Joe Gordon, Jr. has been a trusted legal advisor and pillar of the Pacific Northwest legal community for decades.  He began his career in 1965 as the Judicial Clerk for Justice Matt Hill of the Wahington State Supreme Court and followed the clerkship as a Washington State Assistant Attorney General representing the State Department of Labor & Industries in defending against disputed claims for industrial insurance benefits. Joe joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in 1968 as a civil litigator and has since handled over a thousand cases involving a wide range of civil practice areas.

During his long career Joe has been an active member of the Washington State Bar Association, serving as chair of the Group and Prepaid Legal Services Committee, executive committee member and treasurer of the Senior Lawyers Section, Adjunct Investigative Counsel and Special District Counsel.  He received the annual Civility Award from the Honorable Robrt J. Bryan Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the annual Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service by an Individual Attorney from the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association where he was also a Board member.  He was active in his community as well, serving as chair of the Board for the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and on many other boards of non-profit organizations.

Joe now devotes his practice full-time to alternate dispute resolution, primarily serving as an arbitrator to resolve civil disputes.  He served as a Superior Court Judge Pro-Tem for over ten years and was a panelist with American Arbitration Association for more than twenty years. He has also acted as an arbitrator in dozens of Superior Court cases.  His extensive background makes him an ideal selection as an arbitrator for those seeking an efficient resolution of civil disputes.

Outside of his legal work, Joe and his wife, Sandy, enjoy tending to their garden at their home in Tacoma. Joe also serves as Commissioner of the firm’s fantasy football league—an honor he’s held since 1977—and remains a dedicated fan of Stanford athletic teams. Go Cardinal!

Joe obtained a judgment on behalf of an employer against both a former employee and his subsequent employer for misappropriation of trade secrets, even though the employee had not signed a noncompetition or confidentiality agreement.

Representing a landlord, Joe successfully appealed a trial court decision that denied his client reasonable attorney fees and double damages in a commercial eviction action in which the client had prevailed.

Representing an injured worker, Joe appealed the trial court’s dismissal of his client’s claim that an industrial injury had rendered him totally disabled. The Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal, holding for the first time that the testimony of a vocational expert was relevant and admissible to establish an inability to perform gainful employment.

Joe presided over the ten-day jury trial of a medical malpractice action as a Superior Court Judge Pro-Tem. The judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeals.

As the sole arbitrator, Joe resolved a contract dispute between a franchisee and a national franchisor. His award, issued after six days of testimony, was confirmed by the Superior Court and that confirmation was affirmed by the Court of Appeals