jennifer D. Loynd has joined our  Seattle office. Jennifer was born in Canada and grew up in Washington State.   She has been privileged to spend her professional career working in the Seattle area.  Jennifer’s practice focuses on defense of complex civil litigation including construction defect, toxic tort, product liability and personal injury claims.

Preg O’Donnell & Gillett is pleased to announce that John Butler has become a member of the firm effective January 1, 2012. John has been with the firm since 2001. John’s defense practice includes complex construction defect, product liability, transportation and trucking, worksite and general injury, and business loss claims. John also regularly speaks on current topics impacting the defense bar. John’s extensive litigation experience, together with his commitment to the firm’s core values of service, excellence, and integrity, will continue to foster Preg O’Donnell & Gillett’s reputation as one of the pre-eminent civil defense trial firms in the Pacific Northwest.

Preg O’Donnell & Gillett Member Lori O’Tool and Associate David Chawes recently prevailed in a motion for summary judgment dismissing all claims brought against its subcontractor client by a group of former members of a limited liability company (“LLC”).  The case was rather complex, because in an earlier underlying lawsuit, the condominium homeowners association (HOA) had brought construction defect claims against the original LLC and its members where the Washington Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the LLC could not sue or be sued, as it had dissolved itself several months before the underlying lawsuit was filed. However, the Supreme Court also ruled that the former LLC members could themselves sue and be sued.  After the former LLC members settled the claims brought by HOA, the members sought recovery of the settlement amount from the subcontractors who had worked at the project, including Preg O’Donnell’s client, a plumbing and heating subcontractor.  Preg O’Donnell moved for summary judgment arguing that the statute of limitations had long since expired on the claims brought by the former LLC members, and that in any event, their claims did not “relate back” to a set of earlier construction defect claims brought years before solely by the LLC (and not the LLC members) against the subcontractors.  The King County Superior Court agreed and dismissed all claims against the plumbing and heating subcontractor.  It was a significant victory demonstrating that an LLC’s members who dissolve the LLC’s corporate existence cannot, many years later, bring suit against the project subcontractors for those very same defects.

On April 11, as part of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers upcoming Defense Academy Continuing Legal Education (CLE), David Chawes will be presenting “Best Practices For Young Lawyers”.  David will focus on ideas which helped him establish his core values at Preg O’Donnell & Gillett, as he recently became an attorney in a second career.

On February 24, 2012, Lori O’Tool and Mark O’Donnell, both members at Preg O’Donnell & Gillett, will be presenting at the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Construction Law Update at the Washington Convention Center. Lori will be speaking on “Significant Legislative & Case Law Updates” at 9am that morning. Mark is scheduled at 3:35 to speak on Construction Law, peering into the future with the title “Construction Defect Crystal Ball.”

Preg O’Donnell & Gillett is pleased to announce that Abby R. Michels has joined our  Portland office. Abby worked in the Law Offices of Anderson & Nyburg as In-house Counsel For Liberty Mutual prior to joining our firm. Abby received her law degree from Willamette University College of Law in 2001. She was a member of the Willamette Law Review from 1999 until 2001.

Of Counsel Earl Sutherland has been rated AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell, an attorney peer-to-peer rating service.  Earl has been a member of Preg O’Donnell & Gillett since September of 2010.

Over 150 Certified Public Accountants attended the Pacific Tax Institute on Risk Management, held by the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mary C. Eklund of Preg O’Donnell & Gillett was a featured speaker on the morning of November 9 “Accountants Liability: How to Protect Your Firm & Yourself from Legal Liability.” Her speech covered topics on best practices for risk management, including document retention and destruction policies.