Michael P. Iaria
Michael Iaria
Seattle
Washington (WA)
Criminal Defense
Criminal Defense: White Collar
Profile
For almost thirty years, Michael Iaria has defended clients accused by the government of serious crimes.
An accomplished and successful advocate, he has received the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President’s Award for “distinguished service in the highest traditions of the criminal defense bar.” His peers have voted him a "Super Lawyer" each year since Washington Law & Politics Magazine began the award in 1999 and have selected him as one of the 100 best trial lawyers in Washington. Seattle Business Monthly has listed him as one of the best lawyers in Seattle. He has a “superb” rating on avvo.com and has also received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating, based on confidential peer evaluations that rank him “at the highest level of professional excellence.” A frequent continuing legal education lecturer, he regularly teaches trial advocacy to other lawyers and has taught advanced criminal procedure at the University of Washington School of Law.
Mr. Iaria’s practice emphasizes representing individuals and businesses in difficult and complex criminal cases in both state and federal court. His practice also includes representing professionals in disciplinary matters and victims of sexual abuse and police misconduct in civil cases. He also coordinates and conducts mitigation investigations and presentations for clients who, in any type of case, but particularly in the sentencing or disposition phase of criminal or professional licensing cases, need critical decision makers – prosecutors, judges, jurors, licensing board members – to understand their lives as a whole.
He appears in courts throughout Washington.
Selected To
Washington Super Lawyers 2011
Washington Super Lawyers 2010
Washington Super Lawyers 2009
Washington Super Lawyers 2008
Washington Super Lawyers 2007
Washington Super Lawyers 2006
Washington Super Lawyers 2005
Washington Super Lawyers 2004
Washington Super Lawyers 2003
About Michael Iaria
Admitted: 1985, Washington
Professional Webpage: iaria-law.com/index.html
Honors and Awards:
- Rated "superb" by avvo.com
- Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers President's Award for “distinguished service in the highest traditions of the criminal defense bar”
- Martindale-Hubbell AV peer rating - signifying “the highest level of professional excellence”
- Listed in Seattle Business Monthly's "Best Lawyers in Seattle"
- Selected as One of 100 Best Trial Lawyers in Washington, National Trial Lawyers, 2011
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Qualified under Washington Supreme Cour rules to handle death penalty cases at the trial, appellate, and post-conviction stages.
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Member, WSBA Committee on Public Defense Death Penalty Subcommittee, 2006
Pro bono/Community Service:
- President of Board of Directors of Northwest Defender Association, a non-profit provider of public defense services
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- Washington State Bar Association, April, 1997 - Skills Training: Cross Examination, Closing Argument; Washington Defender Association, March 1998 - Demonstrative Evidence; The Defender Association, 1998 to present - Intern and New Lawyer Trial Practice Training; Washington State Bar Association, June, 1998 - Nuts & Bolts of Criminal Law: Motions Practice; Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, November, 1998, Northwest Regional Death Penalty Seminar - Why You Should Not Take a Capital Case"; Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, February, 1999 - Winning Your Case with Experts: "Using a Forensic Pathologist in the Defense Case"; King County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, May, 1999 - "Criminal Motions Practice in the Real World"; Washington State Bar Association, July, 1999 - Nuts & Bolts of Criminal Law: Motions Practice; Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, December, 1999 - Smashing the Prosecution’s Case: Closing Argument; Washington State Bar Association, June, 2000 - Nuts & Bolts of Criminal Law: Motions Practice; Washington Death Penalty Assistance Center, July 2002, Yakima and Idaho Capital Resource Center, Boise, August 2003 - "The Creative Use of Pain and Suffering in Capital Cases"; 2003 Employment Law Institute - Presentation on Openings and Closings; Law Society of British Columbia, November 2003 - Vancouver LegalTech: Electronic Mock Trial; Seattle University Law School, March 2004 - Electronic Mock Trial; Washington State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, November 2004, 2005, 2006 - Technology in the Courtroom; Washington Defender Association, 2005 - Dealing with Prosecutorial Misconduct; National Business Institute, 2006 - The Criminal Trial; Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, December, 2006 - Plea NegotiationsWashington Death Penalty Assistance Center, Seattle, November 2008 - Notice Issues; Mitigation for Prosecutor's Decision
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Program Attorney, Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program, representing the interests of Mexican Foreign Ministry under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations in providing effective representation to Mexican nationals facing the death penalty in the United States.
Educational Background:
- B.A., English, University of Vermont, with Departmental Honors, 1977
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.
