g. val tollefson

education
BA, Univ of Washington. JD, Univ of Washington (member, board of editors, Washington Law Review)

experience
US Navy pilot, 1964-69. USN Reserve, 1969-74. Lane Powell, 1973-85. Co-founded Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson in 1986

contact info
valt@dhlt.com

Val Tollefson is acknowledged as one of Seattle's best trial lawyers, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. His varied practice spans complex commercial cases, aviation, product liability, employment, maritime and insurance litigation. He is also frequently selected as a mediator or arbitrator. After a rewarding career at Lane Powell, where he was privileged to be one of youngest members of the Executive Committee, Val left with other partners to form Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson in 1986.

In addition to his regular practice, Val has for years accepted cases from the federal Civil Rights Pro Bono Panel, and been involved in other pro bono efforts. He is also active in civic life on Bainbridge Island, where he has chaired the Bainbridge Foundation and the Harbor Commission, was co-chair of the private fund-raising effort that was instrumental in the creation of Joel Pritchard Park on 50 acres of prime waterfront property, and currently serves on the Boards of the Bainbridge Public Library and the Bainbridge Island Land Trust. In his spare time, he pilots his private airplane in support of the non-profit organizations Angel Flight and Lighthawk.

The following is a small but representative list of Val's significant engagements. He would be happy to provide a complete list of significant cases.

Val was retained to represent the manufacturer of a product which was implicated in a fire that destroyed a Red Lion hotel. After protracted litigation involving multiple defendants and dozens of experts, he was able to resolve the case against his client on favorable terms. He was then promptly retained by one of the remaining defendants to substitute for its counsel, and shortly resolved those claims as well.

He represented Fluke Corporation, when its liability insurer declined coverage in a California malicious prosecution case. An adverse ruling on summary judgment by the trial court was reversed by the Washington Supreme Court in Fluke v. Hartford, 145 Wn.2d 137, 34 P.3d 809 (2001), which affirmed the insurability of punitive damages in Washington.

Val represented Olympic Pipeline Company in a suit arising from an attempt by the City of Seattle to force shut down of a spur line running through the City. He obtained a Preliminary Injunction against the City, and then summary judgment. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the trial court rulings on the basis of federal preemption of pipeline safety regulation.

More generally, he has represented aviation and marine interests in casualty and commercial litigation, and in regulatory and business matters, for over 30 years, during which he has developed a reputation for time and again finding the innovative route to success. In the late 1970s, he pioneered the use of mock juries in complex litigation. His creative use of demonstrative evidence has resulted in favorable verdicts in case after case.