Current Employment Position(s)

Member

Lawyer Overview

Rod Umberger is an equity member in the Seattle office where he chairs the firm's Business Litigation Practice Group. He is first and foremost a trial lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in the courtroom. As lead trial counsel, Mr. Umberger has tried over 40 jury trials and over 60 bench trials in state and federal courts across the country. His trial experience includes product liability, toxic tort, transportation, construction, and a variety of commercial disputes. Mr. Umberger was named to Super Lawyers by Washington Law & Politics magazine in 2006 and 2007, and in 2008, he was one of sixteen attorneys in the state of Washington recognized as a top civil litigation defense attorney by the Corporate Counsel Edition of Super Lawyers magazine.

Mr. Umberger's product liability experience includes defending pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers in state and federal courts and in multidistrict national litigation. He has served as both National Coordinating Counsel and MDL Counsel in national product liability litigation, and has developed significant knowledge and experience in addressing issues that arise in multidistrict litigation. He has defended manufacturers of construction products and manufacturers of heavy agricultural machinery and industrial equipment and machinery in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. His product liability practice also encompasses consumer products and toxic torts and he serves on a national trial counsel team in asbestos litigation.

Mr. Umberger's experience in the transportation industry is extensive. For over 20 years, he has represented local and national trucking companies in freight loss/damage litigation, breach of contract cases and catastrophic highway accident litigation in both state and federal courts. He is a member of the Transportation Lawyers Association (Litigation Committee), Defense Research Institute (Trucking Law Committee), and the USLAW Network Transportation Practice Group.

Mr. Umberger's commercial and business litigation experience includes the following:

• Representation of local, national and international corporations in patent infringement, copyright infringement, trademark and trade name infringement, breach of contract and fraud cases
• Representation of international technology companies in lawsuit involving software licensing and development agreements
• Representation of employers and employees in lawsuits involving noncompetition agreements and trade secrets
• Representation of builders, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in complex construction litigation
• Representation of consumer products and services companies in false advertising, unfair competition, CAN-SPAM Act litigation, TCPA class action litigation, and litigation with the Federal Trade Commission
• Representation of individuals and businesses in federal securities litigation

Mr. Umberger's representation of health care providers is diverse and extensive. He has defended physicians, hospitals, clinics, dentists, counselors, nursing homes and medical laboratories in medical negligence lawsuits and disciplinary proceedings.

Areas of Practice

• Construction
• Health Care
• Intellectual Property and Technology
• Litigation - Commercial
• Litigation - General
• Product Liability
• Transportation
• Mass Torts

West Practice Categories

Construction Law, Health & Health Care Law, Intellectual Property Law, Litigation & Appeals, Business & Commercial Law, Products Liability Law, Transportation Law, Class Actions, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Toxic Torts

Bar Admissions

• Washington, 1995
• U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1995
• Tennessee, 1988
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee, 1995

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Alumni Advisory Council for the University of Tennessee College of Law
• Kindering Center, 2001 - Present (Board of Directors)
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Foundation, 2003 - 2005 (Executive Industry Board)
• Little League Baseball Coach and Recreational League Youth Basketball Coach, 2000 - Present
• American Bar Association (Member, Litigation Section)
• American Bar Association (Member, Antitrust Section)
• Defense Research Institute (Member, Commercial Litigation Committee)
• Defense Research Institute (Member, Drug and Medical Device Committee)
• King County Mandatory Arbitration Panel (Panel of Artbitrators)
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• USLAW Network
• Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
• Washington State Bar Association (Judicial and Courts Committee)
• Defense Research Insitute (Trial Tactics and Techniques)
• Washington Health Care Risk Management Society

Classes and Seminars

• DRI Preeminent Trial Lawyer Seminar (Defense Opening Statement), Defense Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois, September 2007
• Trucking Litigation and DOT Regulations in Washington State, Lorman Education Services, Seattle, Washington, March 2007; June 2008
• Pleadings Allowed, General Rules of Pleading, Pleading Special Matters, Form of Pleadings, and Third Party Practice, Amendment and Stipulation, The Essentials of Washington Civil Procedure and Ethics, Seattle, Washington, March 2004
• Non-Traditional Approaches to Litigation Management and Trial Teams, USLAW Network Annual Meeting, Napa Valley, California, March 2004
• Handling Medical Negligence Cases in Washington, National Business Institute Seminar, Faculty Member, Seattle, Washington, November 2002
• Courtroom Evidence Tips and Traps, Washington State Bar Association, Seattle, Washington, May 2002
• Litigation Practice Tips , Washington State Bar Association Annual Meeting, Spokane, Washington, September 2000
• Advanced Issues in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Washington, National Business Institute, Seattle, Washington, July 2000
• Who Owns What Is In Your Head? Trade Secrets and the Law in Washington, Labor and Employment Law Annual Update Seminar, Seattle, Washington, October 1999
• Trying the Wrongful Death Case in Washington: Strategies in Preparation and Valuation, National Business Institute, Seattle, Washington, January 1999
• Legal Issues Involved in Negotiating Associate Physician Employment Contracts, Lippincott-Raven Healthcare, Seattle, Washington, November 1998
• Winning Ways with Direct and Cross-Examination: Guiding Principles for the Civil Litigator in Washington, National Business Institute, Seattle, Washington, January 1998
• Employment Contracts: Sword and Shield -Nuts and Bolts, Labor and Employment Law Annual Update, Seattle, Washington, September 1997
• Powerful Expert Witness Strategies in Washington, National Business Institute, Seattle, Washington, July 1997
• Civil Litigation Practice-Handling Medical Issues, CISI, Seattle, Washington, April 1997
• Effective Cross-Examination Techniques, Washington State Bar Association Skills Training Course, Bothell, Washington, May 1996

Past Employment Positions

• Campbell & Campbell, 1987 - 1994

Education

• University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1987
  JD, Doctor of Jurisprudence
  Honors: Moot Court Board
• Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, 1984
  BA, Bachelor of Arts
  Major: Political Science

Fraternities/Sororities

• Beta Theta Pi

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Address

Two Union Square
601 Union Street, Suite 4100
Seattle, WA 98101-2380

Phones

(206) 628-2421

Faxes

(206) 628-6611

Emails

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Websites

http://www.williamskastner.com