Douglas E. Somers - Port Orchard, WA

48 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN CIVIL LITIGATION

You won’t find a more experienced civil law practitioner in Kitsap County than Douglas Somers. He loves working with clients. “Each case is different, bringing its own challenges and plenty of variety,” he says. While he has tried 80 cases to verdict, he strives toward a solid settlement. His experience has taught him that a good settlement puts more money in his plaintiff’s pocket more quickly.

Douglas began as an attorney in Los Angles in a famous civil defense law firm focusing on medical malpractice and product liability. From there he was In-House Counsel for Honda Motors. He left Honda to form his own firm to represent several vehicle manufacturers.

He relocated to the Kitsap Peninsula in 1990 and joined a Seattle firm specializing in personal injury law, later moving to a Tacoma firm that represented both plaintiffs and defendants in general tort law. In 2010 he became the Senior Trial Attorney for Farmers Insurance Group for the Washington Peninsula area. In 2016 he once again returned to private practice and representing the injured. In 2023 he joined forces with GSJones Law Group, P.S. as a personal injury attorney and general civil litigator.

PLAINTIFFS BENEFIT FROM DOUGLAS SOMERS' CIVIL DEFENSE LITIGATION EXPERIENCE.

Every plaintiff dealing with an insurance company or corporation needs an attorney like Douglas. For 16 years he represented insurance companies and major businesses in injury litigation, including heading up the in-house legal arm of a major corporation. This extensive background provides the knowledge and insight that few attorneys representing injured people have. It translates into the best settlement you can expect. He has tried over 80 cases but settled many more. “I love trying cases but compromise saves the client money and time.”.

Put simply, Douglas knows how the adjusters think. He knows when an offer is too low and can benefit from negotiation or additional information. He also knows when the adjuster is not likely to go higher. He also knows Kitsap County courts and jurors and can provide excellent advice on your decision about proceeding to trial.

With all the major clients he represented he got the most satisfaction from representing a young boy in a product liability case against a major drug manufacturer. Douglas settled the case for $4.5 million for the totally disabled boy. Perhaps, more importantly, the drug company had to take the drug off the market, saving thousands of other children. It had failed to test the drug on children or label it with the correct dosages for children. Since arriving in Washington in 1990, much of Douglas’ practice has focused on representing victims of motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and product liability.

While Douglas has extensive experience representing plaintiffs in personal injury litigation, he also represents plaintiffs in disputes with contractors, auto repair businesses, landlords and boundary disputes.

FIGHTING WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AND WAGES AND HOURS VIOLATIONS

Doug also uses his extensive litigation experience to represent employees who have been injured by employment discrimination or wages and hours violations. He vigorously represents clients who need protection from discrimination. Washington State law protects workers from discrimination and retaliation based on

• race
• gender
• age
• disability
• marital or family status
• national origin
• sexual orientation
• gender identity and expression
• veteran or military status
• citizenship status
• immigration status
• religion

DEFENDING KITSAP BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH THE SAME SKILL AND ZEAL AS MAJOR CORPORATE CLIENTS.

Individuals and businesses who find themselves named in lawsuits or other legal proceedings need a civil defense litigator with more than four decades of experience. It is best to involve a civil litigator long before you are facing formal action. It is often possible for Douglas to assemble the facts, write a letter stating your position and negotiate a settlement, saving you mounting legal fees, time, and aggravation.

Some areas where Douglas has extensive experience include:

• Contract disputes
• Boundary disputes
• Landlord-tenant issues
• Customer complaints
• Issues with contractors, automobile dealers