I believe Law as Results means SERVICE -- putting the goals of the client first and finding the best ways to achieve them.

As the firm's managing partner, I'm committed to the belief that everyone in the firm is here to serve our clients. The most important question we can ever ask isn't about the law - it's about what our client wants to accomplish.

Service frequently means solving a client's problem quickly and inexpensively, and the most successful work I ever do is helping a client end or avoid a dispute with a single phone call.

But immediate solutions aren't always available. In my 27 years of practice, I've served my clients by representing them successfully through arbitrations, trials and appeals. Some trials of mine include:

Portsmith Owners v. Intracorp., No. 01-2-20271-5 (2003) (Successful pursuit of property damage and warranty claims against developer of large Kirkland property).

Ash Grove Cement v. Lafarge Corp., 13 Fed App. 511 (9th Cir. 2001) (Successful pursuit of claims for damage from collision at barge facility).

D.A. Zuluaga Construction v. Spokane International Airport, No. 96-2-06301-5 (Spokane County 1999) (Recovery on construction claims for defective specifications and extra work).

Lee v. Pro-Build, Inc., No. 98-2-06725-5 (2000) (Successful arbitration over construction and development of Holiday Inn Suites in Tacoma).

Panorama Village Homeowners Assoc. v. Allstate Insurance Co.,144 Wn. 2d 130 (2001) (Obtained judgment for structural repairs to condominium complex, and award of attorney fees).

Kit-San-Azusa v. United States, 32 Fed. Cl. 647 (1995) (Construction claims for differing site conditions, extra work, changes, and defective specifications).

Kish v. Insurance Company of North America, 125 Wn.2d 164, 883 P.2d 308 (1994) (Exploring Washington law on doctrine of efficient proximate cause).

Other prominent cases I have been involved with include:

Microsoft v. Federal Insurance Co., No. C99-1514C (W.D. Wash. 2000) (Prosecuting claims for insurance coverage against multiple insurers).

In re Consolidated Seattle Slew Litigation, No. 92-2-01880-1 (1992-96) (Complex business and insurance litigation over thoroughbred horse racing empire originating with the racehorse Seattle Slew).

WPPS v. Fishbach Corp., (W.D. Wash. 1987) (Successful defense against $45 million antitrust and RICO claims involving public construction projects).

I have also represented a number of clients in published appeals, including:

Scoccolo Construction v. City of Renton, 158 Wn. 2d 506, 145P. 3d 371 (2006) (Preserving contractor's right to recover for project delays despite contract disclaimer exhonerating owner from responsibility).

Kiewit-Grice v. State of Washington , 77 Wn. App. 867, 985 P.2d 6 (1995) (Award to contractor for extraordinary direct and impact costs arising out of construction of the Third Lake Washington floating bridge).

Kaiser Steel Corp. v. Frank Coluccio Construction Co., 785 F.2d 656 (9th Cir. 1986) (Recovery for multi-million dollar breach of commitment to purchase construction materials).

Farwest Steel Corp. v. Hensel Phelps Construction Co., 48 Wn. App. 719, 741 P.2d 58 (1987) (Defense of prime contractor against bond and retainage claims by lower tier material supplier, establishing Washington law on levels of materialmen covered).

Oberg v. Department of Natural Resources, 114 Wn.2d 278, 787 P.2d 918 (1990)(Preserving multi-million dollar judgment for property owners against negligent governmental entity, and establishing Washington law on public duty doctrine).

Fujii v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 71 Wn. App. 248, 857 P.2d 1051 (1993) (Exploring Washington law on threshold for triggering property damage insurance coverage).


Service also means contributing to the community that you work in. In addition to being a frequent author and seminar presenter of construction law issues, I've been active in the Washington AGC Legal Affairs Committee for nearly 20 years and am one of two people to chair the committee for back-to-back terms.

I've also served on the Utility Contractors Association of Washington's board as an associate director and frequently support the construction industry in legislative and friend-of-the-court undertakings in such areas as ergonomics, subcontractor listing and claim preservation.

AREAS OF PRACTICE:

Construction Law
Commercial Litigation

EDUCATION:

University of Washington, (B.A. 1977, magna cum laude, phi beta kappa)
Stanford Law School (J.D. 1980, Order of the Coif)

ASSOCIATIONS:

Washington State Bar Association
AGC of Washington Legal Affairs Committee
Utility Contractors Association of Washington

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE:

All Washington state and federal courts
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Federal Claims

John S. Riper

10.0/10

Superb

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