For the entirety of her career, Liz has advocated for those injured by the wrongful acts of others. Liz focuses her work primarily on medical negligence, product liability litigation, wrongful death, and serious personal injury. Liz’s product liability experience ranges from automobile defects to consumer products.
Liz was born and raised in the Seattle area. She earned undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Political Science from Western Washington University. After graduating with honors, Liz attended the Seattle University School of Law, graduating cum laude. She also served as a law clerk extern to the Honorable Ricardo S. Martinez at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Liz is on the WSAJ Board of Governors. Liz has written articles and chapters primarily focused on medical negligence and product liability, including a chapter in both the WSAJ Product Liability Deskbook and the WSAJ Medical Negligence Deskbook. She is listed as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers and has a 10 out of 10 rating on Avvo.com.
- $1.8 million medical malpractice settlement in a failure to diagnose a perforation case.
- Confidential settlement for injuries resulting from the Amtrak 501 train derailment in Dupont, WA.
- $2.5 million medical malpractice settlement for a failure to diagnose a specific medical emergency.
- $4.8 million medical malpractice settlement for failure to diagnose cardiac arrest.
- $5.5+ million personal injury settlement for injury on a construction site.
- Confidential product liability settlement for injuries to a toddler caused by a button battery.
- Confidential settlement in nursing home/medical malpractice matter for failing to check a patient’s INR levels, resulting in a brain bleed and death.
- Confidential product liability settlement on behalf of a young woman who was catastrophically injured when a vehicle’s roof collapsed in an accident.
- Confidential product liability settlement on behalf of a 7-year old girl who was catastrophically injured in an accident by her lap-only seat belt.
- Confidential product liability settlement for wrongful death of a 17-year old boy resulting from a tire tread separation.
- Confidential product liability settlement for wrongful death of a man due to a defective tire and door latch.
- Confidential medical malpractice settlement for injury resulting when the surgeon operated on the wrong location of a woman’s cervical spine.
Education
- Seattle University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2012
- Western Washington University, B.A., cum laude, 2009
Admissions
- Washington State
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- Washington State Association of Justice (Board Member: 2017 – Present)
- American Association for Justice
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group
- King County Bar Association
- Seattle Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Roundtable
Professional Recognition
- Selected to Washington Rising Stars by Super Lawyers® (2016-2022)
- Selected to Washington Super Lawyers by Super Lawyers® (2023)
- “Superb” (10 out of 10) by AVVO
Select Publications and Presentations
- Speaker on Defective Vehicles, Spring Conference (2022)
- "Motions Practice" Chapter, co-author, WSAJ Medical Malpractice Deskbook (2021)
- Winter Conference Co-Chair, Washington State Association for Justice (2020)
- “Constellation Nebula: How ACOG sets birth trauma causation criteria to defeat malpractice claims,” Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2018)
- “E-Cigs: Bombs in Your Mouth,” Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2017)
- “The Bair Hugger: Infecting Unsuspecting Patients Nationwide,” Colorado Trial Lawyer Association publication (2016)
- Moderator, WSAJ Winning with Witnesses CLE (2015)
- “Takata recalls millions of airbags due to shrapnel ejection potential,” Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2015)
- Product Liability 30(b)(6) Witnesses Book Chapter, co-author, WSAJ Product Liability Deskbook (2014)
- “Roof crush leads to Jeep Liberty passenger’s catastrophic injury,” Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2014)
- “The Rise of Button Battery Injuries,” AIEG Voice, Attorneys Information Exchange Group (2014)
- “Toyota sudden unintended acceleration,” Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2013)
Ms. McLafferty helped me through a difficult time in my life. Not only was I dealing with cancer treatments, but I also had a major medical error to contend with. She made the process stress free, straight forward and helped me to get a fair compensation. I would highly recommend her for any similar problem.
Anonymous
Liz was an excellent representative and compassionate through the process. She took appropriate measures to ensure that my negligence claim was addressed with seriousness by the opposing party. I was well informed during the process and she made sure that my concerns about personal privacy were addressed throughout the process.
Anonymous
Liz was my lawyer for a two year lawsuit and I felt taken care of guided the entire time. She is a fantastic lawyer in every sense - fierce, intuitive, flexible, professional, meticulous... the list goes on! The lawsuit included several unexpected "left turns" and Liz handled them all with grace and success. The experience was challenging for me and I felt like I could be honest with her and get my needs met, while continuing to move forward with the process. I highly recommend Liz for personal injury representation.
Anonymous
I can say this situation was the hardest thing I have ever been through. Liz made it the best she could. She took very good care of my mom. She kept us in the loop the whole time. She is such a caring person. She literally gave her 110%.
Jennifer
On behalf of my family, and as the personal representative, I worked closely with Liz Donaldson for a period of nine months to resolve a challenging and deeply personal case. Liz was exceptional in every way. She is an excellent listener, wise legal strategist, and reliable responder. Liz was adept at anticipating and mitigating the most challenging aspects of our case. She carefully guided us through uncomfortable territory, stayed steady when members of our family were emotionally challenged and lost focus. I, and my family, give her the highest possible recommendation.
Anonymous
Liz and the entire team at her office were always available for me whenever I had a question or concern about my case. My calls and emails were responded to promptly and my questions thoroughly and clearly answered. I appreciate Liz' warmth and candor; particularly at times when there were some unique challenges in my case. She was especially supportive during deposition when I was emotional and stress ran high. She helped me stay calm and focused. She is capable and competent and was easy to work with. I am happy with the outcome of my case which I owe to Liz' expertise, efficiency and effectiveness.
Laurie
From my initial meeting with Liz McLafferty to the final outcome and settlement of my case, I never had any doubts in my decision to hire Liz to represent me. Mine was a PI auto case. Liz' actions and continued due diligence in every aspect throughout this process was of great comfort to me. If I had a question or needed clarity, Liz was always available or would respond promptly. I took the time the complete the Questionnaire in detail and Liz didn't miss a thing. Her 'Demand Letter' to the insurance company resulted in the best outcome I could have possibly hoped for and she didn't stop there. I was truly fortunate to have her on my side. Liz McLafferty is an amazing attorney who will work hard on behalf of her client. I would highly recommend her to anyone I know. In the future should I ever need an attorney, Liz will be my first call.
Charlain