Todd J. Cook

Todd is a civil litigator with extensive experience advising and resolving business disputes for banks and other business clients in commercial litigation matters and representing property owners in real estate litigation (including quiet title actions, boundary line disputes, and Timber Trespass actions) and beneficiaries and fiduciaries in probate matters and trust and estates actions under Trust and Estates Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA). Todd has litigated cases in superior courts across the State of Washington with a primary focus in the Puget Sound region including the Superior Courts of Snohomish County and King County. He also has significant federal court experience.

Prior to joining Beresford Booth, Todd was a shareholder of an Am-Law 200 law firm based in eastern Pennsylvania where he was a member of the commercial litigation group. Before entering private practice, Todd served under three federal judges including a two-year federal District Court clerkship with the Honorable Christopher C. Conner of the United States District for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Before joining Judge Conner’s chambers, he served an interim clerkship with the Honorable Bruce I. Fox of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. During law school, Todd served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Anthony J. Scirica of the States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Todd is a member of the Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce. He also enjoys coaching youth baseball in the Mukilteo Little League and Mukilteo Baseball Club.

Todd was raised in Edmonds and graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School. He and his wife, Colleen, reside in Mukilteo with their sons, Tim and Kellan, and their dog, Isla. Todd enjoys taking his sons to Seattle Mariners games and visiting MLB stadiums across the US, mountain biking on the trails of the Northwest, and trying to learn new trials biking skills.

Admitted:

• State of Washington
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

Education:

• Temple University School of Law, Magna Cum Laude, 2002.
• Western Washington University, 1998.

Professional Associations:

• American Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association
• Snohomish County Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce

Publications, Honors, and Activities:

• Board of Directors, Homage Senior Services (2021).
• Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Rising Star 2010-2016 (published in Philadelphia Magazine).
• Youth Baseball Coach – Mukilteo Little League, Mukilteo Mavericks Baseball Club.
• Founder & Commissioner (2007-2017), Reading-Berks Business Softball League.

Representative Matters:

• Represented numerous trusts and estates beneficiaries in TEDRA actions involving disputes among beneficiaries of large family trusts.
• Represented professional fiduciary in multi-party TEDRA litigation and related vulnerable adult protection action and civil litigation involving Trust assets.
• Represented property owners in Timber Trespass Actions against neighboring property owners.
• Counseled community bank in negotiations regarding large commercial property loan transactions.
• Obtained verdict in favor of financial newsletter publishers in contract action brought by print production management firm.  Following bifurcated bench trial on the issue of liability, court entered verdict for client on all claims asserted by Plaintiff and a verdict finding liability against Plaintiff on clients’ breach of contract counterclaims.
• Represented former officer and director of publicly-traded premium video management software provider in a federal securities class action and several shareholder derivative suits stemming from financial restatements and disclosures of material weaknesses in the company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
• As part of a multi-firm team, represented a student lending agency in a case filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia involving allegations under the federal False Claims Act. The plaintiff alleged the client had defrauded the U.S. Department of Education and sought damages in excess of $350 million. The case resulted in a verdict in the client’s favor, which was affirmed on appeal.
• Defended a national bank in RICO litigation against bank and a now-defunct law firm arising from former law firm client’s claim of theft of settlement funds from lawyer IOLTA account at held at bank.  Obtained dismissal of all claims against bank on summary judgment.