For more than thirty-five years, Richard’s practice has focused on issues of insurance coverage and insurance company good faith claims handling. He has been involved in many of the noteworthy Washington cases that establish the standards for insurance company conduct.
Richard represents insurance policyholders and serves as personal counsel for large and small businesses, law firms and medical professionals to establish and protect their interests whenever insurance coverage is at issue. He has achieved a number of confidential settlements involving payment of many millions of dollars for injured persons and businesses. He also assists attorneys both in Washington and around the country evaluate the insurance coverage available to satisfy their clients’ claims and to help strategize and negotiate ways to accomplish the clients’ goals. He is also retained as an expert witness on coverage and claims handling issues.
Richard was admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Washington in 1973 and Alaska in 1987. He received his B. A. in History from the University of Washington in 1970 and J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA in 1973. He served as a law clerk in the Washington State Court of Appeals and was with the Seattle firm of Stafford, Frey Cooper from 1975 through 2010 as an associate, a shareholder, and of counsel.
Richard joined Friedman | Rubin in 2011. He is rated AV (“preeminent”) via Martindale Hubbell, by peer attorneys and judges, and was selected for inclusion in Washington Law & Politics Super Lawyer list in 2000, 2000, 2003-2020 and selected for inclusion in ‘Best Lawyers in America’ 2009 to 2021 in the area of insurance laws. Richard is a frequent author and speaker in legal education seminars on a broad range of topics on insurance law.
Richard is of counsel at Friedman | Rubin, but with special status as agent and representative of the firm.
Liability Insurer’s Bad Faith: Know it When You See It; WSAJ Spring Conference 2018 (May 11, 2018)
A Policyholder’s View of Defense Counsel’s Ethical Duties, Insurance in the Construction Industry; The Seminar Group (October 5, 2017)
When to Covenant and When not to Covenant? Covenants Not to Execute, WSAJ, (Nov. 2014)
Gathering Information on the Enemy: How Broad is the Scope of Discovery in a Bad Faith Case? What is the Outer Limit of Cedell v Farmers Insurance, WSAJ’s 36th Annual Insurance Seminar (Jan. 2014)
Discovery of Insurance Materials, Annual Insurance Law Seminar (WDTL, April 2012)
Developments in Enforceability of Arbitration Provisions, 34th Annual Ins. Seminar (WSAJ, Jan. 2012)
Overview of Liability, Property and Builders’ Risk Issues for the Construction Professional, Annual Conference on Construction Law (The Seminar Group Sept. 2000-Sept. 2010)
Irene v. Seneca Ins. Co., 337 P.3d 483 (WYO. 2014)
MKB Constructors v. Am. Zurich Ins. Co., 49 F. Supp.3d 814 (WD WA 2014)
State Dept. of Trans. v. James River Ins. Co., 176 Wash.2d 390, 292 P.3d 118 (2013)
Bird v. Best Plumbing Group, LLC,175 Wash 2d 756, 287 P.3d 209 (2012)
Bordeaux, Inc. v. American Safety Ins. Co., 145 Wash. App. 687, 186 P.3d 1188 (2008)
Northeastern University School of Law, J.D., 1973
University of Washington, B.A. 1970