Tim D. Wackerbarth
Shareholder | Seattle | 206.223.7960 | wackerbartht@lanepowell.com
Areas of Practice
Tim Wackerbarth is the Chair of the Firm’s Railroad and Mass Transportation Industry Team, focusing on railroad litigation, FELA litigation, wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury litigation, product liability, life insurance, environmental and employment litigation. He has extensive trial experience in state and federal courts in Washington and Oregon, including representing carriers in claims for spilled fuel and other contaminants, manufacturers in product liability and toxic tort litigation, and insurers and insured businesses in complex insurance coverage litigation. Tim is a past Regional Vice President of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel (NARTC) and is also a member of the NARTC’s Executive Committee.
Admitted to Practice
- Washington
Academics
- Willamette University (J.D., 1983)
- Associate Editor, Willamette Law Review, 1982 – 1983
- Westmont College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1979)
Practice Group and Specialty Team Memberships
- Chair, Lane Powell Railroad and Mass Transportation Industry Team
- Board of Directors
- Construction and Environmental
- Labor and Employment
- Litigation
- Products Liability
- Co-Chair, Products Liability and Mass Torts Litigation Team
Representative Matters
- Extensive jury trial experience in state and federal courts in Washington and Oregon.
- Numerous defense verdicts in FELA and other railroad related jury trials in federal and state courts.
- Lead trial counsel for Class I railroad in diesel contamination litigation.
- Represents carriers in claims for spilled fuel and other contaminants.
- Represents product manufacturers in products liability and toxic tort litigation.
- Represents insurers and insured businesses in complex insurance coverage litigation.
- Counsel for a product distributor in complex class action litigation involving a class of approximately 100,000 persons.
- Lead counsel for Class I railroad in eminent domain litigation.
- Represents insurers in life and disability insurance disputes.
- Active participant and frequent speaker at national and regional meetings of the NARTC.
Representative Clients
- National Railroad Passenger Corporation
- Union Pacific Railroad Company
- NYLIFE Securities, Inc.
- New York Life Insurance Company
- American Presidents Line
- APL Land Transport
- Square D Company
- BNSF Railway Company
- Canadian National Railway Company
- Weyerhaeuser
- USAA Life Insurance Company
- Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Speaking Engagements
- Annual Meeting, NARTC, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2010
- Pacific and Southwest Regional Combined Meeting, NARTC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 2008
- Pacific and Southwest Regional Combined Meeting, NARTC, Austin, Texas, October 2007
- Pacific and Southwest Regional Combined Meeting, NARTC, San Antonio, Texas, October 2005
- Pacific and Southwest Regional Combined Meeting, NARTC, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 2004
- Pacific Regional Meeting, NARTC, Santa Barbara, California, October 2001
- Special Litigation Conference, NARTC, Vail, Colorado, February 1994
Awards and Honors
- Peer Review Rated “AV” in Martindale-Hubbell
- Rated “Superb” on Avvo
- Named in “Best Lawyers” survey published by Seattle Metropolitan, July 2010
Professional and Community Activities
- American Bar Association
- Washington State Bar Association
- Executive Committee, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
- Regional Vice President, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
- Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Association
- Rail and Motor Carrier Law Committee – Tort and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association
- Life Insurance Law Committee – Tort and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association
- Association of Transportation Law Professionals
- Defense Research Institute
- Member, Washington Athletic Club
- Member, Seattle Tennis Club