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Direct Dial: 206-389-8243
Ph: 206-287-9900
Fx: 206-287-9902




Practice Areas:
Construction Law
Construction Litigation
Commercial Litigation

Licensed In: Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Alaska

Practice Description:
Mr. Cressman is a founding member of Ahlers & Cressman PLLC.  His construction practice involves representing owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers involved in both public and private construction projects.

Representative Work:

• Representation of the Owner's Representative / Designer of a significant hydroelectric project in southwest Washington.  Involvement included defending the Owner, a public utility district, against claims in excess of $13 million asserted by the project's general contractor.
• Representation of a Northwest Port in defending the Port against the multi-million dollar claim asserted by the general contractor on a sediment remediation project.  The claim was settled without litigation.
• Defense of the general contractor on a $30 million remodeling project of a local high school, at the time the largest high school remodeling project in the state, from $2 million in claims asserted by the electrical contractor.  Following a two-week plus arbitration, the general contractor received a positive award.  The electrical contractor received nothing.
• Representation of the general contractor prosecuting claims against a local fire protection district arising out of the remodeling and expansion of a fire station.  Following a two-week arbitration, the general contractor received an award in excess of $435,000.
• Representation of the Puget Sound and Cascade Chapters of the National Electrical Contractors Association as amicus curiae in McCandlish Electric v. Will Construction, 107 Wn. App 85, 25 P.3d 1057 (2001).  At issue was whether Washington's Subcontractor Listing Statute, RCW 39.30.060, as then constituted, provided an implied private cause of action in favor of a listed subcontractor when the general contractor failed to utilize the subcontractor.
• Representation of numerous general contractors involved in all types of disputes, both large and small.
• Representation of numerous electrical and mechanical contractors in many major claims arising from projects including the construction of the IDX Tower in Seattle, the new Seattle Central Library, Providence Hospital in Anchorage, a remote radar station on Amchitka Island for the U.S. Navy in Alaska, the remodeling of the Tacoma Union Station into a courtroom facility for the U.S. District Court, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and the Honolulu International Airport.
• Representation of the successful general contractor in both the trial court and Court of Appeals in connection with the bid protest and related litigation regarding the $115 million plus King County Regional Justice Center in Kent.  Dick Enterprises v. King County, 83 Wn. App. 566, 922 P.2d 184 (1996).
• Successful representation of the AGC of Washington in defining the limits by which King County could perform work with its own forces.  The AGC prevailed before the Washington Supreme Court.  Associated General Contractors of Washington v. King County, 124 Wn.2d 855, 881 P.2d 996 (1994).
• Counsel for the AGC of Washington, Puget Sound and Cascade Chapters of the National Electrical Contractors Association, SMACNA-Western Washington, Inc. (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association), and Utility Contractors Association of Washington as amicus curiae in support of Mike M. Johnson, Inc., the contractor claimant, against Spokane County in proceedings before the Washington State Supreme Court.  Participated in oral argument.  Mike M. Johnson v. County of Spokane, 150 Wn.2d 375, 78 P.3d 161 (2003).
• Counsel for the same construction trade associations as mentioned immediately above as amicus curiae in support of Weber Construction, Inc.'s claims against Spokane County in proceedings before the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II.  Participation in oral argument.  At issue was the impact of the contractor's failure to include an estimate of its damages in its supplemental protest information.  Weber Construction v. County of Spokane,124 Wn. App. 29, 98 P.3d 60 (2004).
• Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for several large Puget Sound area counties defending the Counties against significant claims on County construction projects.

Professional Associations and Publications:
Author, Chapter on Miller Act, Associated General Contractors' Lien and Bond Claims Handbook (1986-Present)
Author, Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC's Manual for Lien and Bond Claims (1988-2006)
Member, King County and Washington State Bar Associations:  Construction (Past-Chairperson), Litigation, and Business Law Sections
Member, American Bar Association Sections on Business Law, Tort and Insurance Practice, Public Contract Law, and Litigation
Member, Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
Member, Associated Builders & Contractors
Member, Associated General Contractors
Member, National Electrical Contractors Association
Member, Utility Contractors Association of Washington

Community and Professional Activities:

• 2003-2004 - One of Seattle's Top 115 Lawyers as Designated by Seattle Magazine
• 2001-2007 - Named Super Lawyer by Washington Law & Politics Magazine to 2001-2010 - Named Super Lawyer by Washington Law & Politics Magazine
• 1994-Present - Member, Rotary Club of Seattle / Construction Law Practice
• 1986-Present - Member, Past-Trustee, and Past-Chairperson (1995-1996) of the Washington State Bar Association Section on Public Procurement and Private Construction Law
• 1985-Present - Member and Past-Chairperson (1992-1994) of AGC of Washington's Legal Affairs Committee
• 1994/1997/2003 - Recipient of the Puget Sound Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association Associate of the Year Award
• 1991 - Recipient of AGC of Washington's Affiliate Member of the Year Award
• 2010 - Designated as one of Seattle's top Lawyers by Seattle Met magazine

Education:
1976 - J.D., University of Washington, Order of the Coif
1973 - B.A. in Business Administration, Magna Cum Laude, University of Washington