Profile
With over thirty years of experience, Steven A. Hemmat is dedicated to providing competent legal advice in all of his practice areas — family law, general civil litigation, personal injury and probate.
An experienced arbitrator and mediator in civil and family law cases, Mr. Hemmat graduated from Whitman College in 1983 and earned his Juris Doctor Degree in 1986 from Lewis and Clark College. He is licensed to practice in all Washington state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Hemmat worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, and the Civil Division and Commercial Litigation Branch of the Assistant Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Department of Justice, in Washington, D.C.
He is a member of the Washington State and American Bar Associations. He served as a staff member of Environmental Law, a law review at Lewis and Clark, and was inducted as a member of the Cornelius Honor Society. Mr. Hemmat is actively involved in numerous community groups and has served on the board of several charitable and educational organizations.
Achievements
Steven A. Hemmat has served as attorney in the following notable cases and matters:
- Weiss v. Glemp
Represented New York Rabbi Avi Weiss in an international defamation case against Polish Cardinal Jozef Glemp. Case covered by local, national and international media. - Oliver/Wilson v. Dayspring & Fitch Funeral Directors
Represented plaintiffs in a funeral home malpractice case which received front-page newspaper coverage in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Settlement achieved for client after mediation. - Perez v. Lyon
Defeated an attempt by detective Robert Perez to obtain journalist work product from attorney/author Kathryn Lyon in a civil case relating to the Wenatchee child sex ring investigations. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published a favorable editorial in this case. - Smith, et al. v. University of Washington Law School, et al.
Serving as local counsel with the Center for Individual Rights against the University of Washington Law School on behalf of several law school applicants claiming a discriminatory admissions system. - Representing Hookah Lounge Collective
Serving as counsel in negotiations with the City of Seattle regarding regulatory policy of hookah lounge businesses within Seattle.