About our Personal Injury Practice & Steven E. Knapp

Steven Knapp is experienced in the following areas:
- Auto Accidents
- Serious Personal Injury
- Wrongful Death Claims
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Trip and Falls
- State of Washington Bar, 1987
- Washington State Supreme Court, 1989
- U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, 1988
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington, 2002
- University of Oregon School of Law, 1987, J.D.
- Special Certificates of Completion in Natural Resources and Ocean and Coastal Law
- University of Washington, 1977, B.A., Major: History
- Washington State Bar Association
- Washington Association For Justice (WSAJ)
- Snohomish County Bar Association
Reported cases include the following:
State v. Smith, 66 Wn. App. 825, 832 P.2d 1366 (1992)
(First reported case in Washington to admit a facsimile document into evidence)
State v. Walton, 67 Wn. App. 127, 834 P.2d 624 (1992)
Unreported cases include the following:
Premier Designs v. NW Cascade, Court of Appeals Div. II, Cause Number 30525-9-II (2006)
Kriel v. Lee, Court of Appeals Div. I, Cause Number 57745-0-I (2007)
- Appointed as Special Prosecutor for San Juan County (1995)
- In-house seminar regarding tips for settling claims of minor children (2013)
- Article — Motorcycles and the art of being conspicuous to avoid accidents, by Steve Knapp, 8/8/14
- Article — Jury questions during civil trial are a valuable tool for attorneys, by Steve Knapp 8/12/14
- Article — Pre-litigation loans can be disastrous for your personal injury client! by Steve Knapp 1/21/14
- Article — What is the value of your pet's life if negligently injured or killed? Under the law, almost nothing! by Steve Knapp 10/16/13
- Article — Tribal Law and Personal Injury Claims, by attorney Steve Knapp 7/15/13
2006 – current
President and Member of Neighborhood Association, Board of Directors.
2000 – 2003
Board of Directors, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. Helped fund construction of a Regional Education Center that provides an educational forum for more than 30,000 students annually.
Hobbies
Skiing, bicycle riding, kayaking, running, fruit tree grafting and home remodeling.
Meet Steve Knapp, a successful personal injury lawyer with 30+ years of experience.
I am a lifelong resident of the Greater Seattle region. My family moved here in the 1880’s, even before Washington was a state. My great-great grandfather brought his family west in a covered wagon from Illinois on the Oregon Trail. He became the U.S. Marshall in Salem, Oregon, and was later the first Chief of Police in Spokane. My other great grandparents emigrated here and homesteaded in east King County. They were a hard-working family of dairy farmers and loggers.
I am a third-generation attorney, raised in a family that values hard work. Throughout my 30+ years of personal injury law experience, my goal for every case is to get the best results possible for my clients. I have handled seven figure wrongful death and serious personal injury claims, premises and products liability cases, all types of motor vehicle accidents, and construction site injury cases. I have been a solo and/or lead attorney on more than 40 jury and bench (judge) trials and more than 150 arbitrations and mediations. I have served as an Arbitrator and Settlement Guardian Ad Litem in King County.
My background includes criminal prosecutions as a deputy prosecuting attorney, as well as experience prosecuting and defending civil litigation. Both jobs require considerable amounts of jury trial work, and as a result, I am fully able and prepared to take every case to trial, to deliver the best possible results in cases where opposing counsel is unreasonable or uncooperative in agreeing to an appropriate settlement. My preferred approach to litigation is to try to work cooperatively with opposing counsel. However, I have the experience to take a case from inception all the way through a jury trial and to the Court of Appeals, if necessary.
While this trial experience is crucial in reaching favorable verdicts, most cases settle prior to trial. I learned long ago that being cordial and professional is the most effective way to get the best results for my clients. I am approachable and available to my clients and all parties associated with my cases, but I am a tough and driven negotiator during litigation.