Curriculum Vitae
Experience
Law Offices of John Warner Widell (May, 2002-present) Solo practice focused on trial and appellate matters in Washington, Alaska, and federal appellate courts, including cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
Hall Zanzig Widell, PLLC (1998-2002) Member of small litigation firm with a practice focused on representation of plaintiffs in class actions and other major commercial cases. Work included acting as lead counsel for plaintiffs and taking and defending most of the numerous document-intensive depositions in the ARCO ANO asbestos exposure litigation in Anchorage, Alaska; winning a major jury verdict for plaintiff in a disability discrimination case, and successfully defending through en banc Ninth Circuit affirmation and U.S. Supreme Court denial of certoriari an $8 million retaliatory termination of employment judgment.
Mundt MacGregor, LLP (1989-1998). Associate and then partner in a 20-25 lawyer firm with a practice focused on international business, financial, and real estate transactions, all aspects of the Seattle-based North Pacific commercial fishing industry, and Seattle-based intellectual property and telecommunications entrepreneurship. Mr. Widell’s own practice was limited to litigation. Work included a defense jury verdict in a Dutch Harbor, Alaska criminal case, a major federal court jury verdict for plaintiffs in a retaliatory discharge case against the owner of the Sonics basketball team, and extensive experience in discovery, trial, and appeals of litigation matters involving civil rights, international, environmental, intellectual property, employment, administrative, fisheries, securities, products liability, insurance coverage, and a wide range of other areas of substantive law.
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1988-89). Law clerk to Honorable Jerome Farris, Circuit Judge.
Southeast Neighborhood Legal Clinic (1989-present) Attorney coordinator and volunteer for the Southeast Legal Clinic in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood.
King County Bar Foundation (1998-2004). Member of the Board of Trustees and numerous working committees of largest legal services charity in King County.
Volunteer Legal Services, King County Bar Association (1989-present). Pro bono counsel in many VLS cases, including elder law, landlord-tenant, real estate, civil rights, employment, and family law matters.
National Institutes for Trial Advocacy (NITA) (1996-2003). Faculty member for NITA's annual three-day Northwest Regional Deposition program.
Education
University of Washington School of Law (J.D. with high honors 1988). Executive Editor, Washington Law Review; Member, Moot Court Honor Board; first place team and best brief, Judson Faulknor Appellate Advocacy Competition (1987) and First Year Moot Court Competition (1986).
Gonzaga University (B.A.H. cum laude 1985). Member, Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit academic honorary); Political columnist, Gonzaga Bulletin; Member and scholarship recipient, Gonzaga Debate Team; Member and Scrum Captain, Gonzaga Rugby Football Club.
Bar Memberships
Admitted to practice in Washington and Alaska federal and state courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
Publications and Significant Cases
Lambert v. Ackerley, 180 F.3d 997 (9th Cir. 1999) (en banc), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1116 (2000). Counsel for plaintiffs/appellees in trial and successful appellate defense of a multi-million dollar jury verdict in a retaliatory discharge of employment case.
Landau v. Poole, (American Arbitration Association 2004) Testified as legal ethics expert witness for petitioner in a successful attorney misconduct arbitration before the American Arbitration Association.
Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 982 (2003) United States Supreme Court Counsel of Record for Amicus Curiae King County Bar Association. Leader of four lawyer volunteer team that prepared the KCBA's brief in support of the University of Michigan in this important affirmative action case.
GM Nameplate v. Tang, 108 Wash. App. 1008, 2001 WL 1012291 (2001), rev. denied, 146 Wash. 2d 1012, 52 P.3d 519 (2002). Counsel for plaintiff/appellee in successful jury trial and appellate defense of a major disability discrimination case.
Reon Int’l v. Cellular Technical Services, Inc. (United States District Court, Western District of Washington 1997) Counsel for defendant in dispute over intellectual property rights in cutting edge encryption, positioning, and fraud detection technology for cellular telephone networks.
State v. Maxwell (Dutch Harbor, Alaska Superior Court 1996). Counsel for defendant in half million dollar fisheries forfeiture jury trial. Defendant was acquitted by the jury.
White v. Dvorak, 78 Wash. App. 105, 896 P.2d 85 (1995). Counsel for plaintiff/appellant in successful appellate reversal of summary judgment in a case that established important new civil litigation rules relating to Washington corporations.
Articles and columns for the Bar Bulletin (monthly publication of the King County Bar Association) and Trial News (monthly publication of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association).
Executive Editor, Pacific Northwest Articles, for Washington Law Review, Volume 63 (1988). Work included selection and substantial editing of articles for a Symposium on the Washington State Constitution.
Author, Washington's Retreat from Civil Rights Enforcement, Myers v. University of Washington, 62 Wash. L. Rev. 337 (1987).
Research assistance and drafting, Advertising and Commercial Speech, A First Amendment Guide (P.L.I. 1987). Updated and drafted new sections and case descriptions for the 1987 edition of PLI's popular commercial speech publication (as research assistant to P. Cameron DeVore).