Timothy Daniel Sutherland

Tim Sutherland embodies the fiercely competitive state of his birth, and like that state, he hates to lose. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Tim was raised to believe that every problem has a solution; it just needs to be found. The legal experience Tim has gathered over the previous few years, combined with his natural determination and enthusiasm, makes him an ideal yet unusual attorney.

Tim grew up a military dependent in the United States Air Force and bounced around between several states before his father retired as an air traffic controller after twenty years of service to his country. After graduating from a military high school, Tim attended the University of California at Davis and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He made the Dean’s honor list and participated in the University’s Political Science Honor Program.

While in college, Tim also worked in Sacramento, the capitol of California, for the political arm of the National Rifle Association (NRA-ILA). His duties included tracking and interpreting legislative bills, assisting NRA members with various gun-related inquiries, and occasionally "working" at the firing range.

Tim also spent a summer abroad with his future wife, studying medieval warfare and history at Sterling University in Scotland. While there, he learned the real history behind the movie Braveheart, and visited numerous countries, including England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria.

Legal Experience

During Tim’s first year of law school, he worked for a premier boutique law firm in Southern California. Michel & Associates specializes in the areas of firearm law, criminal defense, and contract law. The firm represents such groups as the NRA, California Rifle & Pistol Association, and Second Amendment Foundation, and the California Association of Firearm Retailers. One of the firm’s original partners, Mr. Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich was recently elected Los Angeles City Attorney in 2009.

As a legal clerk for the firm, Tim handled a number of complex matters, including the drafting of an amicus curiae brief to a court of appeals explaining the legal and technical applications of California’s assault weapons laws. Tim spoke daily with the legal department of the firearm division to the California Department of Justice and worked closely with firearm clients.

Tim also assisted in a number of criminal defense matters relating to firearms, ranging from charges of possessing firearms that should have been classified as antiques, pen guns, and assault weapons. In addition to his firearm work, Tim worked on an assortment of other legal matters, including a first amendment freedom of express case, defamation case, and the incorporation of various business entities.

Following his time at Michel & Associates, Tim proceeded to work for the Domestic Violence division of the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office (located near Portland, Oregon). Tim was entrusted with prosecuting the county’s restraining order violations and overseeing the county’s domestic violence deferment program, a program directed at the rehabilitation of domestic violence offenders. As part of the deferment program, Tim worked closely with various woman’s groups, battered women intervention programs, and shelters. In addition, Tim prosecuted physical assaults, cases of strangulation, and other incidents relating to domestic violence. Tim also had the opportunity to work on several felony cases, including prosecution for the sexual assault of a minor and a high profile organized crime capital murder case . 

In addition to his work fighting for victims of domestic violence, while studying at Lewis & Clark School of Law, Tim focused on working with the National Crime Victim Law Institute [] (NCVLI), the first institute of its kind aimed at promoting crime victims with comprehensive and meaningful legal rights in the criminal justice system. Through NCVLI’s clinic, Tim helped draft a brief aimed at protecting the identity of a child victim in a criminal sex abuse case. In that same case, they vigorously protected the rights of the child from being forced to testify in open court in front of her offender. Tim also assisted victims of crime with enforcing their rights on appeal after their rights were denied at the trial court level.

Tim also has experience working for the public defender’s office, defending individuals accused of various misdemeanor crimes and has represented clients in an assortment of practice areas, including wrongful termination, real estate issues, and business copyright matters. 

Tim currently resides in Tacoma with his lovely wife, two cats, and two rabbits. When Tim isn’t tirelessly working to advance the interests of his clients, he relaxes by exercising and playing softball, watching sports (baseball and hockey), watching Babylon 5 with his wife (the best sci-fi show ever created), and playing online strategy war computer games with his friends. He also helps his wife run her small business, you can see her beautiful art and jewelry at !

Bar Membership 

Pierce County Bar Association, Member in Good Standing

Washington State Bar Association, Member in Good Standing

Organizations

The National Alliance of Victims' Rights Attorneys (NAVRA)

Education

Juris Doctorate, Lewis & Clark School of Law, 2009

Bachelor of Arts, University of California at Davis,2006

Other Tidbits:

Favorite Books: The Rainmaker (John Grisham); Romance of the Three Kingdoms; The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich (William Shirer)

Favorite Sports & Teams: Seattle Mariners (Baseball- American League); San Francisco Giants (Baseball- National League); San Jose Sharks (Hockey- Western Conference)

Favorite Movies & Shows: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Monty Python & The Search For the Holy Grail; Braveheart; Godfather Trilogy; Batman Begins; Live Free or Die Hard; John Adams (HBO mini series); The Band of Brothers (HBO mini series); Babylon 5.

Favorite Music: Alternative Rock; Classic Rock.