William Marler
William Marler
William Marler is the managing partner of Marler Clark L.L.P., P.S.
An accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert in foodborne illness litigation, William Marler has been a major force in food safety policy in the United States and abroad. He and his partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. His advocacy for better food regulation has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety, including recent testimony to US Congress Committee on Energy and Commerce. Marler Clark is considered the nation’s foremost law firm representing victims of foodborne illness and other serious personal injuries.
William Marler began litigating foodborne illness cases in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, resulting in her landmark $15.6 million settlement. Marler has focused his practice on representing individuals in litigation resulting from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, hepatitis A, and other food contamination cases. He has represented victims of nearly every large foodborne illness outbreak in the United States against such companies as Wholesale Club, Chili’s, Chi-Chi’s, ConAgra, Dole, Excel, Golden Corral, KFC, Sheetz, Sizzler, Supervalu, and Wendy’s, securing over $300,000,000 for his clients.
Under the umbrella of OutBreak, the nonprofit consulting arm of Marler Clark dedicated to food safety advocacy, Mr. Marler travels widely to speak to food industry groups, fair associations, and public health groups about the litigation of claims resulting from outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria and viruses and the issues surrounding it. He is also a frequent writer on topics related to foodborne illness. His articles include “Separating the Chaff from the Wheat: How to Determine the Strength of a Foodborne Illness Claim”, “Food Claims and Litigation”, How to Keep Your Focus on Food Safety, and “How to Document a Food Poisoning Case” (co-authored with David Babcock.) His blog, www.marlerblog.com is avidly read by the food safety and legal communities.
Mr. Marler is a graduate of the Seattle University School of Law in 1987.
In 1998 he became the Law School’s “Lawyer in Residence.” This year, Mr. Marler was given the 2008 Outstanding Lawyer Award by the King County Bar Association, as well as being given the Public Justice Award by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. He has been profiled in numerous publications.
He is married to Julie Marler and has three daughters, Morgan, Olivia, and Sydney. He is a former board member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers, a member of the board of directors of Bainbridge Youth Services, a former regent at Washington State University, and a member of the Children’s Hospital Circle of Care.
EDUCATION
1987 - J.D. Seattle University School of Law
1982 - B.A.s Political Science, Economics, English Washington State University
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
2002 to Present - Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys
2008 - Public Justice Award, Washington State Trial Lawyer’s Association
2008 - Outstanding Lawyer Award, Seattle/King County Bar Association
1998 to Present - “Super Lawyer”, Washington State Attorneys
1998 to 2004 - Governor Appointee, Washington State University Board of Regents
1997 - Distinguished Achievement Award, WSU College of Liberal Arts
PUBLICATIONS
2007 - Food Safety and the CEO:(PDF) Keys to Bottom Line Success
Food Safety Magazine, October/November.
2005 - Food Claims and Litigation (PDF)
Food Safety In-sight Newsletter by Environ Health Associates, Inc, February
2005 - Separating the Chaff from the Wheat: How to Determine the Strength of a Foodborne Illness Claim (PDF)
Paper presented at Defense Research Institute meeting on Food Liability
2005 - How to Keep Your Focus on Food Safety
Food Safety Magazine, June-July.
2004 - How to Document a Food Poisoning Case
(co-authored with David Babcock) Trial Magazine, November
PROFILES
2008 - Food Litigation Lawyer Bill Marler Is Careful about What He Eats
Lawyers and Settlements, July 24
2008 - E. Coli Lawyer Is Busier Than Ever
Associated Press, February 4
2007 - Legally Speaking: The Food Poisoning Lawyer
The Southeast Texas Record, John G. Browning, November 20
2007 - The Nation’s Leading Food-borne Illness Attorney Tells All
Washington State Magazine, Hannelore Sudermann, August
2007 - Back to Court: Burst of E. coli Cases Returns Jack in the Box Litigator to the Scene
Meat and Poultry News, Steve Bjerklie, June 8
2007 - Food Fight
Portland Oregonian, Alex Pulaski, March
2007 - Mr. Food Illness Esquire
QSR Magazine, Fred Minnick, February
2006 - Seattle Attorney Dominates Food-Borne Illness Litigation
KPLU, October 20
2006 - How a Tiny Law Firm Made Hay Out of Tainted Spinach
The Wall Street Journal, Heather Won Tesoriero and Peter Lattman, September 27
2005 - Bill Marler - Education Holds Key in Tainted Food Fight
King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin, Ross Anderson, November
2001 - THE INSIDE STORY: How 11 Schoolkids Got $4.75 Million in E. coli Lawsuit
MeatingPlace.com, Bryan Salvage, March 7
2001 - Hammer Time: Preparation Pays When Disputes Escalate to Lawsuits
Meat & Poultry Magazine, David Hendee
2001 - For Seattle Attorney, A Bacterium Brings Riches—and Enemies
The Wall Street Journal, Rachel Zimmerman
2001 - The Bug That Ate The Burger
Los Angeles Times, Emily Green, June
1999 - Courting Publicity, Attorney Makes Safe Food His Business
Seattle Post, Maggie Leung, September 7