Mike Caryl is a Seattle-based trial lawyer. With over 34 years of experience, he has tried more than 400 civil and criminal cases and arbitrations. Mike’s legal career began with criminal work in the early 70’s.  He served 4 years active duty as an Army J.A.G.C., including a stint in the Airborne at Fort Bragg, where he tried several hundred courts-martial, and later handled several hundred appeals before the Army appellate Court and the Court of Military Appeals in Washington, D.C.  Since his Seattle practice began in 1977, he has focused on civil trial work including personal injury, commercial and construction litigation, collection work and insurance litigation. 

 
    Since 1995, the concentration of Mike’s practice has been on representing and counseling lawyers, law firms and clients in the area of attorney fee disputes.  This practice developed out of his successful representation of Seattle attorney Fred Zeder and the Peterson Young Putra law firm.  Zeder prevailed after a successful 5-day trial, an appeal to Division I and a petition to the Supreme Court. Taylor v.  Shigaki, 84 Wn. App. 723 (1997), pet. den. 132 Wn.2d 1009 (1997) holds that a client cannot defeat a contingency fee agreement by terminating the lawyer who has substantially performed the contract. He assists lawyers and firms with the legal implications of lawyers leaving their firms.  Mike has an active practice in representing clients in fee disputes with lawyers.  He also consults on both legal malpractice and attorney discipline issues and frequently serves as an expert witness in courts and arbitrations on attorney fee dispute matters.  Mike frequently speaks and writes on fees and ethics issues. 

 
    Mike was admitted to practice in  Washington State, Virginia  and the District of Columbia.  He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1972) and his LL.M., with highest honors, from the National Law Center at George Washington University (1977).   He has served on the Board of Governors of the Washington State Trial Lawyer’s Association, has taught Litigation for Paralegals at City University in Seattle, and has been an “AV” rated lawyer for over 25 years with the Martindale Hubbell law list, that organization’s highest rating.  Mike is married to Seattle employment lawyer Claire Cordon and they have three grown children. They enjoy travel, the mountains of Washington, Washington wine and sushi.