Lori Worthington Hurl

Full Profile

Lori Worthington Hurl focuses her civil litigation defense practice on professional liability, representing attorneys, accountants, and real estate brokers in malpractice claims. Lori is a former member of the Washington State Bar Association Disciplinary Board, bringing valuable insight to her work in this area.

Lori’s practice also includes responding to EEOC and WSHRC complaints, handling employment litigation, and defending personal injury claims involving premises liability, product liability, and motor vehicle accidents. She has tried multiple cases to verdict and is a graduate of the IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University.

Lori is the former President of the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association of Seattle (MAMA Seattle), an organization dedicated to empowering attorney mothers and fostering professional success while celebrating their dual roles as lawyers and parents.

Admissions

• Washington
• Oregon
• US District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington
• US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Gonzaga University School of Law, 2008. Vested Member, Gonzaga Journal of International Law; Judicial Extern, Division III Court of Appeals; and Judicial Extern, Kathleen O’Connor, Spokane County Superior Court.
• B.A., University of Washington, 2005

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
  • YLD Trustee (2012-2015)
  • Chair (2014-2015)
  • Vice-Chair (2013-2014)
• Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of Seattle
  • President (2021)
  • Vice President (2020)
  • Co-Director of CLE Seminars (2016-2019)
• Washington Defense Trial Lawyers
• Washington State Bar Association

Experience

• Obtained dismissal of consumer protection act claim against law firm. Plaintiff alleged that her client, a law firm, engaged in deceptive advertising in how it obtained clients. Obtained dismissal of consumer protection act by proving that plaintiff did not have the right kind of damages to seek this relief. 
• Obtained dismissal on behalf of law firm in a case plaintiff attempted to certify as a class action lawsuit. Plaintiff alleged that client engaged in unlawful conduct when it failed to ensure that their client's medical bills were submitted directly to their health insurer.
• Obtained a defense verdict in a legal malpractice case on behalf of their client, a dissolution attorney. The plaintiff alleged that his former attorney fell below the standard of care in drafting and advising her client to sign a property settlement agreement. The plaintiff claimed that by signing the property settlement agreement, he incurred approximately USD 1.3 million in damages. After an almost two-week trial, the jury returned its defense verdict after deliberating for approximately four hours.
• Obtained summary judgment in a legal malpractice case on behalf of a bankruptcy attorney client. The plaintiff alleged that his former attorney committed malpractice in the bankruptcy proceedings. Moved for summary judgment on the basis of collateral estoppel, as whether the attorney committed malpractice had already been ruled on by the bankruptcy judge when he affirmed the client’s request for his attorney’s fees. The trial court dismissed on the basis of collateral estoppel, and the court of appeals affirmed the dismissal.
• Obtained partial summary judgment in a legal malpractice lawsuit. The claim involved whether an attorney could recover emotional distress damages against his former legal malpractice defense attorney after the jury reached an unfavorable verdict.
• Represented trucking company in an admitted liability dispute. The plaintiff was involved in a five-vehicle collision that was caused by the trucking company. The plaintiff self-reported to her chiropractor that she felt 90-95% pre-accident status after eight months, yet she continued to treat for an additional four years. The jury agreed with the defendant that plaintiff’s additional treatment was not reasonable or related to the accident (except a few months of physical therapy) and awarded plaintiff approximately 6% of what plaintiff asked for in closing.
• Obtained a defense decision in a premises liability claim against a church. The plaintiff claimed the church failed to warn her of the existence of stairs, and as a result, she fell and broke her shoulder. After an all-day arbitration, the arbitrator found that the church was not negligent and dismissed all claims.
• Defended attorney in a professional malpractice matter. Plaintiff sued her former attorney alleging malpractice. The client, her former attorney, missed the statute of limitations, and the plaintiff’s underlying claim was dismissed on summary judgment. Prevailed on summary judgment because the plaintiff discovered or knew of her malpractice claim more than three years before filing suit against her former attorney.
• Defended a Canadian wood product manufacturer in a transportation law matter. The case involved a longshoreman who was injured at the Port of Tacoma when an ocean shipping container, in tow behind the power unit he was operating, overturned. The Shipper had loaded the container with bundles of stacked lumber planks. The longshoreman sued the Shipper, claiming that the container overturned because its cargo had not been properly stowed. His attorneys asked the jury for an award of over USD 1.3 million in special and general damages. The jury found that the Shipper had committed no negligent act in loading the container. On that basis, the longshoreman’s claim was dismissed pursuant to a defense verdict.

Presentations

• Presenter, “Litigators’ Roundtable,” Bench-Bar Conference, November 2025
• Presenter, “AI Issues in Family Law,” The Seminar Group, September 2025
• Presenter, “Ethical Dilemmas From Client Intake to Conclusion,” The Seminar Group, September 2024
• Presenter, “Ethics in Civil Litigation,” WSBA, September 2024
• Presenter, “Legal Malpractice Trends,” Forsberg & Umlauf CLE, November 2023
• Presenter, “Modern Trends in the Business of Law,” IADC Professional Liability Roundtable, August 2021
• Presenter, "Can You Ethically Work from Home? Exploring the Necessity of Bar Admission to Work in Your State of Residence," IADC Webinar, May 2021
• Presenter, “Ethical Issues During the Pandemic,” Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association, January 2021
• Presenter, “A Year to Remember: Pandemics, Public Demonstrations, and Wildfires,” Washington State Bar Association CLE, December 2020
• Presenter, “Ethics During Global Pandemic,” Real Property Probate and Trust section of the Washington State Bar Association, June 2020
• Presenter, “Ethical Considerations During the Pandemic, ” King County Bar Association, May 2020