Love, Christopher E.

For Christopher (Chris) Love, the more difficult the case and the higher the stakes, the better. He dives headfirst into the most-complex legal issues and thinks through all of the strategies needed to help secure a win for his client. Chris focuses on appeals in both state and federal courts, class action litigation and complex trial-level litigation throughout Washington State. He pushes the limits of the law to secure justice for the injured and victimized. Thanks to this impressive reputation, Chris also provides legal and appellate consultation services for other law firms in multi-million-dollar matters.

Chris has leveraged his years of appellate experience to help his clients successfully take on school districts, educational institutions, state government entities, medical providers, and multinational corporations in their pursuit of justice, including the Washington State Supreme Court’s landmark decision in W.H. v. Olympia Sch. Dist. holding that school districts are strictly liable for employees’ sexual abuse of students under the Washington Law Against Discrimination; the Washington State Supreme Court’s decisions in Ralph v. State of Washington Department of Natural Resources overturning over 100 years of outdated law and upholding  property owners’ choice of venue in property damage lawsuits; and successfully defending on appeal a $1.45 million verdict against the Olympia School District in a student sex abuse case.

Chris also helps spearhead PCVA’s Class Action, Multidistrict Litigation, and Complex Litigation practices, obtaining tremendous results for his clients, such as a $7.5 million settlement with MultiCare on behalf of patients victimized by improper medical services liens; PCVA’s Error 53 lawsuit prompting Apple to issue a software fix and an apology to consumers worldwide within days of filing; a $1.5 million class action settlement for over 900 restaurant workers wrongfully denied pay for overtime and missed meal and rest breaks, tip pool violations, and automatic service charge violations; and a consent decree requiring the University of Washington, subject to PCVA oversight, to bring all Seattle campus parking facilities into full ADA compliance for individuals with mobility impairments. Although he is at home in the midst of intensely complex legal issues, Chris’s down-to-earth and effortless way of explaining the often-complicated legal process to his clients puts them at ease.

An Alabama native, Chris knew the “what” of his future—law school—but not the “where.” Armed with nothing more than a paper Rand McNally road atlas and the old adage, “Go West, young man,” Chris crossed the Mississippi, the Mojave and the Cascades in search of his destination. At his first glimpses of the Gorge, the Columbia, the Mountain and Puget Sound, Chris immediately knew he had found a home in Washington State.

Chris’s interest in appellate law developed during law school when he served as a judicial law extern at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II. After graduation, he was hired as a judicial law clerk at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III, sight-unseen and based solely on the recommendations of the Division II judges. In all, Chris served as a judicial law clerk for seven different judges.

Outside the office, Chris enjoys low and slow smoking on his pellet grill; back-country hiking; and supporting local industries by sampling from Washington’s farmers, fishermen, ranchers, brewers, vintners, coffee roasters and cheesemakers. His adventurous spirit leads Chris to travel the globe with his wife.