Robert N. Gellatly | Luvera Law Firm Skip to content

Robert N. Gellatly

Robert Gellatly joined Luvera Law Firm in 2000 to devote his practice entirely to injured people. He has been a trial lawyer for more than 30 years, handling a wide variety of personal injury, product defect, and medical malpractice cases. He was previously a partner at Helsell Fetterman LLP, where he defended lawsuits against hospitals, doctors, and product manufacturers.

Recently, Gellatly’s expertise won a $20 million settlement for a man who was paralyzed due to medical negligence while having his spine examined at Overlake Hospital Medical Center. He also served as trial counsel with Paul Luvera and Joel Cunningham in a product liability case that resulted in a $40 million-dollar verdict including punitive damages against a medical device company.

Gellatly was named the Best Lawyers®  2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation in Seattle, and received the same honor in 2017 and 2015. He also received the 2009 “Trial Lawyer of the Year” award by the Washington State Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a select group of plaintiff and defense lawyers.

Consistently awarded an “AV Preeminent” rating by his peers, he holds the highest possible rating for ethical standards and legal ability in the Martindale-Hubbell Directory of Attorneys ©.

Routinely included in top attorney guides, Gellatly is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”© and “The Best Lawyers in Washington State” directories. He has also been selected as a “Super Lawyer”© for many years by fellow lawyers through annual statewide surveys conducted by Washington Law and Politics. In 2015, he was included in the “Nation’s Top One Percent” of attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He has also been chosen by judges and physicians to represent them in their own personal injury and medical malpractice claims.

Gellatly has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He is also a member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, American Board of Trial Advocates, American Association for Justice, American Bar Association, Washington State Association for Justice, Washington State Bar Association, and the King County Bar Association.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Puget Sound in 1982, Gellatly earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 1985.

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, University of Puget Sound
  • Juris Doctor, University of Washington School of Law

Professional Involvement

  • American College of Trial Lawyers
  • International Academy of Trial Lawyers
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Attorneys Information Exchange Group
  • National Association of Distinguished Counsel
  • American Association for Justice
  • American Bar Association
  • Washington State Association for Justice
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • King County Bar Association

Featured cases

Corporate negligence

Veterans deserve better

The U.S. government and Cerner’s negligence delayed Charlie Bourg’s cancer diagnosis – essentially costing him his life. Now he’s fighting to keep it from happening to other veterans.  U.S. Army...
Charlie Bourg standing in front of the engraved wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC

Insurance misconduct

Holding Nationwide accountable for egregious bad faith

In a win for insurance consumers, a Spokane County judge and jury leveled more than $103 million in judgments against Nationwide Insurance, holding the insurance company accountable for egregious misconduct...
Nationwide headquarters: a gray concrete building against blue sky, with the blue N and white bird Nationwide logo.

Construction injuries

Crane collapse: Standing up for safety and accountability

In the wake of tragedy, standing up for accountability and safety In March 2022, a King County jury returned a $150 million verdict that included two families who lost loved...
A large yellow rooftop crane over a city skyline

Railroad injuries

Pursuing justice for victims of the 2017 Amtrak derailment

In December 2017, an Amtrak train plunged off a railroad overpass onto Interstate 5, killing three people and injuring dozens more. The train was on its first paid passenger run...
An Amtrak train in the station.