Our people give us the edge

• Gamble v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance, bad faith, verdict in favor of client)
• Bagley v. Travelers (U.S. District Court first party property insurance bad faith)
• Spaulding v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance bad faith)
• Kaiser v. CSL Plasma (King County discrimination against transgender customer)
• Merriman v. American Guarantee (Yakima County first IFCA class action against insurer following fire at storage facility).
• Freeman v. Amtrak (U.S. District Court personal injury arising from Amtrak Derailment)
• Wang v. Comcast (Employment arbitration, race discrimination)

• Speaker, “Social Inflation,” Limits-Demands, and Consent Judgment Settlements, The Seminar Group, Seattle, WA (November 2023)
• Speaker, Panel: Preparing Your Bad Faith Case from Start to Finish, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA (July 2023)
• Speaker, Public Adjusters, Friend or Foe?, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2023)
• Speaker, IFCA Update, Washington State Association for Justice Annual Convention (September 2021)
• Speaker, Conflicts, Cash, and Coverage: Ethics in Insurance Litigation, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2021)
• Speaker, The Floor is Lava! Insurer Bad Faith in Residential Environmental Claims, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (March 2021)
• Kathryn M. Knudsen, How to Make the Most out of a Rule 30(b)(6) Deposition, The Woman Advocate Practice Points, American Bar Association (November 2020).
• Speaker, Insurance Broker Liability, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2020).
• Kathryn M. Knudsen, Aggressive Discovery Produces Results in Employment Arbitration, Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2020).
• Speaker, Blast From the Past: Lost Policies and Long-Tail Environmental/Asbestos Claims from the Pre-Absolute Exclusion Era, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2020)
• Author, Third-Party Adjuster Liability After Keodalah, Trial News, vol. 55, n. 3, Washington State Associate for Justice (November 2019).
• Speaker, 10 Things We Can All do to Help Insurance Policyholders, Building Industry Association of Whatcom County (Bellingham, WA) 2019.
• Speaker, Personal Injury from A to Z, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2018). CLE Faculty, Effective Motion Practice in Civil Litigation, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2017).
• Speaker, 10 Things Every Lawyer Needs to Know about Washington Insurance Law, Construction Defect & Dispute Conference (Seattle, WA 2016).
• Author, Obtaining Benefits Under A Lapsed Life Insurance Policy, Trial News, vol. 52 n. 5, Washington State Association for Justice (January 2016).
• Speaker, Insurance Discovery Privileges: Views from the Offensive and Defensive Lines, The Women of the Section of Litigation Conference Networking Roundtable Luncheon, American Bar Association (Chicago, IL 2015).
• Author, The Dos and Don’ts of Beginning your Trial Practice, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 10, Washington State Association for Justice (June 2015).
• Author, Hidden Risks in Insurance Appraisal Clauses, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 9, Washington State Association for Justice (May 2015).
• Speaker, Duty or No Duty (Concerning the Duty to Defend in Liability Insurance Policies), Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2015).

• Super Lawyers, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Super Lawyers Rising Star, Washington, 2016–2021
• Washington State Bar Association Supreme Court Pro Bono Publico Honor Roll, 2016
• WSAJ Eagle Member

• Washington State Bar Association, Member
• Washington State Association for Justice, Board of Governors 2022-present
• King County Bar Association, Member
• American Bar Association, The Woman Advocate Committee, Insurance Subcommittee Chair, 2020
• Washington State Association for Justice, Board of Governors, 2023
• Washington State Association for Justice, Co-Chair Insurance Committee, 2019–2020 & 2021–2023
• University of Washington School of Law, Affiliate Instructor, Trial Advocacy
• ArtsFund, Associate Board Member, Visionaries Culture Council, 2014–2022
• Friends of CASA, Board of Directors, 2015
• Allied Arts of Yakima, Board of Directors Nominating Committee, 2012–2013

• Homeowners Claim Against American Family — Hard-fought victory and significant settlement for an Enumclaw, Washington family, allowing them to rebuild their classic home.
• Grocery Store Destruction by Fire — State-court litigation in Quincy, Washington; obtained relief that allowed the store to be rebuilt from the foundation.
• Fire on Boat in Seattle — Represented owner of a vessel that burned on Lake Union; obtained a large settlement after insurer accused policyholder of arson.
• Underinsured Motorist Claim Against State Farm — Federal litigation from a high-speed rear-end collision; achieved favorable settlement.
• Manufactured Home Insurance Claim Against Foremost — Federal litigation over significant water loss and failures to investigate/provide housing; favorable settlement.
• Denial of Life-Saving Treatment by Uniform Medical Plan — Court determined HTCC implementation unconstitutional; secured life-saving spinal cord stimulator for client.
• King County & Brightwater Plant Defects — Unique policy endorsement; multimillion-dollar recovery for the County.
• Covenant Judgment & Bad Faith Against Farmers — Defended covenant judgment in Bird v. Best Plumbing (WA Supreme Court) and pursued bad faith; favorable result.
• Major Water Damage in High-End Kalama Home — $2.8M appraisal award, multiples over insurer’s offer; extracontractual claims later settled.
• Motorcycle Crashes — Multi-million-dollar settlement for client with life-altering injuries.
• Injuries Caused by Security Staff at Bartell — Favorable result for elder knocked down during attempted shoplifter apprehension.
• Police Officer Gunshot Injury — Settled for most of defendant’s available assets.
• Foreign Objects in Food — Represented clients (e.g., nail in Starbucks sandwich) for mouth-injury cases.
• Discrimination & Sexual Harassment Against wafla — Multiple cases involving conduct by the organization’s leader.
• Lawsuit Against Washington State Bar Association — Represented WSBA employee; settled pre-trial.
• Kaiser v. CSL Plasma — Discrimination case involving a transgender woman; favorable federal summary-judgment order before resolution.

• Author, Washington’s Insurance Fair Conduct Act: Cases and Analysis, the definitive guide to Washington’s groundbreaking insurance law (2014 & 2015 Supp.). Book received positive review in the WSAJ Trial News and proved popular among lawyers on plaintiff and defense sides.
• Author, Legislative History of Washington’s Insurance Fair Conduct Act, which makes available (for the first time ever) written transcripts of the House and Senate committee hearings that led to IFCA’s passage (2014).
• Speaker, IFCA Update, Washington State Association for Justice Annual Convention (September 2021)
• Co-Presenter, Courtroom Conduct—Best Tips for Overcoming Phobias and Bias Against Your LGBTQ Clients, Washington State Bar Association, Navigating the Landscape of LGBTQ Issues in the 21st Century (2018).
• Presenter, Civil Rights Issues Impacting the Trans and GNC Community, King County Bar Association, Common Legal Issues and Barriers for the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Community, Seattle, Washington (2017).
• Panelist, Community Concerns and Complaints, Community Involvement and Oversight, Washington State Bar Association, A Look at People of Color: Racial Progress or a Deepening Racial Divide, Seattle, Washington (2017).
• Panelist, Collective Bargaining and Police Oversight, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), 23rd Annual NACOLE Conference, Spokane, Washington (2017).
• Presenter, UIM + IFCA: Two Acronyms that Go Together, WSAJ’s Auto Cases Seminar, Seattle, Washington (2017).
• Co-Chair & Co-Presenter, Avoiding the Pitfalls of Appraisal, Washington State Association for Justice’s 38th Annual Insurance Law Seminar, Seattle, Washington, and Spokane, Washington (2016).
• Co-Presenter, LGBTQ Discrimination in Public Accommodations, Washington State Bar Association’s LGBT Rights: Issues and Practice Areas (2016).
• Co-Chair & Presenter, Insurance Fair Conduct Act Update, Washington State Association for Justice’s 37th Annual Insurance Law Seminar, Seattle, Washington, and Spokane, Washington (2015).
• Co-Presenter, Duty or No Duty?, concerning the duty to defend in liability insurance policies, American Bar Association’s 2015 Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, Tucson, Arizona (2015).
• Co-Presenter, “American Sniper”: What to Do When Good Faith Goes Bad, Puget Sound Adjusters Association’s 4th Annual Spring Symposium (2015). Presenter, A Claimant’s View of IFCA, Washington Defense Trial Lawyers’ Annual Insurance Law Update, Seattle, Washington (2015).
• Author, "Lost in Translation: The Needs of Spanish Language Policyholders," published in WSAJ Trial News (2014).
• Author, On the Remedial Nature of the Insurance Fair Conduct Act, published in the Gonzaga Law Review (2014).
• Author, "Seven Years After the Insurance Fair Conduct Act," published on the first page of the King County Bar Bulletin (2014).
• Author, "The Insurance Fair Conduct Act & Liability Insurance Policies," published in WSAJ Trial News (2014).
• Presenter, IFCA and Bad Faith Insurance Claims, WSAJ’s Legal Staff Section (2014).
• Presenter, IFCA Claims Without a Denial of Coverage, WSAJ’s 35th Annual Insurance Law Seminar: Hot Topics in Insurance Law (2013).
• Co-Presenter, Insurance Fair Conduct Act: Point-Counterpoint, Washington Defense Trial Lawyers’ Annual Insurance Law Update (2013).
• Author, "My Letter to the Trustees of the La Feria Schools on the Handling of Jeydon Loredo’s Yearbook Photo" (2013), published by the Huffington Post. The letter involved a high school principal’s decision to ban a transgender teen from appearing in a yearbook.
• Author, "IFCA Claims Without a Denial of Coverage," published in WSAJ Trial News (2012).

• Super Lawyers, 2015–2025
• “Top 100” Super Lawyers in Washington, 2020–2023

• Commissioner and three-time co-chair, Seattle Community Police Commission.
• Served as commissioner and three-time co-chair of the Seattle Community Police Commission, the official community-centered accountability body first created as part of the ongoing federal consent decree.
• Written and regularly updated the IFCA Book, which is the definitive guide to Washington’s Insurance Fair Conduct Act (“IFCA”) and is relied upon by many plaintiff attorneys.
• Lectured regularly (Isaac has lost count) to industry groups and community on the topics of insurance law, civil rights, and police reform.
• Edited and completed the bench-bar guide on LGBTQ issues, used by judges in the State of Washington.
• Served as board member and president of the board of Entre Hermanos, which provides health services to members of the Latinx LGTBQ community.
• Served as board member and president of the board of the QLaw Foundation, which provides free legal services to members of the LGBTQ community.
• Enrolled as a member of the Washington State Association for Justice (“WSAJ”) Eagle program for 10 years and served as chair of the insurance section of the WSAJ in the past.

• Goodman v. First Unum Life Ins. Co., No. 2:21-cv-00902-BJR, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77317 (W.D. Wash. May 3, 2023) (obtained judgment in favor of disabled marketing executive against disability insurer);
• Mercer v. Truck Ins. Exch., No. 21-2-04933-4 KNT (King Cty. Super. Ct., Oct. 12, 2022) (granting motion for summary judgment in favor of homeowners denied insurance coverage for damage to their home from a windstorm);
• Chapin v. Prudential Insurance Company of America, 2:19-CV-01256-RAJ, 2021 WL 1090749 (W.D. Wash. Mar. 22, 2021) (obtained judgment in favor of a software engineer at a Seattle-area tech firm who was wrongfully denied disability insurance benefits);
• Dean v. Nationwide Insurance Company of America, et al., Case No. 19-2-24227-2 SEA (King Cty. Super. Ct.) (obtained confidential settlement on behalf of Seattle-area homeowner alleging her insurance carrier and its affiliated contractor mishandled her insurance claim for damage to her home from a burst water heater);
• Schmidt v. Allstate Insurance Company, Case No. 3:19-cv-05598-RBL (W.D. Wash.) (obtained $125,000 settlement for driver whose auto insurance carrier refused to pay the full amount of underinsured motorist insurance benefits after she was injured by an underinsured driver);
• Sagan v. Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston, Case No. 2:19-cv-01006-MJP (W.D. Wash.) (represented Seattle software engineer in lawsuit against the insurance company that denied her disability insurance claim after injuries rendered her unable to use a computer; the insurer paid the claim shortly after suit was filed);
• Bruce v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, Case No. 18-2-25741-7-SEA (King Cty. Super. Ct.) (obtained $700,000 settlement for homeowner in Seattle’s Central District against her homeowner’s insurance company after the insurer wrongfully denied coverage for a sewage flood that rendered her property uninhabitable);
• Harrison v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., Inc., C18-903 RSM, 2019 WL 954964 (W.D. Wash. Feb. 27, 2019) (obtained judgment in favor of a Seattle employee who was denied disability benefits solely because she failed to notify the insurance company of her claim until she was physically able to leave her bed).

McKean is often asked to speak on topics relevant to his practice, including as faculty at Continuing Legal Education programs for attorneys. Some of his recent presentations include:

• How to Spot Bad Faith Early in UIM Claims, Driggs, Bills & Day, PLLC (March 9, 2021);
• How to Recognize and Utilize ERISA in Your Employment Cases, Washington Employment Lawyers’ Association (October 15, 2020); and
• Individual Liability in Bad Faith Actions: Theories of Recovery, Defenses, Current Case Law, Strafford CLE (August 16, 2018).

McKean publishes the Seattle Insurance and ERISA Blog and is a frequent author on insurance and ERISA matters in the Seattle legal community. His recent publications include:

• ERISA Plans and Damages in Employment Disputes, Washington State Association for Justice (“WSAJ”) Trial News (July/August 2020);
• COVID-19 Insurance Challenges, King County Bar Association (“KCBA”) Bar Bulletin (May 2020);
• Insurance Company’s Duty to Reasonably Investigate Your Client’s Claim, WSAJ Trial News (November 2019);
• Best Practices for Handling Your Clients’ Employer-Sponsored Insurance Disputes Under ERISA, KCBA Bar Bulletin (February 2019);
• Beware of Policy Renewal Bear Traps, KCBA Bar Bulletin (March 2018).