Professional Experience
Will’s practice focuses on environmental litigation, land use, and real estate. Will has extensive experience litigating contaminated site matters brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), under Washington’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), or under tort theories such as trespass or nuisance. Will also regularly litigates matters under other environmental statutes, such as the Clean Water Act. Will works well with experts and other consultants in securing favorable outcomes for his clients in litigation, as well as obtaining regulatory closure.
Will also has a robust land use and real estate practice, where he advocates on behalf of developers, land owners, and tenants, among others, on matters including:
- defending clients in enforcement proceedings brought by local jurisdictions on matters such as land use codes, building codes, and tree protection ordinances;
- litigating neighbor disputes regarding claims of ownership, including adverse possession, prescriptive easement, and other assertions of ownership or entitlement;
- litigating disputes involving responsibility for damage to property, such as landslides, including prosecuting and defending claims of trespass, negligence, and waste;
- litigating commercial landlord-tenant disputes;
- procuring water availability certificates; and
- vacating rights-of-way.
In addition to his litigation practice, Will assists buyers and sellers in complicated real estate transactions and assists landowners in protecting their property from the uncertainties of the future.
Will has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in environmental law and environmental litigation, and as a Rising Stars: 2025 by Super Lawyers.
Prior to joining Helsell Fetterman, Will worked at a national environmental law firm, where he defended Fortune 500 companies and municipalities, among other clients, in litigation and enforcement cases. Previously, Will clerked for Judge Rich Melnick at the Washington State Court of Appeals, Div. II, where he assisted the judge in deciding cases across a variety of legal topics, including complex issues involving land use, environmental law, and civil procedure.
Will is a Pacific Northwesterner. He graduated from Gig Harbor High School, Western Washington University, and Lewis & Clark Law School. During law school, Will was the Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Law and worked as a research assistant updating the treatise Summary Judgment: Federal Law and Practice. When not working, Will enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and cheering on the Sounders.
Professional Affiliations
- Washington State Bar Association
- WSBA’s Environmental & Land Use Section
Admitted to Practice
- Washington State
- United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
