Ken Lederman
Principal
Ken joined the firm in 2004 and is a member of the Environmental and Natural Resources and the Litigation practice groups.
Environmental Litigation. Ken has extensive experience in environmental litigation, with an emphasis on multi-party hazardous waste cost-recovery and natural resource damage litigation. Ken has facilitated the remediation of many contaminated properties, having served as the lead negotiator of cleanup orders and consent decrees with federal and state agencies and as the lead legal advisor for site characterization and cleanup plans. Ken is also a leading practitioner in the defense of environmental professionals, including environmental contractors, consultants, and engineers, regarding claims of commercial tort and environmental liability. Ken frequently provides advice and litigation support to private and individual clients on site remediation, permit compliance and risk management.
From 1998 through 2002, Ken served as an Assistant Attorney General representing the Washington State Department of Ecology. Ken's work focused primarily on toxic waste management, water pollution, shoreline management, and related litigation. He was legal advisor for the Toxics Cleanup Program and Hazardous Waste Toxics Reduction Program, including matters related to voluntary cleanups, hazardous waste management, underground storage tanks, and pollution liability insurance. He managed the oversight and remediation of dozens of toxic and hazardous waste sites in Washington.
While with the Ecology Division, Ken litigated in all areas of pollution and regulatory matters, including defense of Ecology's Shoreline Management Guidelines and numerous pollution enforcement appeals. He acted as Ecology's lead trial counsel in the successful defense of the first Petition for Reimbursement and first Citizen Suit ever filed in Washington under Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).
Complex Civil Litigation. Prior to joining Riddell Williams, Ken was an associate at Floyd & Pflueger, P.S., where his practice involved a wide array of civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the defense of environmental professionals, developers, general contractors, and businesses. His experience includes all aspects of property damage, nuisance, trespass, premises liability, serious personal injury, construction defect, wrongful death, product liability, and other complex litigation. Ken was one of the primary attorneys in the defense of a $500 million federal cost recovery case involving the 1999 rupture and explosion of the Olympic Pipeline in Bellingham, Washington.
Ken has continued his diverse practice in civil and commercial litigation at Riddell Williams, providing strategic advice and litigation services for complex construction defect and construction contract disputes, trust and estate litigation, real estate transactional disputes, property damage claims, premises liability, and serious personal injury/wrongful death claims. In 2009-2010, Ken served as one of the trial attorneys in a complex breach of contract / consumer protection act claim involving timeshare properties in the U.S. and Mexico. After a 3-week trial, the jury awarded found in favor of our client on all claims and awarded over $30,000,000 in damages.
Ken previously served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable J. Robin Hunt of the Washington State Court of Appeals - Division II.
Education and Admissions
Ken received his B.A. from Rutgers University in 1993. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law in 1996. While in law school, Ken was awarded membership in the Order of the Barristers as a 4-time regional and national finalist in mock trial and appellate competitions. He was the Class Historian and Commencement Speaker for his class.
Ken is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and King County Bar Association. He is licensed to practice in Washington in all state and federal matters.
Memberships
American Bar Association, King County Bar Association, Oregon Bar Association (anticipated 2010), Washington State Bar Association
Professional and Community Activities
Ken is the Board Chair for Washington Conservation Voters, serving as the Chair of the Political Committee. Ken has served on the Legal Committee for the Washington Environmental Council since 1994, and is currently serving as lead counsel for the environmental community in the case of Pakootas et.al v. Teck Cominco, which involves the proposed Superfund cleanup of the Upper Columbia River Basin. Ken will be joining the Board of Washington Environmental Council in 2010. Ken also serves as a Cooperating Attorney to Futurewise, and has litigated several successful appeals under the Growth Management Act. In 2009-2010, Ken argued a case to the Washington Supreme Court on behalf of Futurewise in the Gold Star v. Futurewise case, and obtained a 9-0 decision in his favor. Ken serves on the Advisory Board for the Matthew Henson Environmental Fellowship Award.
Ken was the co-founder and inaugural Chair for the Environmental Law Section of the King County Bar Association. He also serves on the Editorial Board for the Environmental & Land Use Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association. He is a frequent lecturer at the University of Washington Law School and the Seattle University School of Law, and is a frequent speaker at CLEs on environmental law and litigation.
Awards and Recognition
Ken is a graduate of the Leadership Tomorrow program in Seattle, and was recently honored as one of the Puget Sound Business Journal's "40 Under 40."
Ken has been named a Rising Star® by Washington Law & Politics magazine.
Speeches, Presentations, Faculty
King County Bar Association Real Estate CLE - “Hidden Defects - Environmental Issues Affecting Real Estate,” November 8, 2007
Mealeys Toxic Tort Teleconference CLEs - "Natural Resource Damages Litigation Update,” August 2007 and November 2007
Natural Resource Damages Litigation CLE (New Jersey) - “Crossclaims and Counterclaims,” 2007
Model Toxics Control Act CLE – “Financial and Legal Guarantees For Cleanups,” June 2007
Natural Resource Damages Litigation CLE (New Jersey) - “What the States are Doing,” November 2006
Easements and CCRs CLE - “The Uniform Environmental Covenants Act,” September 2006
Model Toxics Control Act CLE – “Remedy Selection,” June 2006
King County Bar Association Environmental Law CLE - “Ethical Issues in Multi-Party Representation at Hazardous Waste Sites,” 2006
Washington State Bar Association – Environmental and Land Use Law Section Mid-Year - 2006 Co-Chair
King County Bar Association Environmental Law CLE - 2005 Co-Chair
Real Estate Development Presentation - “Environmental Due Diligence in Real Estate Transactions”
Publications
“Ethical Considerations for Multi-Party Representation at Superfund Aquatic Cleanup Sites,” Washington State Bar Association, Environmental and Land Use Law Section Newsletter – 2006-2007
“The Uniform Environmental Covenants Act,” Washington State Bar Association, Environmental and Land Use Law Section Newsletter – 2005-2006
“The Lake Roosevelt CERCLA Litigation,” Washington State Bar Association – Environmental and Land Use Law Section Newsletter – 2005-2006
Member of Legislative Drafting Committee – Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, Chapter 64.70 RCW
