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John T. Bender

John Bender is a partner in the firm’s Commercial Disputes practice. John focuses his practice on high-stakes commercial and complex litigation and investigations. John has represented public and private companies in cases involving exposure in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars and is a go-to lawyer for both clients and colleagues. John frequently handles matters involving securities, breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, corporate governance, claims of fraud and embezzlement, trade secrets, franchising, intellectual property, FinTech, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and other digital assets. He handles matters involving regulatory agencies including DFI, SEC, and state attorneys general. He also has handled matters involving a variety of complex torts and reputational harm.

In 2024, Benchmark Litigation named John to its 40 & Under list, the guide to the best and brightest litigators under 40 in the U.S. He has been selected to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America every year since 2021. John has also been named to the Washington Rising Stars list since 2017 with his primary focus being in business litigation.

John has extensive experience in complex securities fraud and Ponzi scheme litigation in state, federal, and bankruptcy courts, including representing official and ad hoc creditors’ committees in bankruptcy.

As a lawyer with experience at the intersection of cryptocurrencies, DeFi, and US law, John frequently provides legal commentary and analysis in this emerging area; his analysis has been featured in major publications, including TIME Magazine.

John has a substantial record of leadership and pro bono service. He is a member of the Steering Committee for the Washington Technology Industry Association’s Cascadia Blockchain Council. He served as a volunteer and speaker for the City of Seattle’s New Citizen Campaign in 2016 and 2017. He also served as chair of the Washington State Bar Association’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, and supported the Board’s first mandatory antibias, antidiscrimination, and technology legal education proposal to the state’s supreme court.

  • Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Securities, 2021-2025
  • Named to Washington’s Rising Stars list for Business Litigation since 2017
  • Named to Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under List” in West Washington, 2024
  • Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington
  • Washington State Bar Association
    • Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, 2017-2019
    • Chair, 2018-2019
  • King County Bar Association, Judiciary and Litigation Committee, 2018-2020
  • WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council, Steering Committee, 2023-present
  • State Crypto Regulation: Competing Priorities Shaping Different Outcomes, 12 Seattle J. of Tech. Envtl. & Innov. L. 165 (2022)
  • Faculty, Likely to go viral: How COVID-19 will encourage Securities Act claims, CLE Presentation, King County Bar Association (2020)
  • Contributing Author, American Bar Association’s Franchise Deskbook: Selected State Laws, Commentary, and Annotations, Third Edition (2019)
  • Washington Supreme Court Review: The Securities Act of Washington Protects the Public, Rely On It, King County Bar Bulletin (December 2019)
  • Delaware Court Makes it Easier for Duped Shareholders to Sue, Today’s General Counsel Magazine (2016)
  • Reexamination of Direct-Derivative Distinction Under Tooley for Common Law ‘Holder Claims,’ American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Commercial and Business Litigation Committee Newsletter (2016)
  • The NLRB’s Joint Employer Standard and the Case for Preserving the Formalities of Business Format Franchising, 35 Franchise L.J. 209 (2015)
  • Blurred Lines in Small Business; Disagreements to Legal Disputes, Partnership and Shareholder Disputes from Start to Finish, National Business Institute (2014)
Additional News & Event Pages
  • Quoted, "WA bank sued over loans to investors in alleged Ponzi scheme," The Seattle Times, 11 September 2024
  • Quoted, "Water Vending Machine Maker's Creditors Seek to Force Business Into Bankruptcy," WSJ, 29 August 2024
  • Quoted, "Investors in Everett firm claim it was a Ponzi scheme," The Seattle Times, 26 July 2024
  • Quoted, "FBI is investigating Eastside real estate firm iCap, lawyers say," The Seattle Times, 26 March 2024
  • Quoted, "Bellevue real estate investment firm faces bankruptcy, fraud allegations," The Seattle Times, 25 October 2023
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