Kathleen Nelson

Partner

Kathleen.Nelson@lewisbrisbois.com

Kathleen Nelson is a partner in the Seattle office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Professional Liability, Legal Malpractice Defense, Consumer Financial Services, and Complex Business & Commercial Litigation Practices. She is a trial lawyer who focuses her practice on both class actions and professional liability litigation and is experienced in both state and federal courts. She specializes in the defense of professional liability actions in the areas of attorney malpractice, insurance brokers errors and omissions, real estate brokers, directors and officers, and other miscellaneous professional liability. She has defended directors of a startup in an action involving misappropriation of funds and resources, and a director of a cryptocurrency company in a class action lawsuit involving misappropriation.

Ms. Nelson also has extensive experience in class actions stemming from products liability claims and claims of violation of federal and state statutes. She represents national and regional financial institutions, as well as mortgage brokers and lenders in a variety of disputes, including loan repurchase litigation, borrower-lender and servicer-lender dispute claims under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“RESPA”), Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), the Washington Mortgage Brokers Act, the Washington Deed of Trust Act and various state consumer protection statutes.

Ms. Nelson is admitted in the state and federal courts in Washington, California (inactive), and Idaho (inactive). She has tried several jury trials, been involved in more than 50 arbitrations, and over one-hundred mediations in her over 20-year career. She also serves as a King County arbitrator. 

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Professional Liability
  • Legal Malpractice Defense
  • Class Action & Mass Tort
  • Consumer Financial Services

Additional Experience

Admissions

Washington

U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Washington

Associations

  • Washington State Bar Association
  • California State Bar
  • Idaho State Bar
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Chair, Washington State Bar Association Judicial Recommendation Committee

Awards & Honors

  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America® 2024, Commercial Litigation
  • Justice C.C. Chavelle Academic Scholarship
  • Articles Editor, Santa Clara Law Review, 1990-1991
  • Author, The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act After 1991: Looking Forward to the Future?, 31 Santa Clara L. Rev. 261, 1990

Education

Santa Clara University School of Law

Juris Doctor, with honors, 1991

Western Washington University

Bachelor of Arts, with honors, 1986

Publications

“Foreclosure Fairness Act - A Look at the First Six Months,” Issues and Answers magazine, Washington Bankers Association, January/February 2012