Rory D. Cosgrove

Rory D. Cosgrove is an appellate attorney at Carney Badley Spellman, P.S., in Seattle, Washington, where he focuses his practice on civil appeals and complex litigation support. In addition to handling appeals, he frequently works with trial teams as embedded appellate counsel in high-stakes litigation. In this role, he helps identify key legal issues, refine case strategy and prepare critical motions, jury instructions and post-trial briefing. His combined understanding of trial and appellate advocacy allows him to guide clients through every stage of the litigation process with careful strategy and strong legal analysis.

Mr. Cosgrove earned his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from Willamette University College of Law, graduating second in his class. During law school, he served as managing editor of the Willamette Law Review and received recognition for his Honors Appellate Brief in Legal Research and Writing. He also completed an International and Comparative Law Certificate and worked as a research, writing and editing assistant to Dean Emeritus Symeon Symeonides, as well as a legal writing assistant to Professor Helen Mazur-Hart. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Eastern Washington University, where he majored in International Affairs and French and studied abroad at Université Stendhal III in Grenoble, France.

Mr. Cosgrove’s work in appellate advocacy has earned him professional recognition, including being named to The Best Lawyers in America. He is an active member of the American Bar Association and the DRI Appellate Advocacy Committee, where he remains engaged with developments in appellate practice and legal strategy.

Mr. Cosgrove is admitted to practice in the state of Washington, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. He regularly represents clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and Washington’s appellate courts, serving as lead counsel in numerous appellate matters. Before joining Carney Badley Spellman, he gained valuable experience through clerkships with Division One of the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Oregon Court of Appeals in the Appellate Commissioner’s Office, where he developed insight into appellate decision-making that continues to inform his advocacy today.