Walters Law Firm, pllc

Mark D. Walters, Principal

Mark Walters is the founder and Managing Member of the WALTERS LAW FIRM PLLC. Mr. Walters has represented a wide range of companies in litigation and appeals involving intellectual property, e-commerce issues and complex commercial and construction and government procurement disputes.

Mr. Walters is one of the first attorneys in Seattle, Washington, to have represented an employee—a high-ranking executive for a Fortune 500 company—in a Sarbanes-Oxley “whistleblower case." The case settled in the employee’s favor at mediation after Mr. Walters presented the former employer with a draft of his Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Complaint.

Mr. Walters has developed substantial expertise in computer forensics and electronic evidence discovery. A frequent speaker on the subject of electronic document investigation ("EDI"), Mr. Walters advocates that the now universal use of computers by businesses and individuals mandates lawyers to adopt some form of EDI in every case.

Education:

Mr. Walters received his B.A. from Rutgers University in 1985 and, in 1995, graduated, cum laude, from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, where he was on law review and wrote for the MICHIGAN BAR JOURNAL. He is admitted to practice in Washington.

In February 2003, Mr. Walters attended AccessData’s Forensic Boot Camp, a comprehensive, hands-on course for Forensic Investigators, Law Enforcement Personnel, and Security and Network Administrators involved in cases requiring the examination, analysis, and classification of digital evidence. This training provided the knowledge and skills necessary to use the combined abilities of AccessData’s Forensic Toolkit (FTK) and Password Recovery Toolkit to locate and examine e-mail messages, deleted files, free space and file slack.

Practice Forums

Mr. Walters has appeared as lead counsel before Washington State Courts of all levels, as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, the United States Agriculture Board of Contract Appeals and the American Arbitration Association. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions throughout the United States. Prior to joining private practice, Mr. Walters served as a law clerk for Washington State Supreme Court Justice Faith Ireland (ret.), then a King County Superior Court Judge.

Former Affiliations:

Blank Law & Technology P.S.
Riddell Williams P.S.
Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP

Electronic Evidence Update: How to Help Clients Meet Their Duty to Preserve Evidence in the Computer Age. Washington State Bar Association Bar News (July 2005; co-written with Wright Noel).
Document Retention and Destruction. A Lorman Educational Services CLE, Tacoma, Washington (October 7, 2005).
Coping with Law & Technology, IT Security & Ethics: Your “Hardest-to-Manage Employees” Help You Avoid Trouble? Greater Marysville Tulip Chamber of Commerce (May 20, 2005).
Coping with Law & Technology, IT Security & Ethics: Your “Hardest-to-Manage Employees” Help You Avoid Trouble? and Electronic Document Management For Businesses. Washington Society of CPAs IT Directors Section Meeting, (May 6, 2005); North Shore Chamber of Commerce (March 2, 2005); Prosser Chamber of Commerce (February 15, 2005).
Coping with Law & Technology, IT Security & Ethics: Your “Hardest-to-Manage Employees” Help You Avoid Trouble? and Electronic Document Management For Businesses Prosser Chamber of Commerce (February 15, 2005).
Document Retention & Destruction In The Age of Electronic Documents: The Impact Of Document Retention On Litigation & Business In The Computer Age, A Lorman Educational Services CLE, Spokane, Washington (January 20, 2005).
QUI ABACI CEREBRAS VIGILAT: Ethics & Security for I.T. Professionals, Boisie, Idaho (December 9, 2004).
CPAs Beware: Management Usually Shoots the Messenger, But the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Helps Level the Playing Field. The Washington CPA, July/August 2004 (reprinted in The Hawaiian CPA, August/September 2004 and Lagniappe, a publication of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants).
Cutting Edge Legal Trends: Electronic Evidence Discovery & Electronic Document Retention Strategies, ASFE-The Best People on Earth, Fall Meeting, Scottsdale, Arizona (October 22, 2004).
Electronic Document Investigations, Washington Association of Legal Investigators, Fall Conference 2003, October 25, 2003.
When it comes to lawsuits, all e-mail is fair game. But it's up to companies to handle it properly, Seattle Post-Intelligence, Guest Columnist. October 13, 2003.
How to Engage in Electronic Document Retrieval. Continuing legal education course. Seattle, Washington (May 22, 2003).
Electronic Document Retrieval: Litigation and Management. Continuing legal education course. Portland, Oregon (March 27, 2003).
Out-of-state email solicitations carry risks. Puget Sound Business Journal, PS Tech, (November 16-22, 2001).
Intangible Business Assets: Identify, Protect and Exploit for Growth and Cash. BMC Winter Conference, Palm Springs, California (February 2002).
The Law of the Internet in Washington. Continuing Legal Education course, National Business Institute, Seattle, Washington (September 20, 2001).
Cyber Pirates Beware. IP Magazine (October 1998).
Using E-Mail, Asking for Trouble? E-Mail, the Attorney Client Privilege and RPC 1.6. Washington State Bar News (May 1998).

Reported Opinions:

Lloyd Enterp. Inc. v. Longview Plumbing & Heating Co., 91 Wn. App. 697, 958 P.2d 1035 (1998) (Washington adopts rule prohibiting pro se representation of corporations).
In re Staff, Inc., AGBCA Nos. 96-112-1, et al., 97-2 B.C.A. 29,285 (1997) (Prosecuted federal government contractor’s claim at trial, including request for attorneys’ fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act).

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