John T. Bender focuses his practice on winning high stakes legal disputes for his clients and providing strategic advice for boards and executives. Clients hire John because he understands how both sides think and he knows how to win. In 2025, John was honored with the prestigious Outstanding Plaintiff’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by Washington Defense Trial Lawyers. He was selected by Benchmark Litigation to its "40 & Under List...the guide to the best and brightest litigators under 40 in the US" in both 2024 and 2025. He has been consistently ranked by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America every year since 2021 and Super Lawyers: Rising Stars since 2017.

John represents public and private companies in cases involving exposure in the tens- and hundreds of millions of dollars. He has deep experience prosecuting and defending high-profile, bet-the-company matters involving a range of issues, including breach of contract, securities, partnership and shareholder disputes, corporate governance, ownership of intellectual property, class actions, claims of fraud and embezzlement, unfair or deceptive practices, franchising, real estate development, supply chain disputes, and intellectual property including trade secrets. John’s cases are routinely covered in major news publications, such as TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Puget Sound Business Journal, and The Seattle Times.
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John also regularly defends companies and executives in enforcement matters involving local, state, and federal regulatory agencies including WA DFI, SEC, and state attorneys general. He also handles matters involving internal misconduct investigations, reputational harm, and crisis management.
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John’s practice spans a wide range of industries from technology, private equity, venture capital, to financial services, energy, media, manufacturing, and entertainment. In addition, he has substantial experience using complex litigation, or the credible threat of litigation, to promote his clients’ business objectives in venture capital, private equity, sale, merger and other deal-related contexts.
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John approaches his work with a profound sense of gratitude for the opportunity to serve his clients: "Lawyers don't just handle cases--we serve people, and we are honored by every individual or business who hires us to stand in their corner."
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John's practice is increasingly global, with cases and clientele stretching from New York to California, to East- and Southeast Asia.

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