About Us

We Represent Condo Associations, Apartment And Commercial Building Owners In The Pacific Northwest – For Over 30 Years

The attorneys at Stein, Sudweeks & Stein have over thirty years’ experience representing condominium associations, apartment and commercial property owners in the Pacific Northwest. While the firm got its start litigating construction defect claims on behalf of Pacific Northwest condominium associations, the scope of our practice expanded to (the Western District of Washington) in 2012 when Washington law changed to allow for potential insurance coverage for hidden water damage caused by a combination of long-term rainwater intrusion and construction defects.

We Don’t Just Follow the Law – We Make the Law

Since 2012 we have been at the forefront of representing condominium associations and apartment building owners in pursing claims against property insurers for damage caused by long-term exposure to wind and rain. Our goal is to recover funds to repair a client’s building without litigation. However, when litigation is necessary, we have been very successful in pursuing these claims. Within the last 8 years the firm has obtained seven significant court rulings that helped establish an association or property owner’s right to pursue claims against old, expired insurance policies (some more than 30 years old) and also helped establish that coverage exists when long-term exposure to wind driven rain combines with inadequate construction to cause hidden damage to the building’s exterior walls.

In large part due to these rulings, the firm has successfully settled over 150 of these hidden water damage cases. We have at least another forty insurance claims in progress and growing. Our firm has five attorneys whose expertise is in insurance coverage to better serve your needs.

Free Review- We Strategize With our Clients from the Start

One of the reasons for our success with these type of insurance claims is that we spend the time necessary to thoroughly review our clients insurance policies and repair and maintenance records free of charge before initiating a claim. Based upon this review, we advise our clients if they have a viable claim that is worth pursuing. We find that knowing the potential value of the claim upfront allows our clients to make informed business decisions as to whether they want to pursue an insurance claim.

We have been very active in educating property managers, Board members, owners of apartments and other commercial buildings about the insurance claim process and recovery for older buildings that have experienced damage from long-term exposure to rain. In addition to presenting Lunch and Learns at property manager’s offices, we have teamed with organizations such as WSCAI, WLA, and BOMA to present educational seminars on insurance claim related issues and the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership
Act (WUCIOA).

​While our firm prides itself on being able to resolve most of our cases without litigation, we are also very experienced litigators. We have extensive experience litigating coverage for wind-driven rain claims as well as construction defect claims. Jerry Stein, the firm’s managing partner, has taken over 30 cases to trial and is also an experienced appellate attorney.

​We support the Puget Sound Avon Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure and FORCE.