KATHRYN Knudsen
Kathryn (Kayti) is passionate about justice and holding wrongdoers accountable. Kayti’s tenacity and experience litigating against some of the largest corporations in America gets results for her clients both in and out of the courtroom. A second-generation attorney born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Kayti became inspired as a young girl watching her father from the back of courtrooms. After studying civil rights and the criminal justice system as an undergraduate, Kayti knew law school was the next step to building a career advocating for those who need help navigating our justice system.
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University of Washington, B.A. Law, Societies, and Justice, 2004
Seattle University School of Law, J.D., 2008, cum laude; Lead Article Editor, Law Review
Prior to forming Knudsen Law Office, PLLC, Kayti was a partner at Ruiz & Smart L.L.P. and an associate at Keller Rohrback, L.L.P. in Seattle and at Halverson Law Group in Yakima where she also served as a Deputy Prosecutor for the City of Wapato. Before starting her career in private practice, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk in the Washington State Court of Appeals for the Honorable David Armstrong (Ret.).
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Washington, 2009
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, 2009
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, 2009
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Gamble v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance, bad faith, verdict in favor of client 19 times the policy limits)
Bagley v. Travelers (U.S. District Court first party property insurance bad faith)
Spaulding v. State Farm (U.S. District Court underinsured motorist insurance bad faith)
Kaiser v. CSL Plasma (King County discrimination against transgender customer)
Merriman v. American Guarantee (Yakima County first IFCA class action against insurer following fire at storage facility)
Freeman v. Amtrak (U.S. District Court personal injury arising from Amtrak Derailment)
Wang v. Comcast (Employment arbitration, race discrimination)
Adams v. Walmart (U.S. District Court personal injury arising from sliding door incident)
Schildbach v. City of Seattle (King County negligence and emotional distress claims arising from house fire)
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Speaker, Navigating Client Relationships in Insurance Recovery and Bad Faith Litigation, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice (May 2026)
Speaker, Insurance Bad Faith: 50% Law, 50% Story, King Couty Bar Association, Seattle, WA (March 2026)
Kathryn Knudsen, When My Client Lost Her Voice, I Found Mine, Bar Bulletin Vol. 44, Issue 7, King County Bar Association (March 2026)
Speaker, IFCA on Trial, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (December 2024)
Speaker, “Social Inflation,” Limits-Demands, and Consent Judgment Settlements, The Seminar Group, Seattle, WA (November 2023)
Speaker, Panel: Preparing Your Bad Faith Case from Start to Finish, American Association for Justice Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA (July 2023)
Editor, Insurance Law Deskbook, Washington State Association for Justice (2022)
Author, Chapter 11: Trial, Insurance Law Deskbook, Washington State Association for Justice (2022)
Speaker, Public Adjusters, Friend or Foe?, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2023)
Speaker, IFCA Update, Washington State Association for Justice Annual Convention (September 2021)
Speaker, Conflicts, Cash, and Coverage: Ethics in Insurance Litigation, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2021)
Speaker, The Floor is Lava! Insurer Bad Faith in Residential Environmental Claims, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (March 2021)
Kathryn M. Knudsen, How to Make the Most out of a Rule 30(b)(6) Deposition, The Woman Advocate Practice Points, American Bar Association (November 2020)
Speaker, Insurance Broker Liability, Insurance Law Seminar, Washington State Association for Justice, Seattle, WA (May 2020).
Kathryn M. Knudsen, Aggressive Discovery Produces Results in Employment Arbitration, Trial News, Washington State Association for Justice (2020)
Speaker, Blast From the Past: Lost Policies and Long-Tail Environmental/Asbestos Claims from the Pre-Absolute Exclusion Era, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2020)
Author, Third-Party Adjuster Liability After Keodalah, Trial News, vol. 55, n. 3, Washington State Associate for Justice (November 2019).
Speaker, 10 Things We Can All do to Help Insurance Policyholders, Building Industry Association of Whatcom County (Bellingham, WA) 2019
Speaker, Personal Injury from A to Z, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2018).
CLE Faculty, Effective Motion Practice in Civil Litigation, National Business Institute (Seattle, WA 2017)Speaker, 10 Things Every Lawyer Needs to Know about Washington Insurance Law, Construction Defect & Dispute Conference (Seattle, WA 2016)
Author, Obtaining Benefits Under A Lapsed Life Insurance Policy, Trial News, vol. 52 n. 5, Washington State Association for Justice (January 2016)
Speaker, Insurance Discovery Privileges: Views from the Offensive and Defensive Lines, The Women of the Section of Litigation Conference Networking Roundtable Luncheon, American Bar Association (Chicago, IL 2015)
Author, The Dos and Don’ts of Beginning your Trial Practice, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 10, Washington State Association for Justice (June 2015)
Author, Hidden Risks in Insurance Appraisal Clauses, Trial News, vol. 50 n. 9, Washington State Association for Justice (May 2015).
Speaker, Duty or No Duty (Concerning the Duty to Defend in Liability Insurance Policies), Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee CLE Seminar, American Bar Association (Tucson, AZ 2015)
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Super Lawyers, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Super Lawyers Rising Star, Washington, 2016–2021
Washington State Bar Association Supreme Court Pro Bono Publico Honor Roll, 2016
WSAJ Eagle Member
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Washington State Bar Association, Member
King County Bar Association, Member
American Association for Justice, Member
Washington State Association for Justice, Board of Governors 2022–present
University of Washington School of Law, Affiliate Instructor, Trial Advocacy
Pacific ADR, Mediation Panel
American Bar Association, The Woman Advocate Committee, Insurance Subcommittee Chair, 2020
Washington State Association for Justice, Co-Chair Insurance Committee, 2019–2020 & 2021–2023
Gerry Spence Method Trial Training, Graduate
Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association, Member
ArtsFund, Associate Board Member, Visionaries Culture Council, 2014–2022
Friends of CASA, Board of Directors, 2015
Allied Arts of Yakima, Board of Directors Nominating Committee, 2012–2013
Outside of the Office
Away from the office, Kayti is active in the Seattle arts community and spends her free time with her family skiing, hiking, and enjoying the cultural diversity our area has to offer. Kayti has summited Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, and (almost) Mt. Rainier. Always up for a challenge, Kayti has channeled her competitive spirit as an annual participant in Whatcom County's Ski-to-Sea race for over 20 years.
Let’s talk.