Erik J. Heipt

An experienced courtroom litigator with a passion for civil rights, Erik is a member of the Washington, California and District of Columbia bars. Erik graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991 and received his law degree in 1994 from Willamette University College of Law, where he was Associate Editor of the Willamette Law Review.

Following law school, Erik clerked for Justice Mario Ramil of the Hawaii Supreme Court. After finishing his one-year judicial clerkship, Erik worked for two years as a litigation associate for the law firm of Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson in Washington D.C., where he worked alongside nationally prominent attorneys on a variety of complex civil litigation cases.

Erik came to Seattle in 1998 to join his former law school classmate, Ed Budge, and the two of them formed Budge & Heipt. Over the past six years, Erik has litigated multiple jury trials in state and federal courts in Washington and Oregon. He has won several favorable jury verdicts on behalf of plaintiffs in civil rights cases, including two multi-million dollar verdicts in the past four years. Erik has been selected as a “Super Lawyer” by Washington Law & Politics Magazine, an honor given to less than 5% of attorneys in the State of Washington.

Erik lives in Seattle with his wife, Wendy, who is also an attorney, and their two young daughters, Ella and Reese. Erik spends most of his free time with his family. Erik also enjoys mountain climbing, hiking and playing chess.