About Gary Williams


Williams Law Office

252 Blueberry Hill Drive
Quilcene, Washington 98376
Phone 360.765.0729

gw@areyoucovered.com

PRACTICE: Insurance law and litigation. Represents consumers against insurance companies. Successfully resolved cases against State Farm, Allstate, Safeco, Mutual of Enumclaw, Farmers, USAA, Travelers, Hartford, Country Companies, Unigard, American States, Aetna, Bankers Life and others.

Handles uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, as well as liability coverage problems, life, health and disability insurance claims. Counsels consumers with inadequate coverage, or who are being defended under a reservation of rights.

Successfully argued cases for insured consumers in State and Federal trial courts, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Washington.

Martindale-Hubbell rating Av.

Former Chair, Washington State Trial Lawyers Insurance Law Section.  

EXPERT WITNESS: Analyzes coverage problems, claim handling issues, lawyer malpractice and insurance bad faith cases. Retained as an expert by both plaintiff and defense lawyers, insureds and insurers.

MEDIATOR: Trained, experienced mediator. Mediates injury, insurance, and bad faith cases.

ARBITRATOR/APPRAISER: Chosen by both plaintiffs and defendants to resolve cases without going to court. Serves as an appraiser or umpire in property insurance policy appraisals.

TEACHER: Consulted to design curriculum for the insurance adjusting course at Pierce College. Taught in the program, then taught at the University of Puget Sound School of Law, as a legal writing instructor and an adjunct trial practice professor. Coached Moot Court teams which reached national prominence.

LECTURER: Speaks at seminars for lawyers or claim professionals on insurance law, trial practice, and insurance adjusting.    

PUBLICATIONS:  Article on combating an insurance company's claim fraud defense was published in TRIAL, the national journal for trial lawyers. See it at  atlanet.org   Click  publications for full text of some  recent articles and seminar papers. Included are:

  1.   Litigating the Bad Faith Case.  A basic, beginner-level paper on prosecuting an insurance bad faith case in Washington state.  Presented to a King County Bar Association seminar for lawyers and claim professionals.

  2.   Combating the Insurer's Fraud Defense.  Magazine article for TRIAL magazine, October, 1998.  Addresses the common problem when an insurance company wrongly accuses its customer of claim fraud. This article has a national focus, so most of the citations are from jurisdictions other than Washington.

  3.   The Coventry Decision: A Sword for First Party Benefits?   Discussion of Coventry Associates v. American States Insurance Company, 136 Wn.2d 269, 961 P.2d 933 (1998).  This is an important Washington Supreme Court case which goes a long way in defining bad faith law in Washington.  Written for a Washington State Trial Lawyers Association seminar in 1999.

  4.   The Good Claim File.  Mistakes by claims professionals provide ammunition for policyholder's counsel.  This paper concerns some classic errors. Written for the Fifth Annual Reed McClure Insurance Law Seminar.

  5.   How to Read an Insurance Policy.   It is possible to read and understand a policy.  Both practical and legal tips for lawyers.  Published in Trial News, December, 2000.

  6.   Fire Insurance Claims -- Combating the Arson Defense.   Insurance companies are quick to accuse their policyholders of arson.  This paper, written for the 2001 WSTLA Insurance Law Seminar, is for the experienced trial lawyer who hasn't tried an arson defense case. 

  7.    Examination Under Oath: Investigative Tool or Weapon of Mass Destruction?  Written for the auto insurance lawyer, this paper addresses the use of the examination under oath in UIM and PIP claims.

ADJUSTER: Worked as an insurance adjuster, both before and during law school from 1968 to 1979. Employed by Safeco and American States. Then worked as an Independent adjuster during law school, handling property, liability, and injury claims.

EDUCATION: B.A. degree from Central Washington State University in 1967, Associate in Claims designation in 1974 from the Insurance Institute of America, and Juris Doctor from the University of Puget Sound School of Law in 1979. In law school, earned the CJS Award for Significant Legal Scholarship, and won the moot court championship. All this occurred a very long time ago.

MEMBERSHIPS: American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, American  Association for Justice (formerly ATLA), Washington State Association for Justice (formerly WSTLA).

 

 
HOME
  |  ABOUT US  |  SEARCH  |  CONTACT

 
Copyright © 2001 Gary Williams. All rights reserved.

This site does not give legal advice.  See Disclaimer.