ROBERT W. GOLDSMITH
ATTORNEY AT LAW
1300 HOGE BUILDING
705 SECOND AVENUE
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98104
email: bobgoldsmith@hotmail.com
website: http://bobgoldsmith.com/index.htm
Seattle PI: http://blog.seattlepi.com/defenseattorney/
Organizations/Qualifications
Admitted to practice in states of :Wisconsin 1978
Illinois 1978
Washington 1982
Federal Court admissions:
1978 (Northern District of Illinois)
1982 (Western District of Washington)
1990 (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals)
Washington State Bar Association
Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Chairman of Continuing Legal Education Committee(chairs seminars, organizes and leads committee)
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Seattle University School of Law: Adjunct Professor of Law since 2000
Trial/Litigation Work:
I have tried over 140 jury trials and many bench trials. This includes 10 murder trials, 1 aggravated murder trial and an assortment of other types of state, federal and local cases.
WON recent acquittals in many cases including:
assault second degree (12-1-00005-7SEA) (2012)
state murder case (# 03-1-08130-9) (2006)
federal drug conspiracy (96-548WD) (1997)
seattle municipal case: 532027 (2009)
Specializing in Criminal Defense:
State/City felonies/misdemeanors (inc. DUI)
Federal felonies, grand juries
Fraud & complex litigation
Over the years I have also handled cases in the following areas:
* Civil/criminal appeals
* Contract disputes
* Environmental cases
* Auto accidents
* Intentional torts (assault/sexual abuse)
* False arrest/imprisonment/legal malpractice
* Real Estate/boundary disputes
* Immigration
* Adoption
* Civil Rights
* Involuntary Commitment
Appellate work
Done over 30 appeals including the following published cases:
Federal cases:
Schaumberg v. CBE, 444 U.S. 620 (1980) canvassing regulation; on petition opposing cert. only
CBE v. Chicago Heights, 480 F.Supp. 188 (N.D. Ill. 1979)
Won § 1983 civil rights case
CBE v. Olympia Fields, 511 F.Supp. 104 (N.D. Ill. 1980)
Won hours regulation on door-to-door canvassing
Illinois v. Gorsuch, 530 F.Supp. 337, 340 (D.C. Dt. Ct. 1981)
Won hazardous waste law issues
CBE v. Costle, 515 F.Supp. 264 (D.C. Dt. Ct. 1981)
clean air act issues
United States v. Becerra, 992 F.2d 960 (9th Cir. 1993)
Won reversal of drug conspiracy sentence
United States v. Wong, 62 F.3d 1212 (9th Cir. 1995)
double jeopardy and civil forfeiture
United States v. Sandoval, 146 F.3d 712 (9th Cir. 1998)
Firearm enhancement for sentencing issue
United States v. Nerber, 222 F.3d 597 (9th Cir. 2000)
Won suppression of hotel room video surveillance
United States v. Garcia, 401 F.3d 1008 (9th Cir. 2005)
Won withdrawal of guilty plea
United States v. Bigsby, No. 39347 (9th Cir. 2005)
Won affirmance of suppression of over 100 lbs of marijuana
Washington state:
Lyon v. Lyon, 100 Wn.2d 409 (1983)
Won community property/joint tenancy case
Seattle v. Williams, 101 Wn.2d 445 (1984)
Won right to jury trial in Seattle Mcpl. Ct.
State v. Cirkovich, 42 Wn.App. 403 (1985)
modification of juvenile sentence; ultimately won below
Hawthorne v. State, 48 Wn.App. 23 (1987)
vagueness of charge in information
State v. Curwood, 50 Wn.App. 228 (1987)
juvenile court jurisdiction after age 18
State v. Welchel, 115 Wn.2d 708 (1990)(as amicus)
statement against penal interest exception
Recovery Northwest v. Thorslund, 70 Wn.App. 146 (1993)
Won ruling on constitutionality of alcohol involuntary commitment
Seattle v. Williams, 128 Wn.2d 341(1995)
Won ruling on constitutionality of Seattle's .08 DUI/alcohol standard)
State v. Buford, 93 Wn.App.139 (1998)
unwitting possession case
Seattle v. Wilson, 151 Wn.App. 624 (2009)
Won: invalidating Seattle’s assault by traffic accident ordinance
Education/Work Experience:
1978: Juris Doctor, University of Wisconsin Law School (Madison, Wisconsin.)
1978 - 1981: Staff attorney for Citizens for a Better Environment; Chicago, IL.
civil rights and environmental public interest law.
1981 - 1982: Private practice with David Sadick, Seattle, WA.
1982 - 1990: The Public Defender Association as a staff attorney for 6 years (handling 100’s and 100’s of felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile cases and civil commitments) and as a supervisor, training coordinator for 2.5 years (teaching new lawyers how to defend cases.)
1990 - Present: Solo private practice at present location.
2000 – Present: Adjunct Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law
CLE/Conference Presentations:
"Inspection and Maintenance of Vehicles is Cost Effective"
Presented to Chicago Lung Association, May 1980
"Nuclear Uneconomics Revisited"
Great Lakes Conference on Nuclear Fuel Cycle, March 1981
"The Perfect Form of Transportation" [on bicycling]
Illinois Dept. of Transportation Conference, Spring 1981
Taught course: "Toxicology, Pollution and Human Affairs" at
Illinois Institute of Technology, Spring 1981
Instructor at CLE "Basic Criminal Advocacy"
October 9-10, 1987
Speaker on "Psychiatric Defenses"
May 20, 1989 Defenders Conference
Speaker on "Developing In-House Training Program"
April 5, 1991 Management Training CLE
Speaker on "Picking a Winning Jury"
April 27, 1991 Defending DWI's CLE
Speaker on "Recent Issues under the SRA"
December 11, 1992, Criminal Law Year in Review CLE
Chairman: Defending Misdemeanors CLE, October 6, 1995
Speaker: “Costs and Contempt”; also Chairman
October 1996 Defending Misdemeanors CLE
Chairman: Criminal Defense in 1997: Are You Ready? CLE
December 1996
Chairman: Defending Misdemeanors CLE
October 9, 1998
Chairman: Show Me the Evidence CLE
October 22, 1999
Chairman: Bad Facts. . . Good Results CLE
May 5, 2000
Chairman and panelist: The Art of Criminal Defense CLE
April 5, 2002
Speaker: Confession Case law update Criminal CLE
October 25, 2002
Speaker: Motions Practice CLE
March 18, 2005
Speaker & Chair: How to Practice Criminal Law Without Getting Disbarred
May 5, 2006
Chair: Crimes of Violence, Defense with Passion
October 19, 2007
Speaker: High Profile Cases sponsored by WSBA
October 24, 2008
Speaker: Dog Bite Institute sponsored by WSBA
September 23, 2009
Speaker: Energize Your Felony Defense--WACDL
December 3, 2010
Publications:
"The Poorly Financed Causes of Little People: How Can They Survive?"
14 J. Marshall Law Review, No. 3, Spring 1981
"New Cases of Note" col. Washington Criminal Defense, May, Aug., Oct., Dec. 1990
"A Brainstorming CLE," Washington Criminal Defense, May 91
"Handy Dandy Knapstad" Washington Criminal Defense, Nov 91
"Statutory Construction, or How I Learned to Love Latin"
WSTLA Trial News, Vol. 28, No. 3, November 1992
"From Stalking to Slander--Crimes Through History"
Washington Criminal Defense, November 1992
"Conflicts: A True Love/Hate Story" September 1993
Washington State Bar News, Vol. 49, No. 9.
"The Politics of Crime" Washington Criminal Defense, Aug 95
“Counsel, You’re in Contempt!” Washington Criminal Defense, Nov. 1998
“Meet WACDL’s New President.” Washington Criminal Defense, Aug. 1999
“Summer Reading.” Washington Criminal Defense, May 2001
“Tales from the Criminal Courts.” Washington Criminal Defense, Aug. 2003
“A Radical Experiment.” Washington Criminal Defense, November 2008
Pro Bono Publico (for the public good) Legal Work:
Nuclear Protesters (Zion Power Plant—Waukegan, Ill) 1979—full acquittal
Greenpeace trial (Aurora Bridge case) 1998- full acquittal after week trial
Wenatchee sex case (defendant confidential)—vacated 40 year prison term, 1999
1999 WTO protester cases: 4 defendants’ cases dismissed, 2000.
2000 WTO protester case: 1 defendant dismissed, 2001.
Community Activities:
Member of Adams Elementary School Site Council, 1994-1998
Coach in Ballard Little League, 1996- 2004; All Star coach for Seniors (3rd in State)
Coach of “Tsunami’s” girls team in Ballard Soccer Club, 1997- 2008
http://bobgoldsmith.com/index.htm
http://blog.seattlepi.com/defenseattorney/