Svetlana Spivak

Ms. Svetlana Spivak immigrated to Seattle from Soviet Union (now Ukraine) in 1993, before completing her mechanical engineering studies at the local university.  After graduating magna cum laude from University of Washington Business School in 1997, she attended University of Washington School of Law.  While in school and trying to decide which path of law to pursue, Ms. Spivak worked part time in the criminal defense law firm, real estate law firm, commercial litigation law firm, for the Seattle School District as a hearing officer, and clerked for the Honorable Suzanne Barnett at King County Superior Court in Seattle and for the Honorable Kenneth Cowsert at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett.  In the true Seattle spirit, she also spent weekends working as a barista at a local coffee shop. After graduating law school in 2000, Ms. Spivak joined a local Seattle maritime law firm.  She fell in love with maritime law, its uniqueness, its long-standing history and tradition, and the hard-working people of marine industry.  She joined Holmes Weddle & Barcott in 2010.  Her primary focus remains maritime litigation, along with employment law, commercial litigation, insurance defense, and general civil litigation. Ms. Spivak is a member of Alaska, Washington and Oregon Bar Associations, and is admitted to practice law in state and federal courts in those jurisdictions, as well as in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.  In the past, Ms. Spivak worked as a Court Certified Interpreter in Russian language, and her knowledge of the Russian language remains a valuable asset.