Joe Gordon, Jr. joined Gordon Thomas Honeywell in 1968 and has been a trusted legal advisor, expert eviction lawyer, and pillar of the Pacific Northwest legal community for decades. With over fifty years of legal experience, Joe has handled civil litigation matters in 26 of Washington’s 39 counties. He is especially well-known for representing residential landlords, property management companies, and commercial owners in a wide range of eviction cases.

Joe is a highly experienced landlord tenant lawyer, and his work includes hundreds of unlawful detainer actions across the state. His deep understanding of eviction laws, tenancy issues, and lease agreement disputes has made him a go-to eviction attorney for clients navigating the complex eviction process in Washington state. Whether assisting with an eviction notice, guiding a landlord through a challenging rental agreement issue, or offering strategic legal advice, Joe delivers confident and compassionate legal services tailored to each client’s needs.

In addition to his real estate and eviction-related practice, Joe also provides counsel on  representing clients in legal matters arising from purchase-and-sale agreements, easements, property lines, restrictive covenants, fraudulent concealment, trespass, and nuisance. His decades of legal counsel have supported property owners, landlords, and families alike through evolving legal challenges. Joe’s years of experience allow him to see the broader picture, whether he’s advising on an unlawful detainer,  or related landlord-tenant laws.

Joe served as a Superior Court Judge Pro-Tem for over 10 years and was a panelist with the American Arbitration Association for more than 20. He has also acted as an arbitrator in dozens of Superior Court cases involving  contract, and eviction disputes. Joe’s extensive background makes him an ideal landlord tenant attorney for those seeking smart, practical solutions and effective resolution.

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 athletics. 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