Gavin W. Skok
Principal
Gavin is a member of the Riddell Williams Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation practice groups. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, with an emphasis on class action defense, complex litigation, securities fraud, and intellectual property claims.
Gavin has defended regional and national companies in consumer, commercial, and securities fraud class action cases. Representative work includes defense of a large mobile telecommunication carrier against several consumer class actions in Washington state and federal courts challenging various billing practices; defense of an indenture trustee against securities fraud claims asserted by a multi-state class arising out of a municipal bond default; defense of an auto insurer in two class actions challenging claims handling practices; and defense of a title insurance company in a multi-state consumer class action alleging overcharging of various fees.
Gavin also represents local, regional and national companies in various commercial and complex litigation matters in state and federal courts, including securities fraud lawsuits and arbitrations; trade secrets, customer theft, and business interference claims; breach of contract actions; earnout and royalty litigation, and other disputes arising out of the purchase and sale of businesses or products; and various commercial disputes. Representative engagements include defense of a national business magazine publisher against claims of breach of contract and invasion of privacy through trial, resulting in a complete defense jury verdict; representation of a bond insurer as a plaintiff in a securities fraud lawsuit arising out of a multi-million dollar bond default, resulting in complete recovery of the insurer’s principal exposure through settlement; defense of a large regional petroleum marketer against claims by a competitor alleging violation of trade secret laws and breach of a nondisclosure agreement, resulting in a complete dismissal of all claims on summary judgment; defense of a Fortune 500 company in educational software royalty litigation, resulting in dismissal of all claims on summary judgment; representation of plaintiffs in breach of contract and royalty litigation against a large marine manufacturer, resulting in a jury verdict of over $2 million; and representation of shareholders in earnout litigation against two national foodservice companies.
Prior to joining Riddell Williams, Gavin was a federal judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert H. Whaley of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington and the Southern District of California (by designation). He has also provided pro bono public service to the ACLU, Oxford House, an animal rescue center, a local winner of a major network home remodeling show, and other local organizations and individuals.
Education and Admissions
Gavin received his B.A., with honors, from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, in 1996, and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Washington School of Law in 1999, where he was a member of the Moot Court Honor Board. He is admitted to practice in Washington State, the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Memberships
King County Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association
Awards and Recognition
Gavin has been designated a Rising Star® by Washington Law & Politics magazine, and received a Pro Bono Publico Service Commendation from the Washington State Bar Association for performing at least 50 hours of pro bono service in 2004. He also received the Edward L. Dubroff Memorial Award for Excellence in Immigration Law Writing from the American Immigration Law Foundation in Washington, D.C. in 1998.
Publications
"Establishing a Legitimate Expectation of Privacy in Clickstream Data", 6 Mich. Telecomm. Tech. L. Rev. 61 (2000).
"Protecting the Right of Aliens Unlawfully Present in the United States to Raise Fourth Amendment Defenses in Criminal Prosecutions", 3 Bender's Immigration Bulletin 604 (1998).
