News

October 2022

In remembrance: William Fitzharris

October 3rd, 2022|

Bill Fitzharris (William Edward Fitzharris, Jr.), known to his friends as “Fitz,” was a skilled attorney and trusted mentor to younger colleagues in the Preg O'Donnell & Gillett office. His kind heart and soft manner helped many times to give attorneys a better perspective on an otherwise stressful legal conundrum. He acted as an arbitrator of legal disputes between lawyers and clients. He also had the role as the firm’s ethics attorney, a position he held until his death.

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Getting to Maybe, or Being Willing to be Willing During Mediation

October 1st, 2022|

by Eric Gillett, from the King County Bar Association’s BAR Bulletin

We are now well past the two-year anniversary when civil litigation turned upside down. Our courts came to a standstill. Pending trials were immediately continued and those underway were either quickly concluded or stopped midstream and held in abeyance for several months while our judges attempted to find a way to move forward, however awkwardly.

Mediations, like trials, which had been conducted in person almost exclusively, were shot into a virtual world almost overnight without much to guide us. Thankfully, at the same time the world seemed to close its doors, technology opened a new one, Zoom...

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January 2022

Preg O’Donnell is excited to announce new hires in both Seattle and Portland

January 26th, 2022|

Please help us in welcoming two new hires, Naomi Ahsan in Seattle and Evan Aronson in Portland to the Preg O’Donnell & Gillett family.

Naomi went to law school in Washington D.C., where she interned at the United States Supreme Court and worked as a summer associate in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the U.S. […]

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Preg O’Donnell’s first summary judgment win of 2022 based on the statute of limitations!

January 21st, 2022|

Lori O’Tool and Michael Slater, Jr. successfully obtained the complete dismissal of claims brought against their client on summary judgment. Our client, one of the largest producers of concrete, aggregates, and asphalt in the Northwest was sued in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington as a result of personal injuries sustained […]

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December 2021

Another Summary Judgment win for team POG

December 30th, 2021|

Attorneys Bennett Hansen and Dan Rankin obtained a summary judgment dismissal of all claims against their client (a homeowners association) in a high-value personal injury lawsuit in King County Superior Court. Plaintiffs sought $6 million in compensation for personal injuries sustained while trying to escape a condominium fire for which the cause was undeterminable. […]

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June 2021

Another arbitration victory for Preg O’Donnell & Gillett

June 10th, 2021|

Attorney Jason Harrington obtained a defense verdict in King County Civil Arbitration in a highly contested Auto Dealers Act, Consumer Protection Act, UCC, breach of warranty, and breach of contract case. Plaintiffs sought over $140,000 in damages plus attorneys’ fees as a result of alleged defects and deceptive practices in the sale of a […]

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May 2021

Preg O’Donnell scores another dismissal on summary judgment.

May 6th, 2021|

Lori O’Tool and Michael Slater, Jr. of Preg O’Donnell & Gillett successfully obtained the complete dismissal of personal injury claims brought against their clients on summary judgment. Our clients, one of the largest producers of concrete, aggregates, and asphalt in the Northwest and its employee driver, were sued in Spokane County Superior Court as […]

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March 2021

Building a Stronger Defense – by Bill Cornell and Candace Chuck

March 21st, 2021|

In Maxwell v. Atl. Richfield Co., 476 P.3d 645 (Wash. Ct. App. 2020), Division 2 of the Washington Court of Appeals recently applied Washington’s construction six-year statute of repose to stale personal injury claims arising in the construction context. The opinion reinforces the statute of repose and provides potentially greater protection for contractors in […]

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Laurel Darby Joins Portland Office

March 3rd, 2021|

The partners of Preg, O’Donnell & Gillett are pleased to announce that Laurel Darby has returned to our Portland office as an associate attorney. Laurel has been practicing as an attorney since 2015. She brings a wide range of experiences practicing in both Missouri and Oregon over the past six years. Laurel’s practice focuses […]

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January 2020

Brian Driscoll Joins Portland Office

January 30th, 2020|

The partners of Preg, O’Donnell & Gillett are pleased to announce that attorney Brian Driscoll has joined our Portland office as an Of Counsel attorney. Brian brings 20 years of insurance defense litigation experience to the Portland office. Brian has received favorable jury verdicts for his clients in Oregon, Washington, and Connecticut with ten […]

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