Wright Noel

Wright concentrates his practice on business, commercial, and securities litigation, both simple and complex. He has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Wright also counsels many clients on a variety of business matters, including entity formation, transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and growth. Wright lives in May Valley with his wife and five children. The Noels enjoy backpacking and tending to their mini-farm.
 
Sample representative matters
 

BUSINESS LITIGATION

• Successfully defended the rights of a minority owner of a loan company when the majority owner was using company funds for his personal benefit and failing to properly disperse profits.
• Successfully defended a merchant when it was sued by a supplier when the supplier had failed to provide product.
• Successfully defended co-owner of message franchise against claims by minority shareholder and recovered attorney fees
• Successfully obtained a temporary restraining order preventing a manager from violating the terms of a non-compete.
• Successfully defended contract claims relating to the purchase of products
• Successfully negotiated the return of secured property from a lender as part of a lease termination.

EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION

• Obtained a complete defense verdict in a two week trial in an employment discrimination case in the Western District of Washington.
• Obtained a significant recovery from a plaintiff for claims of violating an employment contract
• Obtained a significant recover for a plaintiff in a retaliation claims when the plaintiff was terminated in retaliation for complaining about the sexual harassment of a co-worker.
• Successfully defended a local business in wage and hour claims

REAL PROPERTY AND CONSTRUCTION

• Successfully handled numerous commercial and residential eviction proceedings.
• Have successfully litigated and negotiated many adverse possession and easement claims.
• Successfully resolved claims by a contractor relating to the instillation of a new water system.
• Successfully represented many home owners in remodel cases.
• Successfully obtained a complete defense verdict in a multimillion dollar claim relating construction of the Tacoma Narrows bridge and powerlines.

SECURITIES LITIGATION

• Successfully defended the rights of a minority owner of a loan company when the majority owner was using company funds for his personal benefit and failing to properly disperse profits.
• Successfully sued over fraud in the sale of stock in a local company.
• Successfully represented individual in proceedings brought by the Department of Financial Institutions asserting violations of Washington State Securities Act.

BUSINESS TRANSACTION

• Helped the owner negotiate the the sale of a online company specializing in the sale or equipment and products for vinyl signs for approximately $8 million dollars.
• Helped negotiate the sale of an internet advertising company to a Canadian publically held company for approximately $15 million.
• Successfully helped a group of owners sell an internet advertising company to a Chinese held company.

ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE

Wright has a particular interest in advising businesses and law firms on the emerging law of electronic evidence. He has lectured and written on the subject as well.
 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Washington State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Reuben Clark Law Society, Board Member and past President
• Admitted, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
• Washington Defense Lawyers Association
• Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyers Honorary Society
  Member, Trial Law Institute
  Member, Diversity Law Institute
  Barrister, Order of Juris
  Advocate, Order of Certus
  
  

EDUCATION

Wright earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 1992, where he was an NCAA First Team All-American (wrestling) and graduated as the top Managerial Economics student. He earned his law degree in 1995 from the University of Washington School of Law, graduating Order of the Coif.
 

PUBLICATIONS AND SEMINARS

• Ten Tips to Avoiding the Electronic Evidence Nightmare, King County Bar Journals, April 2006
• The Washington Securities Act: A Trap for the Unwary, submitted for publication
• How to Help Your Clients Meet Their Duty To Preserve Evidence in the Computer Age, Washington State Bar News, July 2005
• Washington Practice Manual: Civil Procedure Forms and Practice
• Preventing Investor Claims, 2005, Seattle, WA
• Document Retention and Destruction In the Age of Electronic Documents: The Impact of Document Retention on Litigation and Business in the Computer Age, 2005, Spokane, WA
• Contributing author to Shareholder Litigation in Washington State, 2014, Washington State Bar Association.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Wrestling Coach, Liberty High School
• Boy Scouts of America, Assistant Council Commissioner
• Issaquah Rotary, past secretary
• Volunteers for Issaquah Schools (VIS) Board
• Board Member Issaquah Chamber of Commerce