David S. Heller is a partner in the Burien law firm of Heller & Darvas. He is a past member of WSTLA's Board of Directors. His practice emphasizes representation of injured people and of those accused of criminal offenses.

David S. Heller received his undergraduate education at MIT, where he earned a Civil Engineering degree in 1979. In 1982 he graduated cum laude from Michigan Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. He has been a member of the Washington bar since 1982, and is admitted to practice in both the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington, and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

He served on the WSTLA Board of Directors from 1990 - 1997, serving as Editor-in-Chief of Trial News, as WSTLA’s Secretary/Treasurer, and as Ninth Congressional District Representative to the Board. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

He has chaired multiple Seattle-area People's Law Schools, and has lectured in Washington, British Columbia, and Hawaii to lawyers, teachers, and others on topics including tort law, insurance law, criminal law, civil rights claims, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, criminal procedure, civil procedure, legal history, trial practice, motions practice, and evidence.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (1979).
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• Juris Doctor, cum laude (1982).
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

• Member and Senior Editor, Michigan Journal of Law Reform, (1980-82).

COURTS

• Admitted to Washington State Bar (1982); also admitted to practice before the Federal District Court for both the Western (1982) and Eastern (1986) Districts of Washington, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (1982).

LEGAL TEACHING

• Director, Seattle Central "People's Law School" (1988-91); South Seattle "People's Law School" (1991-94). Prepared materials and delivered lectures on the legal system, torts and insurance, criminal law, and constitutional law.

PROFESSIONAL LECTURES GIVEN

• "Tort Law Update", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Tort Law, in Seattle, Washington (1998).

• "Excluding Bogus Expert Witnesses", WSTLA Convention Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Automobiles, in Vancouver, BC (1997). Also chaired the seminar.

• "Tort Law Update", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Tort Law, in Spokane and in Seattle, Washington (1995).

• "Jury Instructions in Soft Tissue Injury Cases", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Soft Tissue Injury Cases, in Seattle, Washington (1995). Also co-chaired the seminar.

• "Update on 'Three Strikes & You're Out'", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar -- Chosen for Best of CLE 1994, in Seattle, Washington (1994).

• "Motions in Limine", WSBA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Civil Trials & Evidence, in Seattle, Washington (1994).

• "The Fight to Survive -- Legal Issues in 'Three Strikes & You're Out' Cases", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on New Developments in the Law, in Maui, Hawaii (1994).

• "Jury Selection in Automobile Injury Cases", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Automobile Cases, in Seattle, Washington (1993).

• "Free Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Search & Seizure in Public Schools", WSTLA Teacher's Law School (1992, 1993).

• "Motions in Limine", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Evidence, in Seattle, Washington (1992). Also co-chaired the seminar.

• "Jurisdiction, Venue, and Service of Process", WSTLA Continuing Legal Education Seminar on Civil Procedure, in Seattle, Washington (1988).

• "Resurrecting the Deadman's Statute", WSTLA Annual Convention-Seminar, at Sun River, Oregon (1987).

• "Paying for the Forum: Underinsured Motorist Arbitrations", WSTLA Annual Convention-Seminar at Vancouver, British Columbia (1986).

• The Amistad – The Rest of the Story. Trial News, January, 1998.

• A Dialogue Concerning Two Systems. Trial News, November, 1997.

• Lawyer Bashing -- Unjustified, Inevitable, Ignorable. Trial News, October, 1993.

• Breach of Duty to Defend Costly. Trial News, July 1993.

• Attorney's Fees Awards in Restaurant Liability Cases. Trial News, April 1993.

• Is Anybody There? Does Anybody Care? Trial News, January, 1993.

• Why Civil Practitioners Should Practice Criminal Law. Trial News, December, 1992.

• Warning -- Nationwide v. Watson Trap for the Unwary. Trial News, December, 1992.

• The Gentle Art of Criminal Defense. Trial News, October, 1992.

• The Impossible Dream. Trial News, May, 1992.

• The Modern Use of Res Ipsa Loquitur. Trial News, April, 1992.

• The Silence of the Lambs -- Dow, Breast Implants, and Washington's Right to Know Law. Trial News, March, 1992.

• Too Many Lawyers or Too Many Vice Presidents? Trial News, February, 1992.

• Getting Back the Sheep -- A Revolution in First Party Insurance Litigation? Trial News, January, 1992.

• The Ancient Origins of Tort Law. Trial News, December, 1991.

• The Significance of Written Jury Instructions. Trial News, November, 1991.

• Governmental Civil Disobedience and the Rule of Law. Trial News, October, 1991.

• Jury Confounds "Experts" and Decides Case Correctly. Trial News, September, 1991.

• U.S. Supreme Court -- Some Bests & Worsts. Trial News, May, 1991.

• Statutory Construction & the Empty Chair. Trial News, April, 1991.

• Quotes Without Comment -- The Importance of Oaths. Trial News, March, 1991.

• It's Time to Raise the Price of Safety Violations. Trial News, February, 1991.

• A Primer on the Sentencing Reform Act. Trial News, January, 1991.

• Why Does America Have Capital Punishment? Trial News, December, 1990.

• Multiple Accidents -- A Crack in the Joint & Several Wall? Trial News, November, 1990.

• Rendering Moral Advice. Trial News, October, 1990.

• The Magna Charta. Trial News, September, 1990.

• The Economic Value of Life. Trial News, September, 1989.

MEMBERSHIPS

• Washington State Bar Association

• Washington State Trial Lawyers Association
      Board of Directors Representative from 9th Congressional District (1993 - 1997)

• Secretary/Treasurer of WSTLA (1992 - 1993)

• Chairman of WSTLA's Criminal Law Section (1992 - 1993)

• Trial News Editor-in-Chief (1990 - 92)

• Trial News Editorial Board (1984 - 89)

• Author of a regular monthly column in Trial News (1990-1993)

• Member, WSTLA Board of Directors (1990 -1997)

• Member, WSTLA Legislative Steering Committee (1989 - present)

• Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

• Board of Directors Representative from 9th Congressional District (1998 - present)

• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

PRO BONO WORK

• Member of King County Bar Association's Volunteer Legal Services Panel.

• Member of King County Office of Public Defense's Appointed Counsel Panel.

APPOINTMENTS

• Appointed to the Access to Justice Task Force (1997).

• Appointed by Chief Justice Durham to the Washington State Supreme Court’s Commission on the Judiciary (1995-96).

• Appointed by Chief Justice Dore to the Washington Supreme Court's Commission on Access to Justice (1991-93).

• Holds highest possible rating (AV) from the Martindale-Hubbell national attorney directory.