Andrew S. Ulmer
Partner
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Practice Areas:
- Catastrophic Injury or Death
- Sexual Abuse
- Product Liability
- Workplace Discrimination and Wrongful Termination
Bar Admissions
- Washington
- U.S. District Court Western District of Washington
Education
- University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington
- J.D. – 2016
- University of California Riverside, Riverside, California
- B.A. – 2012
- Major: English
- Summa cum laude
Honors
- Selected to Thomson Reuters Washington Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2022-2024
- Latino/a Bar Association of Washington, “Abogado Exceptional Award,” 2023
Biography
Andy Ulmer is a trial lawyer who represents real, everyday people in cases against some of the biggest corporations and government entities in the country. He has tried multiple cases to verdict in both state and federal court on behalf of victims of catastrophic injuries and adult survivors of sexual abuse. Andy works on a wide variety of cases including complex personal injury, wrongful death, product defect, sexual abuse, and employment discrimination.
From physical harm or death caused by a defective product to the long-term mental and emotional suffering endured by childhood sex abuse victims, Andy is committed to rectifying wrongs. From the very start of his legal career, Andy’s focus has been to hold wrongdoers accountable for their harmful actions. During law school, Andy worked with teams of federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeking prosecution for interstate crimes, with a primary focus on crimes involving child victims. After joining PCVA in 2019, Andy has represented numerous victims of civil injustices in a wide variety of cases.
While he recognizes that no one can undo past injuries, he can use the legal system to lighten the burden victims carry. Andy is unafraid to do battle with the entities or individuals that cause injury. He works diligently and aggressively to get vindication for his clients, to the fullest extent that the law allows. In serious personal injury accidents and product defect cases, Andy has witnessed life-changing outcomes and injustices remedied through legal victories. For adult survivors of childhood sex abuse—many of whom were harmed in state-licensed foster or group homes, on sports teams, in schools, or in scouting—he understands that the goal of most victims is to find an acceptable resolution that also brings a sense of closure and a chance for a fresh start. Andy is willing to put in the hard work required to make those cases, even where records are incomplete, hidden, or non-existent. He is determined to hold accountable the responsible organizations, systems, entities, and individuals.
Andy’s capacity for empathy and careful listening, along with his ability to tell compelling stories, are his greatest strengths. He considers it a privilege to give voice to victims denied the opportunity or who have been fearful or too deeply scarred to come forward. In all cases, he is a resourceful, compassionate advocate. The opposition doesn’t deter him.
When he is not in trial or at the office, Andy provides pro bono legal services at clinics hosted by the Latino Bar Association of Washington once a month throughout Washington.
Professional Associations
- Washington State Association for Justice, Member, 2019-present
- Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Member, 2017-present
- Latino Bar Association of Washington, 2021-present
- Federal Bar Association, Western District of Washington
- King County Bar Association
Representative Cases
- $72 million verdict in PCB exposure case against Monsanto on behalf of two clients exposed to PCBs at Sky Valley Education Center
- $16.95 million settlement after eight weeks of trial on behalf of a dozen former residents of the J Bar D Boys Ranch, who were sexually and physically abused while at the ranch after being placed there by the state
- $8.5 million settlement after a seven-day jury trial in an officer-involved shooting case
- $7.5 million settlement in coach sexual abuse case against Black Hills Football Club
- $7.5 million serious injury settlement following independent contractor’s fall from residential roof
- $6 million settlement during a jury trial on behalf of a client who sustained injuries while using a defective auto belay in a wall climbing gym. Additionally, secured $287,527.17 in sanctions against the former counsel of the defendant manufacturer for discovery misconduct
- $6 million settlement for survivor of sexual abuse by bowling coach
- $6 million settlement with Kiwanis International for failing to protect children from sexual abuse at Kiwanis Vocational Home
- $4.5 million jury verdict for a client who sustained injuries when the train car she was in derailed and crashed onto the freeway
- $4.1 million settlement for survivors who experienced sexual abuse in a group home
- $4 million settlement on behalf of four clients who suffered child sexual abuse while placed at Secret Harbor by DSHS
- $3 million jury verdict in a trial against a school district on behalf of a student who was groomed and sexually abused by the school band director. Andy also obtained an additional award of over $400,000 in fees and costs against the District post-verdict
- $2.85 million settlement obtained during a jury trial on behalf of two former foster children for sexual abuse suffered at J Bar D Boys’ Ranch
- $2 million settlement obtained on behalf of a client who brought claims against the State of Washington and Secret Harbor for sexual abuse experienced while placed at a group home
- $2 million settlement for a client who was abused by her high school band teacher in the 1990s
- $1.94 million settlement on behalf of two former residents of Secret Harbor, who were sexually abused while placed there by the state
- $1.5 million settlement with the State of Washington after an eleven-day jury trial for failing to protect a foster child from sexual abuse at J Bar D Boys’ Ranch
- $1.5 million settlement with the Black Hills Football Club (BHFC) related to sexual abuse by David Cross, a former soccer coach at the club
- Confidential seven-figure settlement for a client and his spouse in a personal injury case
- Confidential seven-figure settlement for a client injured by a defective product used on a construction site
- $750,000 settlement for survivor of sexual abuse by bowling coach
- $750,000 settlement for client who was sexually harassed by her high school teacher
- $295,000 settlement with the State of Washington for client who experienced racial discrimination in the workplace
- $150,000 settlement for survivor of sexual abuse by bowling coach
Published Works
Author, Washington State Association for Justice, “Antidiscrimination in Youth Sports in a Post-Nassar World,” January 2022
Author, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, “Utilizing the Visual Space in Litigation,” February 2022
Classes & Seminars
- Speaker, “Products Liability – Consumer Expectations Test & How to Prove It,” WSAJ Spring Conference 2023
- Guest Lecturer, Seattle University School of Law, Products Liability Course, Spring 2023
- Speaker, “Products Liability – Foreign Products,” WSAJ Annual Convention 2020
Clerkship
- Judicial law clerk to the Honorable Catherine Shaffer of the King County Superior Court, 2017-2019