Freimund, Jackson & Tardif, LLP

Jeffrey A. O. Freimund served from 1987 to 1990 as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, in the Department of Social and Health Services Division. Jeff handled public welfare class action litigation and appeals, assorted administrative hearings, bankruptcy and collection actions, parole revocation hearings, client advice, and mental health commitment trials and appeals. While there, Jeff conducted over 20 jury trials involving mental health commitments.

Professional Experience

In 1990, Jeff transferred as an Assistant Attorney General to the Torts Division, a position he held until 2007. In the Torts Division, Jeff’s practice encompassed all aspects of civil litigation, including discovery, motions, negotiations/mediations, trials and appeals. He handled complex, high exposure civil rights, employment, tort and personal injury cases against a variety of State agencies and employees. Jeff tried 13 tort cases to verdict and received defense verdicts in all but four (two of the plaintiff verdicts resulted in losses of $150,000 or less even though the plaintiffs’ lawyers requested several million dollars in each case; the other two were multi-million dollar awards that were reversed on appeal). Jeff had several other trials that resulted in directed verdicts, voluntary dismissals, or settlements during trial. He was the principal lawyer for over 20 appeals, including at least 12 that resulted in published decisions (listed below).

Jeff has received the peer-reviewed rating of “AV” from Martindale Hubbell, which places him among a select group of lawyers nationwide who have been recognized by their peers as consistently performing at the highest level, both in terms of legal ability and ethics.

Significant Accomplishments

In 1996, Jeff became a trial team leader supervising 7 attorneys, 5 paralegals and 6 legal assistants. In 1999, he became the Assistant Division Chief sharing in the administration of the entire Torts Division of approximately 36 attorneys and 100 professional staff, in addition to carrying a case load of high exposure, complex cases. In 2001, he returned to being a full-time litigator of some of the most complex, high exposure cases in the Division, with no management responsibilities.

Jeff was the lead attorney defending the Wenatchee sex abuse case that resulted in a defense verdict following a three month trial in 1998, which was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the top 15 defense wins in the nation that year. He has also handled three other major jury trials that lasted four weeks or longer.

In 1998, Jeff was awarded the Steward of Justice award from then Attorney General Christine Gregoire. The same year, the Secretary of the State’s Department of Social & Health Services, Lyle Quasim, awarded him the Secretary’s Award, the Department’s highest honor. In 2002, Jeff was appointed Senior Counsel by then Attorney General Gregoire.

Over the years, Jeff has been a speaker and the author of material for dozens of Continuing Legal Education programs concerning governmental tort liability, risk management, discovery, trial practice, appellate practice, and a variety of other topics.

Education

Western Washington University, B.A. 1982
Willamette University College of Law, J.D. 1987
- Class Standing: Top 20%.
- Associate Editor, Willamette Law Review.
- Moot Court Board, ABA Mock Trial Competition.

Reported Appellate Decisions

• Lee v. Hamilton, 56 Wash. App. 880, 785 P.2d 1156 (1990);
• Johnson v. Dept. of Soc. & Health Services, 80 Wash. App. 212, 907 P.2d 1223 (1996);
• White v. State, 131 Wash.2d 1, 929 P.2d 396 (1997);
• McKinney v. State, 134 Wash.2d 388, 950 P.2d 461 (1998);
• Price v. State, 96 Wash. App. 604, 980 P.2d 302 (1999), review denied, 139 Wash.2d 1018 (2000);
• Devereaux v. Abbey, 218 F.3d 1045 (9th Cir. 2000), reconsidered en banc, 263 F.3d 1070 (9th Cir. 2001);
• Everett v. Abbey, 108 Wash. App. 521, 31 P.3d 721 (2001);
• Price v. State, 114 Wash. App. 65, 57 P.3d 639 (2002);
• Braam v. State, 150 Wash.2d 689, 81 P.3d 851 (2003);
• M.W. v. Dept. of Soc. & Health Services, 149 Wash.2d 589, 70 P.3d 954 (2003);
• Gausvik v. Abbey, 126 Wash. App. 868, 107 P.3d 98, review denied, 155 Wash.2d 1006 (2005);
• Aba Sheikh v. Choe, 156 Wash.2d 441, 128 P.3d 574 (2006).