Darrell L. Cochran

Darrell Cochran is an acclaimed trial attorney with over 30 years of experience, earning a national reputation as a fierce trial lawyer defeating some of the most powerful corporations, religious organizations, government agencies, school districts, and other entities. For more details about Darrell, including case results, blogs, and his 30+ years as a trial attorney, please visit his website.

For three decades, Darrell has specialized in compassionately representing victims of child sexual abuse and their families as a Tacoma-based lawyer, including adults who were abused as children. He has won hundreds of cases and negotiated hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for his clients in sexual abuse cases against the State of Washington, the Catholic Church—including several churches in the Seattle Archdiocese—and cases across the country, as well as the Mormon Church. He has also obtained settlements against the Boy Scouts of America, Kiwanis International, and many others.

Darrell is known as a leading national expert in child sexual abuse litigation and is often brought in as co-counsel to provide expertise to other attorneys and their clients in all facets of lawsuits, from filing initial complaints to trying cases in court. He and his team bring a vast array of diverse expertise and resources to bear, providing unparalleled assets to attorneys and clients who might not otherwise have such tools available in complex litigation against the most powerful opponents.

Darrell is a tenacious, empathetic, and dogged advocate for every one of his clients. He knows they have suffered horrendous abuse in their schools, churches, youth sports clubs, foster homes, and elsewhere. He stands by them not only throughout a case—which sometimes takes years—but remains a close and trusted ally after a case concludes. His values and work ethic shine as he forges deep relationships with those he stands up for. Compassion and caring are at the core of his practice, and he has assembled an expert team of legal professionals to support and nurture every client while confidently guiding them through the often intimidating and challenging legal process.

In addition to specializing in child sexual abuse, Darrell is also an expert in product liability, catastrophic injury or death, insurance bad faith, medical malpractice, class action litigation, police misconduct, and more. He has defeated some of the most powerful corporations, government entities, and others, winning hundreds of cases and negotiating millions of dollars in settlements for his clients. His fierce advocacy for the common good has resulted in legislative and policy changes at all levels of government and industry. He has authored legislation and frequently testified before the Washington State Legislature, including helping lead the passage of a recent bill eliminating the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse to sue their abusers and the organizations responsible.

As a national leader across the legal spectrum, he has appeared before the US Supreme Court and argued cases in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Washington State Supreme Court, and all its appellate divisions. Darrell is a former President of the Washington State Association for Justice and served as an Adjunct Professor teaching product liability at Seattle University School of Law. Darrell’s most recent honors include being recognized as one of 2025’s Best Lawyers in America and a Super Lawyer Honoree (the top 5% of lawyers in the State of Washington) for over 25 years.

He is a dedicated community servant, coaching youth teams, advising community groups, and volunteering and supporting various causes, including establishing the Cochran Family Scholarship for worthy students at his alma mater Olympia High School and his wife Wendy’s alma mater Pittsburg High School in California.

Darrell earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law and is a proud University of Washington graduate.

Despite his professional successes, Darrell’s highest priority and greatest source of pride and joy is his family. He is a devoted husband and father of five children and can often be found flying red-eye flights across the country to support his oldest kids in college and their professional lives, while racing home to attend a sporting event or take his son fishing and golfing.

If you would like to speak with Darrell about retaining him as an attorney or working with him as co-counsel, please contact him here or at darrell@pcvalaw.com.