HONORS AND AWARDS

LEGAL EXPERIENCE:

1991 - Present:  Founder and shareholder, Heller & Darvas, PLLC, Burien, WA.  Practice emphasizes plaintiff personal injury, wrongful death, medical negligence, highway design, products liability and insurance claims, litigation and trial. 

1988 - 1990:  Partner, Rogers & Darvas, Seattle WA.  Litigation and trial of personal injury, wrongful death, medical negligence, and products liability claims.

1986 - 1988:  Associate, James Rogers & Associates, Seattle WA.  Practice same as above.

1983 - 1986:  Associate, Crane, Stamper, Boese, Dunham, Rogers & Drury:  Litigation and trial of personal injury and commercial disputes.

1982 - 1983:  Associate, Graham & Dunn.  Commercial litigation.

MEMBERSHIPS:

PUBLICATIONS

Author, Chapter 9, Insurance Coverage and Exclusions in Automobile Litigation Deskbook, published by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, November, 2000.

Author:  Civil Rule 43, in Washington Civil Procedure Deskbook, (1992).

Co-Author: "Local Improvement Districts," Chapter 74, Washington Real Property Desk Book, published by Washington State Bar Association (1986).

"Enhanced Injury Claims:  Does the Doctrine of Comparative Negligence Apply?" in December, 1988 Trial News.

Bi-monthly column in the Trial News, published by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, 1989-1991.

LEGAL TEACHING

1.    Instructor, on insurance coverage, settlement issues and consumer protection issues in Handling the Automobile Injury Claim in Washington, National Business Institute, April 27, 2004, Bellevue, Washington.

2.    Lecturer on “Ethics in Automobile Injury Cases” in Auto Cases:  The Road to Succcess, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, April 9, 2004, Seattle, Washington.

3.    Co-instructor on “Adequacy of Insurance Coverage” issues for PEMCO Insurance Company agents and employees, January 24, 2004, Tacoma, Washington.

4.    Demonstration of Voir Dire in a premises liability case in:  Demystifying Jury Selection and Voir Dire, Washington State Bar Association, January 22, 2004, Seattle, Wash­ing­ton.

5.    Co-chair at Legal Ethics seminar, lecturer on “Ethical Violations in Discovery,” Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, December 17, 2003, Seattle, Washington. 

6.    Co-Chair at Brain Injuries:  Understanding and Developing the Claim for Damages, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, May 22, 2003, Seattle, Washington. 

7.    Lecturer on “How to Persuade a Hostile Jury Pool,” at Damages:  Achieving Money Justice, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, April 30, 2003, Seattle, Washington. 

8.    Lecturer on “Swaying the Hostile Jury,” at Luvera Seminar, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association’s annual convention, August 2, 2002, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

9.    Demonstration of “Plaintiff’s Voir Dire in a Medical Negligence Case,” at Litigation Section’s Mid-Year Seminar sponsored by the Litigation Section of the Washington State Bar Association, June 21, 2002, Seattle, Washington.

10. Co-Chair for Voir Dire:  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, seminar sponsored by Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, May 10, 2002, Seattle, Washington.  

11. Lecture and demonstration on “Cross Examination” at Trial Skills in the Courtroom, seminar sponsored by Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, March 15, 2002, Seattle, Washington. 

12. Lecturer on “Significant Tort Law Cases You Need to Know:  11/00 - 10/01” at Tort Law Update, sponsored by Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, November 30, 2001, Seattle, Washington.

13. Lecturer on “Injury Claims:  The Plaintiff’s Perspective,” at Orthopedics, sponsored by the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers, November 2, 2001, Seattle Washington.

14. Chairperson, Ethics:  Staying out of Trouble, teleconference sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, December 21, 2000, Seattle, Washington.

15. Lecturer on “Competence of Chiropractors to Testify on Causation of Injury” at Hot Topics from the WSTLA EAGLE List Serve, sponsored by Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, November 17, 2000, Seattle, Washington.

16. Lecturer on “Insurance Coverage and Exclusions” for WSTLA’s Automobile Accident Litigation seminar, September 29, 2000, Seattle, Washington.

17. Co-Chair for WSTLA’s Ethical Issues in the Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Practice, and lecturer on “Conflicts of Interest:  Traps for the Unwary” December 16, 1999, SeaTac, Washington.

18. Lecturer, 100 Days Before Trial, sponsored by the King County Bar Ass’n, November 19, 1999 at Seattle, Washington.

19. Lecturer on “CR 35 Exams” at WSTLA’s How to Use the Rules for Better Results, November 18, 1999, SeaTac, Washington.

20. Lecturer at Litigation Nuts & Bolts, (Skills Training Seminar) sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association, June 30, 1999.

21. Lecturer at Ethical Issues in the Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Practice, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, December 18, 1998, Seattle, Washington.

22. Lecturer on “Tort Law Update: -- Tort and Insurance-related Appellate and Supreme Court Decisions over the past year -- ” at 9^th Annual Tort Law Update seminar, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, November 11, 1998, Seattle, Washington.

23. Lecturer on “Litigation Nuts and Bolts” sponsored by Washington State Bar Assoc­iation, (Skills Training Seminar) July 1, 1998, Seattle, Washington.

24. Lecturer on “Insurance Sources and Coverage:  What to Look for in Automobile Cases,” at Auto Cases:  Don’t Get Run Over, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Assoc­ia­tion, April 29, 1998, Seattle, Washington.

25. Lecturer on “Direct Examination of the Plaintiff in an Auto Collision Case,” at Best of WSTLA:  Direct Examination, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Assoc­ia­tion, October 30, 1997, Seattle, Washington.

26. Lecturer on “How to Handle Discovery Disputes and Prevent Discovery Abuse, Including Ethical Considerations, at Effective Civil Litigation:  Leveraging the Civil Rules, sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association, Litigation Section, April 16, 1997.

27. Lecturer on Law Firm Marketing at Choices in Law Practice, sponsored by the University of Washington Law School, March 26, 1997.

28. Lecturer on “Cost Effective Presentation of Evidence:  How to be Cheap but Effective,” at Cost Effective Litigation, Sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, February 28, 1997, Seattle, Washington.

29. Panelist, "Practice Tips In and Out of the Courtroom," at Skills for the Woman Advocate, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, October 24, 1996, at Alderbrook, Union, Washington.

30. Lecturer, "Evaluating and Settling Low to Moderate Size Cases," in Evaluating & Settling P.I. Cases, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, September 26, 1996, Seattle.

31. Lecturer, "Cost-Effective Presentation of Evidence," in Auto Cases:  De Novo Challenges, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, April 12, 1996, Seattle, Washington.

32. Lecturer, "Handling Preexisting Injuries in a Soft Tissue Case," in The Soft Tissue Case: Finding Hidden Injuries -- Solving Special Problems, sponsored by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, November 18, 1994, Seattle.

33. Chair, Evidence Law seminar, sponsored by Washington State Bar Association, November 11, 1994, Seattle.

34. Lecturer, "Pre-existing and Multiple Injuries/Multiple Tort Feasors" at Washington State Trial Lawyers Association's Stress Break Seminar, Maui, Hawaii, April 8, 1994.

35. Lecturer, "Automobile Injury Cases -- Investigation:  Do you take the case?" at WSTLA's Best Sellers seminar, December 31, 1993, Seattle.

36. Co-Chair and lecturer at Washington State Trial Lawyers Insurance Law Basics seminar on "PIP and UIM Insurance:  What's Covered and What's Not", October 22, 1993, Seattle, Washington.

37. Lecturer, on "Civil Rule 43:  Taking of Testimony" at Playing by the Rules:  Selected Presenta­tions from the New WSBA Civil Procedure Deskbook, Washington State Bar Association CLE seminar, August 6, 1993, Seattle, Washington

38. Co-Chair and lecturer at Washington State Trial Lawyers Automobile Injury Cases:  The Winning Edge, (Lecture on "Investigation:  Do you take the case?")  April 26, 1993 in Seattle.

39. Lecturer, "Premises Liability:  Investigation and Presentation of the Case from a Plaintiff's    Perspective," in Bite of CLE, Seattle-King County Bar Ass'n, December 18, 1992.

40. Lecturer, "Pre-existing Injuries & Multiple Injuries:  Sorting, Charting and Jury Instruc­tions that Work,"  in Preparing & Winning the Soft Tissue Injury Case, Washington State Trial Lawyers CLE seminar, November 13, 1992.

41. Lecturer, on "Civil Rule 43," in Washington State Bar Association's Civil Rules seminar (in connection with publication of the new Civil Procedure Deskbook, November 3, 1992 (Seattle) and November 12, 1992 (Olympia).

42. Lecturer, Premises Liability seminar, on "The Nuts and Bolts of How to Present Your Case (plaintiff's perspective)", April 7, 1992, Seattle-King County Bar Association CLE Seminar, Seattle, Washington.

43. Lecturer, 14th Annual Insurance Law Seminar, on "InterCompany Arbitration & Hold Harmless Agreements", January 23-24, 1992, WSTLA CLE seminar, Spokane and Seattle, Washington.

44. Lecturer, WSTLA's Best Sellers of 1991, on "Evidence Tactics in Arbitration", WSTLA CLE seminar, December 20, 1991, Seattle, WA.

45. Lecturer, MAR and Underinsured Motorist Arbitration Seminar, on "Evidentiary Peculiarities of Arbitration in MAR and UIM Litigation", WSTLA CLE seminar, September 20, 1991, Seattle, WA.

46. "People's Law School" lecture on Torts and Insurance Law, March, 1991, Seattle Central Community College, and South Seattle Community College, Seattle, Washington in March, 1991; October, 1989; March, 1989.

47. Speaker and Co-Chair, Motions Practice Seminar (lecture on "Written Advocacy"), sponsored by Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, October 26, 1990, Seattle, WA.

48. Lecturer on "Personal Injury Protection:  Legal Issues Surrounding PIP," in Profes­sion­al Educational Systems, Inc.'s Washington Insurance Law seminar, May 23, 1990, Seattle, WA.

49. Lecturer, 12th Annual WSTLA Insurance Law Seminar, on "PIP Claims and Under­insured Motorist Arbitration Issues" January 18-19, 1990, Seattle, WA.

50. Lunchtime Seminar, Greater Seattle Legal Secretaries Association, "Preparation of a Trial Notebook," October 18, 1989, Seattle, WA.

51. Lecturer on "New Washington Pattern Jury Instructions on Premises Liability," WSTLA seminar on new Pattern Jury Instructions, June, 1989, Spokane and Seattle, WA.

52. Lecturer on "Opening the File and Preparing the Case," Law Seminar for Legal Secretaries, October 15, 1988, Seattle, WA.

53. "Enhanced Injury Claims:  Does the Doctrine of Comparative Negligence Apply?", Annual WSTLA Seminar/Convention, Semiahmoo, Blaine, Washington, July 1988.

54. Lecturer at Demonstration of an Automobile Collision Trial, on "Direct Examination of the Plaintiff in a Personal Injury Case," WSTLA CLE seminar, March 1988, Seattle, WA.

55. “Parallel Highway Bridges:  A Case Study on Defective Design,” at WSTLA Annual Convention and Seminar, Sun River, Oregon, July 1987.

56.  Lecturer, Trying an Auto Collision Case, on "Summary Judgments in Auto Accident Cases - If, When and How", WSTLA CLE seminar, February 26, 1987, Seattle, WA.

PERSONAL: 

Married to:        David S. Heller             4/01/84

Children:           Thomas S. Heller          9/17/85

                        Elizabeth M. Heller        9/17/85