Shareholder

Practice:
Mr. Sutherland represents clients in a wide variety of complex civil litigation matters, including errors and omissions claims against and involving lawyers, as well as other professionals and securities act claims; insurance coverage disputes and “bad faith” litigation arising from a variety of insurance policies; premise liability, construction defect and products liability matters. He has over two decades of trial court experience.

Mr. Sutherland is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Washington and Alaska, and in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Education and Background:
Mr. Sutherland was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, but early in his life traveled extensively and lived for a time in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His family then settled in the Portland, Oregon area, where he attended Reed College. He was a student at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England for a year before receiving his B.A. in History from Reed in 1978.

Mr. Sutherland received his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1981. Upon graduation, he moved to Anchorage where he practiced with the firm of Hughes, Thorsness, Gantz, Powell & Brundin, Alaska’s largest law firm. Mr. Sutherland had been a partner there for over eight years when he accepted the position with Reed McClure that enabled Earl, his wife Nancy, and their three daughters to return to Seattle.

Mr. Sutherland is a member of the following professional organizations:

Defense Research Institute
Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
Washington State Bar Association
Alaska Bar Association
United States Supreme Court, Past State Chairman, Historical Society IADC Trial Academy Graduate

Publications and Presentations:
“An Ounce Of Prevention,” Seminars for the Alaska Dental Society, 1992 -1994

“One Client, One Defense: Revisiting CHI with the Alaska Rules of Professional Conduct,” 11 Alaska Law Review (1994)

Reed McClure seminars for client groups, including The Annual Insurance Law Seminar.

Presentations to Insurance industry associations, addressing issues of contractual liability, additional insureds, errors and omissions prevention and related topics.

Tort law digest editor for inclusion in Best’s Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys.

In-house presentations for continuing education and training to various professional clients on risk management and prevention matters.  

Honors and Awards:
A V rated by Martindale Hubbell



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