This evidence-based 2026 ranking compares Seattle wrongful death firms through the cases they handle and their published results, with experience and client reviews also considered.
Monge & Associates comes first on this list. The firm opened in 1993 and has since received strong client feedback, with a major injury recovery among its published results. Ask the firm whether it's handled deaths involving medical care like yours before you call, and find out who would work on your case. For medical malpractice rules, see the Washington law guide. Not every wrongful death claim falls under those rules.
4.9253 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 253 reviews
Best for: Families prioritizing clear case updates
Monge & Associates opened its doors in 1993. Clients repeatedly describe prompt replies and explanations they can understand in the firm's Google reviews, where 253 reviews give it a 4.9 rating. Under founding attorney Scott Monge, the firm lists wrongful death among its practice areas, along with medical malpractice.
Stood out in our review for its years of experience and the recognition it has earned.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.9729 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 729 reviews
Best for: Families seeking a trial team
Alongside founder Chris Davis, Davis Law Group lists Colin Hutchinson-Flaming and David Reeve as senior trial attorneys. Ask which team member would take your death claim if it raises complicated questions about medical care. The Seattle firm was founded in 1994 and handles personal injury claims, including wrongful death and medical malpractice.
Stood out in our review for its years of experience and the recognition it has earned.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.81,485 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 1485 reviews
Best for: Birth-related medical negligence claims
Morgan & Morgan has published a birth injury verdict that shows what happened in one of its medical negligence cases. After a delayed C-section left Brendan Dixon with severe brain injury, a Hillsborough County jury awarded $37.8 million in 2007. Armando Lauritano and Keith Carter represented the family in that case.
Stood out in our review for what its clients say and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Not sure who to call first?
Tell us what happened. A malpractice lawyer who serves Seattle can look at it with you, and it costs nothing.
4.8317 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 317 reviews
Best for: Nursing home wrongful death claims
Among Seattle Injury Law's published results is one labeled “Nursing Home Wrongful Death.” If your concern involves a death in residential care, that result is directly relevant. The firm lists a hepatitis C case against Good Samaritan Hospital too, but neither result gives an amount or date (you can't assess as much as with a fully described verdict).
Stood out in our review for what its clients say and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.9272 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 272 reviews
Best for: Families reviewing birth injury concerns
On Washington Injury Law's listing, Janelle Bailey is the Seattle trial attorney. Because the firm's site discusses birth injury and cerebral palsy as well as wrongful death, you can start a consultation with those subjects. When you look at its published results, though, they involve traffic injuries, not medical deaths.
Stood out in our review for what its clients say and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Explain what happened and why you believe the medical care played a part in your loved one's death. Ask whether the firm takes claims like yours before proceeding, and have it explain which Washington rules apply to your family.
Deadline check
If it's medical malpractice, the clock is 3 years from the act or omission, or 1 year from discovery, whichever comes later. Before assuming there's time to investigate, have the lawyer check the dates. For children's claims, separate rules apply.
Records and medical assessment
To assess the care, which charts and medical opinions would the lawyer need? When filing in Washington, you don't need a certificate of merit, a medical certificate submitted with a claim. In Putman v. Wenatchee Valley Medical Center in 2009, the court struck down the statute that required it.
Mediation and filing
Before deciding on mediation, a process for discussing resolution, ask whether it makes sense and how the lawyer would handle filing. If made in good faith, a mediation request extends Washington's medical malpractice deadline by 1 year. Ask the lawyer to determine whether that rule applies.
Pursuing a resolution
If settlement discussions don't resolve your claim, can the firm take it to trial, and how does it approach those discussions? For medical malpractice damages, Washington has no cap. But that rule neither sets your claim's value nor promises a recovery.
Malpractice claims in Seattle: the rules that matter
The filing deadline in Washington
The clock startsOn the day of the treatment
Time to start a claim3 yearsMiss it and the claim is usually lost.
Limits on damages in Washington
Pain and sufferingNo cap
All damages togetherNo overall cap
Expert paperworkNot required: the certificate of merit statute was struck down in Putman v. Wenatchee Valley Medical Center (2009).
A written agreementThe share the lawyer takes, set out before work starts.
If you recover moneyThe agreed share and the case costs come out of it.
If the claim failsNo legal fee on a contingency agreement. Ask about costs.
Most of these firms say they'll take cases on contingency. The lawyer receives a share of any recovery under that arrangement, but a failed claim doesn't carry a lawyer's fee. None charges for the first consultation they offer. Records and medical opinions may carry costs beyond the lawyer's fee, and court fees may be part of those expenses too. The firms' stated terms leave unclear who advances those costs and who would owe them if the claim ends without a recovery. Find out who pays the expenses as the case moves forward before you sign. Have the firm explain what it would deduct from a recovery and whether you'd owe anything if the claim ends without payment.
All ten firms on this list say you can have an initial consultation without paying. Nine offer to work on contingency.
What to bring to your first call
Your written timeline showing the care and your loved one's death
Any medical charts you already have, including discharge instructions
The clinicians' names, together with the hospitals and nursing homes involved
When treatment happened and when you first suspected the care had caused an injury
Records of related expenses, including your medical bills
Messages or letters you've received from the hospital or insurer
Any photos that might help show what happened
Documents you've signed, along with notes from any earlier legal consultations
Questions to ask a lawyer
1When handling medical wrongful death cases, have you dealt with care like this?
2For our file, who handles it and reviews the chart?
3For our family's claim, what's the deadline to file?
4To determine whether the medical care caused the death, what would you assess?
5When calculating your contingency fee, what do you use?
6If the claim fails, could we owe case expenses, and who pays them along the way?
7If we need updates or our assigned lawyer, how do we reach you?
8After our loved one's death, who can legally bring this claim?
Choosing a Seattle lawyer after a medical death
First, focus on the care that concerns you. A death in a nursing home raises different questions than a death involving a missed diagnosis. Although several firms here handle injury claims and medical malpractice, listing those areas doesn't tell you how often the assigned lawyer handles medical deaths. Ask for a case example like yours, then find out what work the lawyer personally did on it.
Before comparing published results, check their context. Monge & Associates recovered money for a delivery-driver injury; the child in Morgan & Morgan's C-section verdict also survived, but with severe injuries. Seattle Injury Law's nursing home wrongful death result doesn't give an amount or date, even though the firm lists it. When assessing experience, compare what those results actually involve. Your family's outcome isn't predicted by any.
Use the consultation to check the working relationship
Who reads the medical chart to decide whether the firm will take your case? Speak with the attorney before signing a retainer.
Ask how you'll get updates and who you can contact when nobody answers a message. Find out what happens next if the firm assigns a different lawyer.
Ask what medical opinions and other case expenses will cost before proceeding. Who pays those bills during the case, and could they become your responsibility if there's no recovery?
Get the fees in writing before agreeing. The first discussion costs nothing, but services or expenses that come after that consultation may not be free.
Every firm listed offers a free consultation, and most say they'll take cases on contingency. Under that arrangement, you don't pay a lawyer's fee for a failed claim, but the lawyer receives part of any recovery. You'll need to consider records and medical opinions separately. Ask who pays those costs before you proceed.
Be wary of anyone who promises an outcome or wants your signature without first answering your questions. Reviews can tell you how a firm communicates, not whether its lawyers have handled the medical issue your family faced. Washington doesn't require you to have a certificate of merit when you file a malpractice claim. Ask the firm to explain in plain language how it would review the care your loved one received.
Questions people ask
Which Seattle firm leads this ranking?
The ranking starts with Monge & Associates. Since 1993, the firm has built a history that includes a published injury recovery and client comments about communication. Although the $40 million result involved a delivery-driver injury, it wasn't a medical death case. Use the ranking to start your search. Before choosing, ask about the assigned lawyer's experience with the particular care involved in your loss.
What is the filing deadline for a medical malpractice claim in Washington?
When filing in Washington, you have 3 years from the act or omission, or 1 year from discovering or reasonably being expected to discover that it caused the injury, whichever is later. If made in good faith, a mediation request extends the deadline by 1 year. Before applying these medical malpractice rules, remember that they don't cover every wrongful death case. To determine how they apply to a death-related claim, speak with a Washington lawyer.
Can I speak with a Seattle lawyer without paying for the first consultation?
For a first consultation, all ten listed firms say there's no charge. When discussing the treatment, ask whether an attorney will review the care you're concerned about. According to one Davis Law Group intake review, a retainer arrived without an attorney consultation. Before you sign, make sure you understand what that initial meeting includes.
Will I owe a lawyer's fee if the claim fails?
If a claim fails, Nine listed firms say there's no lawyer's fee under their contingency arrangement; the fee comes from a recovery when there is one. For Craig Swapp & Associates, contingency terms aren't stated here. But expenses remain separate. Even if there's no recovery, could you owe for records and medical opinions or court fees? Ask each firm about those costs.
Does Washington require a medical certificate before filing?
To file a medical malpractice claim in Washington, you don't need a certificate of merit. In Putman v. Wenatchee Valley Medical Center in 2009, the court struck down that requirement. Whether the care caused your loved one's death isn't answered by that ruling. Before proceeding, ask which chart review and medical opinions the lawyer needs to assess the care that concerns you.
Are damages capped in Washington medical malpractice cases?
For medical malpractice damages, Washington has no cap. But that doesn't tell you what your claim is worth or whether it will succeed. Because the published results here involve different facts, several don't concern medical death cases. To understand how the damages rules apply to your family's circumstances, ask a Washington lawyer.
How long will a medical wrongful death claim take?
If you're looking for a fixed case duration, Washington's filing rules and these firms' published information don't provide one. When your claim will end isn't something the filing deadline promises. Before filing, what work does the lawyer need to do, and what might affect progress afterward? If there are delays, find out how the team would explain them to your family.
How do Washington's deadline rules treat children?
Until a child turns 18, the deadline for that child's medical malpractice claim is paused. In Schroeder v. Weighall in 2014, the court struck down the provision that treated a parent's knowledge as the child's knowledge. If a child died or a parent's death affects a child, that doesn't mean you can assume the pause covers the claim. To check which deadline applies, ask a Washington lawyer.
What should I do first if I think medical care caused a loved one's death?
When writing down the treatment dates, include when you first suspected that the care was connected to the injury. If you already have charts or hospital letters, gather them. Before proceeding, ask a Washington lawyer to check the deadline and explain who can legally bring the claim after the death, including what documents you'll need.
Which listed firms address nursing home deaths or neglect?
Although Seattle Injury Law publishes a result labeled “Nursing Home Wrongful Death,” it doesn't give an amount or date. Among Puget Law Group's listed areas are elder care negligence and nursing home abuse. On Boohoff Law, P.A.'s site, you'll find nursing home neglect discussed. Before choosing, ask each firm about deaths involving similar care, including who would handle your file.
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