William D. Marler

William D. Marler is an attorney with Marler Clark | The Food Safety Law Firm in Seattle, Washington. A top-rated, award-winning trial lawyer with more than 32 years of legal experience, Mr. Marler has become a recognized leader in food poisoning and foodborne illness litigation. He has achieved considerable success advocating on behalf of plaintiff clients throughout the United States and all across the globe who suffered a serious sickness or lost a loved one as the result of eating contaminated food.

Having focused almost exclusively on food poisoning litigation since 1993, Mr. Marler has represented the rights and interests of thousands of clients, recovering millions of dollars in settlements and awards on their behalves. His earliest success in this area also remains one of his most notable, when he secured a landmark verdict of more than $15.6 million dollars in 1993 for a client sickened by E. coli in a landmark ruling against a major fast-food chain.

Since that time, he has brought cases against many leading fast-food establishments and restaurant chains, supermarkets, and food manufacturers and suppliers for E. coli, salmonella and Listeria contamination, and other foodborne illnesses. In addition to maintaining a successful trial practice, Mr. Marler also works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and other state, federal and local administrative organizations to improve food safety.

A pioneer in his field, Mr. Marler has gained coverage from national print and televised news outlets for his in-depth knowledge and insight into this area of law. He has also written extensively and conducted lectures and seminars throughout the nation on foodborne illnesses and prevention.

In recognition for his outstanding professionalism and service as well as his contributions to his field, Mr. Marler has earned consistent designation from The Best Lawyers in America, and he has received a listing in Martindale-Hubbell's* Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys. Moreover, he received the NSF Food Safety Leadership Award: Innovation in Education in 2010 as well as the Public Justice Award from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association and the Outstanding Lawyer Award from the King County Bar Association in 2008.

A 1982 graduate of Washington State University, Mr. Marler obtained his Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law in 1987. He was the recipient of the Seattle University Professional Achievement Award for 2011 along with the Seattle University Distinguished Law Graduate Award in 2013, and he served as chairman of Washington State University's Board of Regents from 1998 to 2004.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.