OLYMPIA— Theodore “Theo” Angelis was sworn in Monday, May 18, at the Temple of Justice on the Capitol Campus, as the newest justice on the Washington Supreme Court, becoming the second justice appointed by Governor Bob Ferguson to serve on the state’s highest court. Governor Ferguson appointed Angelis in April to complete the term of Justice Barbara Madsen, who retired that month.
“When I had the chance to work with Theo as a young lawyer, I sought his advice many times,” Ferguson said in a statement on X on Monday’s swearing in. “He was always ready to help a colleague. He listened very carefully. He asked excellent questions. And he provided valuable insights that I had not seen despite the hours I had worked on a case. Those are precisely the qualities that led me to appoint him, and those qualities will make him a truly excellent Supreme Court Justice.”
Angelis, who began serving April 4, spent 26 years in private practice at K&L Gates LLP in Seattle. He led the firm’s appellate practice and later served as global leader of its intellectual property practice. He represented major Washington companies but devoted thousands of hours to pro bono work, representing children denied counsel, veterans wrongfully detained, refugees, small businesses and people experiencing homelessness.
He co-authored the white paper that became a founding document for the World Justice Project and edited the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual for more than a decade. Proceeds from the manual support neighborhood legal clinics that serve more than 8,000 low-income clients annually.
A Yale Law School graduate, Angelis clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He holds a summa cum laude degree from Claremont McKenna College, where he was student body president, and master’s degrees from Oxford University and the London School of Economics.
Angelis has been active in the legal community and civic life. He is past president of the Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington and the M. Margaret McKeown Bar Association. He served as a trustee of the King County Bar Association and chaired its Fair Campaign Practices Committee for nearly a decade. He also sits on the Foundation for Washington State Courts.
His awards include the Founders Award from Kids in Need of Defense, the ACLU Humanitarian Award and recognition as Mentor of the Year by the King County Bar Association. He has been listed among the nation’s leading lawyers by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and Washington Super Lawyers.
Angelis has advocated for expanded access to justice, changes to Washington law on online crimes against children and inclusion of Indian law on the state bar exam. He is active in the Greek Orthodox Church and has worked on religious freedom issues in Turkey, his mother’s homeland.
Justice Angelis and his wife have two children and split their time between Olympia and Seattle.
Author: Mario Lotmore
