Ralph’s practice includes a unique depth of experience in complex commercial litigation, environmental matters, and corporate and business law. He has tried cases in state and federal courts involving a broad spectrum of complex issues, including: antitrust and trade regulation; patent law and licensing; environmental law (hazardous and toxic substances, clean air, clean water, and natural resource damages); commercial disputes; trade secrets/non-competition/confidentiality issues; products liability; class-action litigation; fraud, misrepresentation and consumer protection act violations; employment agreements; and real property taxation.

Honors

• Exclusive Featured Lawyer for Seattle, Premier Litigation Lawyers (2020)
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Top Lawyer, Litigation and Environmental Law, Chambers USA
• America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA
• Top 25 Trial Lawyers, Washington Law & Politics
• 125 Best Litigation Lawyers in the United States, International Corporate Counsel Guide
• Top 115 Lawyers in American for Delivering Truly Outstanding and Superior Client Service, BTI Consulting Group
• Best Environmental Lawyers in America, Corporate Counsel Magazine
• Most Highly Regarded Litigators, Acquisitions International
• 27 Legal Visionaries in America, David Galbenski, Legal Visionaries

Representative Engagements:

• Microsoft Corporation v. Motorola: Co-counsel in multiple patent and breach of contract actions.
• BP Pipelines, et al. v. State of Alaska, et al.: Lead trial counsel for BP, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, ChevronTexaco, and Koch in trials involving the multi-billion dollar valuation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
• Alakayak v. All Alaskan Seafoods: Lead counsel for largest seafood processor defendant in $1.2 billion antitrust class action. Successfully obtained unanimous jury verdict for defendants after four-month trial.
• RealNetworks v. Microsoft: Co-counsel for plaintiff in antitrust action. Successfully settled for $760 million.
  Caldera v. Microsoft: Co-lead trial counsel for plaintiff in billion-dollar antitrust action. Successfully negotiated multi-hundred million dollar settlement.
• KVC v. Regis, et al.: Lead trial counsel for one of two defendants. Obtained summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s claims; obtained $20-million-plus judgment for defendants at trial. After second trial on defendants’ Civil Rule 11 sanctions motion, obtained one of the largest sanction awards in the United States.
• U.S. v. Trident Seafoods: Lead trial counsel to defendant in Clean Air Act enforcement case. Successfully obtained defense judgment at trial.
• Antitrust Litigation: Handled significant antitrust litigation, including multi-district and class-action litigation in the high technology, brewing, meat packing, agricultural, and forest products industries. Served as trial counsel in cases involving dealer terminations and franchising.
• Provides antitrust compliance advice to corporations and industry associations.
• Products Liability Litigation: National trial counsel in products liability cases in the agricultural chemicals, electronics, heavy machinery, and consumer products industries. Also provides advice to clients on product liability compliance and litigation management programs.
• Superfund Litigation: Lead counsel to defendants in more than 40 state and federal Superfund actions throughout the United States. In that capacity he has litigated Superfund cases; managed remedial investigations/feasibility studies, and cleanup action negotiations with state and federal agencies on behalf of individual PRPs and PRP groups; and he has litigated allocation cases among PRPs.
• RCRA/TSCA Litigation and Regulatory Actions: Lead trial counsel in the first RCRA “imminent and substantial endangerment” action, obtaining a defense verdict on behalf of his client. Since that time, he has been lead trial counsel in more than 30 state and federal RCRA actions. In addition, he provides advice to corporations on RCRA compliance, permitting, and regulatory actions.
• Clean Water and Clean Air Actions: Participated in litigating the first cases brought under the Clean Water and Clean Air acts. Since that time, he has represented companies in more than 25 Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act enforcement cases; he has negotiated regulatory compliance issues with state and federal environmental agencies.
• Natural Resource Damage Actions: Led the team of experts representing Alyeska with respect to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Since that time, he has been lead trial counsel to defendants in more than 15 natural resource damage actions, and he has advised corporations and industry trade associations with respect to strategic issues involving natural resource damages. Environmental Acquisitions and Management: Represented clients in connection with more than 50 real estate transaction and corporate acquisitions involving environmental issues.

Yarmuth LLP

For more than 20 years, the Yarmuth firm has been known for the caliber of its lawyers, the quality of its legal work, and its dedication to clients. Whether through advice and counsel, business-minded negotiation, or litigation through trial and appeal, our lawyers have a single focus: solving clients’ problems decisively and efficiently.

​That commitment has earned us the opportunity to represent clients across a wide spectrum: from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses; from senior executives to individual whistleblowers; private equity and investment firms to public entities and non-profits. And we are gratified and proud that frequently, having resolved a problem, those clients continue to turn to us as trusted counsel.