Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Once a powerhouse, now a dinosaur. Davis Wright Tremaine (they represent Amazon Canada, with whom I am in a dispute) once had a reputation as a serious, reliable firm. My recent experience suggests they’re stuck using tactics from the 1990s: unsigned template letters, stonewalling, gaslighting, and a dismissive "matter closed" attitude that feels completely out of place in 2025. With a clear understanding of legal logic and access to modern tools, it took only a few emails to push their outdated process to its limits. They took what began as a simple $300 complaint about a damaged Amazon delivery and, through avoidance and evasion, escalated it into a civil lawsuit that will now cost their client tens of thousands. I’ve also reported their conduct to the Washington State Bar Association for review. Instead of engaging with professionalism and candor, they leaned on avoidance strategies that—at least in my view—only hurt their client’s reputation and add unnecessary risk. Would you hire someone in a suit if they’re operating decades behind the times? The legal world is evolving fast. Those who adapt will thrive; those who don’t risk being remembered like dinosaurs—large, slow, and on their last legs.

I’m writing this anonymously to protect the identity of a close friend who is currently enduring a distressing and unethical situation involving an estate matter overseen by a specific attorney at DWT. More than four years ago, a will was executed in which she is a named beneficiary. To this day, she has never been contacted, informed, or provided documentation, despite having every legal and ethical right to such information. The firm has handled this estate from the beginning and, disturbingly, appears to have actively allowed this information to be withheld. What’s even more concerning is that the firm continues to operate under the assumption that she is unaware of her rightful place in the estate. In reality, she has spent thousands of dollars hiring independent legal counsel and private sources simply to gain access to what should have been transparently disclosed. She is now prepared to take action but has so far held off, hoping the firm would correct course. That has not happened. DWT has not only failed in its fiduciary duty to protect the interests of all beneficiaries, but has also created a serious conflict of interest by aligning with parties already known to oppose her inclusion. This is not just a failure of oversight. It gives the appearance of a deliberate choice to turn a blind eye in favor of certain relatives they also represent. The lack of transparency, professional accountability, and ethical integrity here is staggering. I would urge anyone considering this firm for probate or estate matters to ask pointed questions about how they handle beneficiary communications, and whether they are willing to uphold their legal duties when faced with internal conflict. Trust should be earned, and in this case, it has been completely lost.

Disclaimer: I am not a client. I am providing this review solely on how considerate and thoughtful their staff has been. I attended an event at Davis Wright Tremaine, and like a dummy I left a personal item there. I have been trying, and failing, for a month to go collect it. Courtney has kept an eye on it, protected it from the periodic Goodwill donation runs, and when I called to confess that I just hadn't been able to make the pickup happen, she offered to mail it to me. Honestly that feels so above and beyond anything their office had to do, and I am so appreciative. Based on the quality of their staff alone, I will absolutely keep this office in mind if I - or a loved one - am ever in need of their expertise.

After the death of my father, we decided to continue to use his lawyer from this firm to help us through the legal process involving his will and estate. She seemed competent and comforting on the phone, and we had peace of mind for a short while at the beginning of working with her. However, it didn't last long. She ended up being difficult to reach, took forever to accomplish things that needed to get done, and actually ended up making multiple mistakes that we had to pay for - and not small ones either - both before and after my father's death. We wouldn't be surprised if other clients hadn't had an equally frustrating experience with this firm, and we are hoping to save others from a similar experience in the future with this review. Putting your trust and money in the hands of someone who we felt took advantage of such a painful and vulnerable situation is hard to understand. It is disappointing and quite frankly hurtful. We really wish we didn't feel the need to write such a negative review, but we wouldn't have done it if we didn't truly believe we would be helping others by doing so. We had hoped that by placing our trust in Davis Wright Tremaine, we would have been guided through this difficult time and given the customer support that we needed and paid for. Sadly, that was not the case.

I'm biased.