Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC

11 Best Lawyers awards

Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Biography

For Christopher (Chris) Love, the more difficult the case and the higher the stakes, the better. He dives headfirst into the most-complex legal issues and thinks through all of the strategies needed to help secure a win for his client. Chris focuses on appeals in both state and federal courts, class action litigation and complex trial-level litigation throughout Washington State. He pushes the limits of the law to secure justice for the injured and victimized. Thanks to this impressive reputation, Chris also provides legal and appellate consultation services for other law firms in multi-million-dollar matters.

Chris has leveraged his years of appellate experience to help his clients successfully take on school districts, educational institutions, state government entities, medical providers, and multinational corporations in their pursuit of justice, including the Washington State Supreme Court’s landmark decision in W.H. v. Olympia Sch. Dist. holding that school districts are strictly liable for employees’ sexual abuse of students under the Washington Law Against Discrimination; the Washington State Supreme Court’s decisions in Ralph v. State of Washington Department of Natural Resources overturning over 100 years of outdated law and upholding property owners’ choice of venue in property damage lawsuits; and successfully defending on appeal a $1.45 million verdict against the Olympia School District in a student sex abuse case.

Chris also helps spearhead PCVA’s Class Action, Multidistrict Litigation and Complex Litigation practices, obtaining tremendous results for his clients, such as a $7.5 million settlement with MultiCare on behalf of patients victimized by improper medical services liens; PCVA’s Error 53 lawsuit prompting Apple to issue a software fix and an apology to consumers worldwide within days of filing; a $1.5 million class action settlement for over 900 restaurant workers wrongfully denied pay for overtime and missed meal and rest breaks, tip pool violations, and automatic service charge violations; and a consent decree requiring the University of Washington, subject to PCVA oversight, to bring all Seattle campus parking facilities into full ADA compliance for individuals with mobility impairments. Although he is at home in the midst of intensely complex legal issues, Chris’s down-to-earth and effortless way of explaining the often-complicated legal process to his clients puts them at ease.

Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC

11 Best Lawyers awards

Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC logo

Overview

  • Seattle University, J.D., Cum Laude, graduated 2009
  • The University of Alabama, B.A. English, graduated 2005

  • Washington, Washington State Bar Association

  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Washington
  • Washington, Washington State Bar Association
  • Seattle University, J.D., Cum Laude, graduated 2009
  • The University of Alabama, B.A. English, graduated 2005
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Washington

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America from 2022-2023 for work in:
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs - 2023
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs - 2023
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs - 2022
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Appellate Practice
  • Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Awards:
  • The Recorder, Top 25 Verdicts & Settlements of the West, 2020

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2024

  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, 2022-2023

  • Selected to Thomson Reuters Washington Super Lawyers, 2023

  • Selected to Thomson Reuters Washington Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2018–2022

  • Appellate Externship Service Recognition Award, Honorable J. Robin Hunt

  • Seattle University School of Law, CALI Excellence for the Future Award®, Federal Courts, 2008

  • Seattle University School of Law, CALI Excellence for the Future Award®, Advanced Constitutional Law: First Amendment and the Internet, 2008

  • Seattle University School of Law, CALI Excellence for the Future Award®, Comparative Juvenile Justice and Criminal Law, 2007

Case History

Cases
  • $25M Sexual Abuse Settlement
$25 million covenant judgment settlement arising from sexual abuse at the Olympia Early Learning Center
  • $91M Personal Injury Appeal
Successfully represented plaintiff’s law firm to preserve its $91 million verdict in a personal injury case after defendant attempted to overturn or reduce the verdict.
  • Supreme Court of Washington
W.H. v. Olympia Sch. Dist., ___ Wn.2d ___, 465 P.3d 322 (2020)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Hamaker v. Highline Med. Ctr., 8 Wn. App. 2d 1012 (2019)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Ralph v. State of Washington Department of Natural Resources (Ralph II), 187 Wn.2d 326 (2016)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Steel v. Olympia Early Learning Center, 195 Wn. App. 811 (2016)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Walker v. Hunter Donaldson, LLC, 196 Wn. App. 1037 (2016)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Gutierrez v. Olympia School District, 184 Wn. App. 1059 (2014)
  • Supreme Court of Washington
Ralph v. State of Washington Department of Natural Resources (Ralph I), 182 Wn.2d 242 (2014)
  • $7.5M Consumer Protection Settlement
$7.5 million consumer protection class action settlement with MultiCare on behalf of thousands of motor vehicle accident victims who suffered deceptive collection practices regarding their medical bills and improper medical services liens
  • $6M Sexual Abuse Settlement
$6 million settlement with Kiwanis International for failing to protect children from sexual abuse at Kiwanis Vocational Home
  • $1.5M Class Action Settlement
$1.5 million class action settlement for more than 900 restaurant workers wrongfully denied pay for overtime and missed meal and rest breaks, tip pool violations and automatic service charge violations

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