Harry H. Schneider
Harry has been ranked for 21 consecutive years by Chambers USA under the Litigation: General Commercial practice category.
Harry Schneider represents clients in litigation, trials, appeals, and arbitrations before state and federal courts and administrative bodies. Harry is ranked by Chambers USA as a Band 1 commercial litigation lawyer.
Reviewers cited by Chambers USA said, "Harry is a legend in this area with a strategic mind, an avuncular style, and a great courtroom manner. He not only takes time to understand the issue at hand, but also the client’s motivation and sensitivities.” In his more than 40-year career, Harry has tried dozens of cases to judgment or verdict and has handled almost every type of contested legal claim, including disputes over professional liability; intellectual property; complex financial and commercial transactions; fraud; consumer protection; privacy; real estate; corporate deadlock; will contests; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and environmental cleanup; fiduciary, trust, and estate; personal injury; securities; high- net- worth marital dissolution; eminent domain; criminal prosecutions and defense; and lawsuits brought against company executives alleging harassment and hostile workplace.
Harry has filed more than 100 copyright infringement cases for members of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, three of which were tried to judgment.
Clients for whom Harry has tried cases include Amazon; Puget Sound Energy; Weyerhaeuser; Burlington Northern; General Motors; IMDb; Blue Nile; the City of Missoula, Montana; Hooker Chemicals; and various musicians and songwriters.
Harry’s pro bono cases include Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and U.S. v. Hamdan, (defense of Osama bin Laden’s driver, Salim Hamdan, before the Supreme Court of the United States and before a military jury in the first case of a detainee tried before a Military Commission at Guantanamo Bay); Wahid Lawal v. Sig Hansen (civil action against the captain of “The World’s Most Dangerous Catch”); Aradia Women’s Health Center v. Operation Rescue (civil action for enforcement of a no-contact order against an anti-abortion organization); and several cases before the Washington Clemency & Pardons Board that resulted in the commutation of life sentences.
Harry is a member of some of the most selective, invitation-only professional organizations devoted to trial advocacy and civility in the courtroom. He was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2001, the International Society of Barristers (ISOB) in 2007, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2024.
Harry served on the board of directors of the Attorneys Liability Assurance Society (ALAS) for 25 years from 1999 to 2024, including a term as board chair. He served for seven years as a trustee of the ISOB, including a term as president. Harry has served as trustee and president of both the King County Bar Association and the King County Bar Foundation. He currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He is a past board member of Justice Advocacy Africa (JAA) whose mission is to teach trial advocacy to lawyers and judges in African nations. He has participated as a faculty member of JAA in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya; Kampala, Uganda; and Gaborone, Botswana.
Harry is a past recipient of the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Washington State Bar’s Apex Award of Merit, the King County Bar’s “Lawyer of the Year” award, the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington’s “Lawyer of the Year” award, and the Thomas C. Wales Foundation’s Award for Passionate Citizenship. Harry also has served on seven, and chaired six, Merit Selection Committees for the appointment of U.S. Magistrate Judges for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He has also served as a Lawyer Representative to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Harry has served several terms on Perkins Coie’s Executive Committee, two terms and one year as chair of the Partner Compensation Committee, and six years as a member of the firm’s four-person Management Committee.
Education & Credentials
Education
- The University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1979
- University of California, Berkeley, A.B., 1976
Bar and Court Admissions
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Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Professional Recognition
Named Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2016
Consistently listed in Benchmark Litigation: Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys as a "Litigation Star"
Co-Recipient, Washington State Bar Association "Award of Merit," 2011
Inducted into the International Society of Barristers
Listed in Chambers USA as "America’s Leading Lawyers" for Litigation, 2014-2024
Listed in Chambers USA, The Client's Guide, 2004
Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, "Washington’s Super Lawyers," 2003-2024
Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation, 2001-2025
Listed in "Who’s Who Among the Leading Lawyers in Malpractice Bar," The National Law Journal
Nominated to "The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation," 1997
Listed in Who's Who in American Law, 2000 edition
Impact
Professional Leadership
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Bar Association, Litigation Section; Member “blue-ribbon” committee appointed by ABA President
- Washington Association of Defense Counsel
- Washington State Bar Association
- Board of Advisors, Lawyers Liability Review
- National Union, Panel Counsel for Director & Officer Liability Litigation, Member
- Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, 2008-2010
News
Professional Experience
Intellectual Property Litigation
Amgen Inc. v. Elanex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Patent infringement case.
Electronics Arts Inc. v. Lee
Anticounterfeiting case arising out of illegal distribution of pirated electronic video games.
Lemon v. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince
Claim for copyright infringement against Prince for unauthorized copying, recording, and performing of our client's copyrighted song. Prince's composition was "I Hate U" released on "The Gold Experience" album in 1994.
Nintendo of America Inc. v. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Represented Nintendo in litigation alleging infringement of copyright, trademark and mask work rights in software, hardware and semiconductor chips.
Nintendo of America Inc. v. Winbond Electronics Corporation
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Represented Nintendo in litigation alleging infringement of intellectual property rights in video game software and hardware.
Nintendo of America Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.
Hi-tech litigation involving integrated circuit design and manufacture.
Roberts v. Musicians Institute Inc.
Represented founder of Musician’s Institute in royalty dispute. Prevailed and recovered damages following two-week arbitration.
Securities & Corporate Governance Litigation
Boeing Securities Litigation
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Defended company and officers in securities fraud class action.
Glein v. Matty
Defense of securities fraud, misrepresentation, conversion and breach of fiduciary duty claims. Bench trial resulting in judgment for the defense and recovery on counterclaim.
Goel v. InfoSpace LLC
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Defense of securities fraud, misrepresentation, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty claims, bench trial resulting in judgment for the defense and recovery on counterclaim. 259 F. Supp. 2d 1128 (W.D. Wash. 2003)
Grassmueck v. Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Defended law firm against claims of professional negligence arising from alleged securities fraud.
InfoSpace Inc. v. Thompson
Recovery of loan for exercise of stock options.
Kaleem v. InfoSpace LLC
Defense of claim to pre-IPO stock options.
Keister v. InfoSpace LLC
Six-day arbitration and defense of claim to stock options.
Montanaro v. McCaw
King County Superior Court (Washington)
Defense of company in shareholder derivative litigation.
Litigation
Amussen v. Amussen
Successful defense of will challenge resulting in dismissal of plaintiff's lawsuits and an award of attorneys' fees.
Burlington Northern Railroad Company v. Dant & Russell Inc., et al.
Trial before federal bankruptcy court, Portland, OR. Matter resulted in recovery of $7 million judgment for environmental contamination.
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, et al.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court
In pro bono habeas corpus litigation, obtained United States Supreme Court ruling striking down military commissions established to try detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 344 F. Supp. 2d 152 (D.D.C. 2004), rev'd, 415 F. 3d 33 (D.C. Cir. 2005), rev'd, 548 U.S. 557 (2006). After Congress passed Military Commissions Act of 2006, defended prisoner tried July 21 to August 7, 2008 before military commission in Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba, resulting in acquittal on charge of conspiracy and conviction on lesser charge of material support. Obtained vacation of conviction by D.C. Circuit, which held that the material support charge was Ex Post Facto. 696 F.3d 1238 (D.C. Cir. 2012).
Hoffer v. InfoSpace LLC
Defense of misrepresentation and breach of contract claims.
InfoSpace LLC v. Strom
King County Superior Court (Washington)
Represented InfoSpace Inc. in action alleging breach of contract and defense of wrongful termination claim. Settled after successful summary judgment motion.
Kake Tribal Corporation v. Sealaska Corporation
Represented Alaska Native Village Corporation in action to rescind and/or reform multi-million-dollar timber sale transactions and to recover damages for misrepresentation and fraud; multi-year litigation. Resulted in favorable settlement valued in excess of $30 million.
Marsh v. Fidelity Trust and Estate
Challenge to various interrelated trust actions and applicability of no-contest provision.
McCormmach v. Schubert
Trust and estate litigation involving allocation of recording royalties in music industry.
Puget Sound Power & Light Company v. J.A. Jones Construction Company
Jury trial before Thurston County Superior Court. Matter resulted in recovery of judgment for property damage to underwater cable.
Richards v. InfoSpace LLC
Defended company against RICO, misrepresentation and breach of contract claims.
Weyerhaeuser Company v. Geewax, Terker Company
Involving claims to recover several million dollars from manager of ERISA portfolio account.
ZZ Top v. Chrysler Corporation
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
Represented defendant in copyright infringement and Lanham Act claims in case involving ZZ Top's song “La Grange.” 70 F. Supp. 2d 1167, 52 U.S.P.Q.2d 1542 (W.D. Wash. 1999)
Robinson v. McCabe
Trial and settlement resulting in successful defense of trustee in multi-million dollar challenge to estate and trust management.