I graduated from Whitman College in 1998 with a degree in economics and environmental studies. Go Fighting Missionaries! After completing my undergraduate work, I moved to St. Louis to attend law school at Washington University. In 2001, I obtained my law degree from "Wash U." Although I enjoyed St. Louis, there is no better place in which to live than the Pacific Northwest, and no better city than Seattle.

I am a partner at Linville Law Firm PLLC. I advise business clients, draft and review contracts and other business documents, handle various aspects of litigation and trial practice, and do everything I can to help our clients stay out of trouble or get out of trouble. Much of my time is devoted to litigation, including presenting matters at arbitration, trial and mediation. Most importantly, I work with and for the client to gather relevant facts and formulate a sensible strategy before any substantial legal move is made.

Most clients don't really know whether they have a good case or a bad case. That's why they've gone to a lawyer. They want to know where they stand. They don't necessarily want to file a lawsuit or start some drama that's going to end up costing a lot of money, especially if it's not recoverable. They want to know what their legal rights are, and what a lawyer can do to help them out of a problem. I work mostly on matters involving construction and real estate. I represent contractors, suppliers and sometimes developers and homeowners who are having problems with payment, warranties, contracts, bond and retainage claims, construction defects, insurance claims, and government regulation and assessments.

A construction or real estate problem is usually resolved by applying a number of laws, going through a process of progressively getting more and better information from the client, working professionally with other lawyers, parties, or government officials, and developing a good assessment of the case with the client.

I am a licensed attorney in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This is very useful in my representation of clients, especially contractors, who do work throughout the Northwest. I also present seminars on construction law through the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), the Washington On-Site Sewage Association (WOSSA), the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and several other organizations.

Education:
J.D., Washington University School of Law, 2001
Honors: American Bar Association Law Prize for Land Use and Zoning Law,
CALI Award for Environmental Litigation
B.A., Economics and Environmental Studies, Whitman College, 1998

Bar Admissions:
Washington State Bar Association, 2001
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 2003
Idaho State Bar Association, 2008
Oregon State Bar Association, 2008