Practice
Steve Toole was admitted to practice in Washington in 1976. For over 40 years his practice has been limited to personal injury litigation, mediation and arbitration. Although conducting Mediations since approximately 2000, Steve has been practicing full-time as a Neutral (Mediations and Arbitrations) since approximately 2010. He received his BA degree from The Ohio State University in 1971 and his JD degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1975. Steve has lived and maintained a solo/small firm practice in Bellevue, Washington since 1983. He has been married to his wife Christie since 1982 and is a proud parent and doting grandfather.
Positions Held
In 1991 Steve was elected to the Board of Governors of the Washington State Association for Justice (formerly WSTLA) and was its president in 2002-2003. He was elected to the Board of Governors of the Washington State Bar Association for a three-year term from 1993-1996 and served as its president in 2010-2011. He also served as president of the East King County Bar Association from 1992-1993. Steve was elected to a three-year term on the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (2011-2014) and served as vice-president of the Washington State Bar Foundation. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen swears in incoming WSBA President Steven Toole
(photo by Todd Timmcke)
Mediation
Steve Toole has been conducting mediations for over 20 years. He has completed formal mediation training through the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University School of Law and has attended and spoken at numerous other Alternative Dispute Resolution CLE seminars and conferences. Steve conducts the typical half day and full day mediations but will also tailor the length and format of the mediation to suit the needs of the parties. In this current Covid-19 era, his mediation and arbitration hearings are conducted via Zoom.
As a mediator, Steve is regularly used by all the major insurance carriers in personal injury matters and can provide references on both the plaintiff and defense side. He mediates all types of tort cases, including automobile, premises liability, professional negligence, employment discrimination and timber trespass. He has also mediated cases involving boundary disputes, breach of contracts, partnership dissolutions and other general civil matters. If Steve is not familiar with a particular area of law, he will do the necessary research on his own time so that he can best be prepared to assist the parties in resolving their dispute. If the case does not get settled at the initial mediation hearing, Steve frequently continues working with the parties days, weeks and even months later, in a committed effort to do everything possible to try to resolve the matter.
With the popularity/necessity of videoconference/virtual mediations and arbitrations, Steve is available to serve as a Neutral in matters throughout the State of Washington and beyond.
Awards and Honors
Steven G. Toole has been selected numerous times as a Washington SuperLawyer, by Washington Law and Politics magazine; and has a 10.0 AVVO rating (their highest rating).