Ted Buck
Principal
Ted came to the practice of law of necessity – defending himself in a traffic infraction when he was 15 years old. After cross examining the police officer the officer approached him in the courtroom hallway and said, “geez, you oughta be a lawyer.”
Ted has loved the human chess match of the courtroom since, and his career has been heavily focuses on preparing and trying cases. He has successfully represented the City of Seattle in some of its most significant cases over the past decades, including the aftermath of the WTO riots, class actions alleging profiling and constitutional violations, and controversial officer involved fatalities. He was lead counsel in what is thought to be the single largest personal injury verdict ever entered against Washington Department of Health and Human Services. His practice also includes a wide variety of other litigation, including business and commercial disputes, class action litigation representing mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies, business development, property claims, employment disputes and agricultural related issues. Ted’s practice takes him where the need arises; he both prosecutes and defends cases.
A firm advocate of the idea that every person has a duty to give back to society in proportion to their capacity, Ted has provided substantial pro bono assistance to a number of charitable organizations. He serves on the Salvation Army of King County’s advisory board, with a goal to continue the Army’s work of providing hope to opportunity to society’s neediest without discrimination. He also serves on the executive committee and board of the Seattle Police Foundation. A long-time supporter of Northwest Center, Ted has also advocated for providing opportunity to the developmentally disabled to assure every member of society has an opportunity to contribute to their ability; he believes that every person has the right to the dignity of contribution.
Ted has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law and Politics magazine every year since 2001, including being named in the top 100 lawyers in the state. Ted carries the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell AV+ rating, the highest rating available, and is a fellow the Litigation Counsel of American and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. He is a past president of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association. Ted has a long history of teaching, including seminars on topics including trial tactics, constitutional issues and inquest proceedings. He also trains extensively for police agencies and related organizations on issues involving police civil liability, legal constraints on police action and risk management tactics.