Paul L. Stritmatter, a Hoquiam, Wash., attorney known for taking on complex consumer cases, has received the Public Justice Foundation’s “Champion of Justice Award” for his leadership and record of accomplishments in public interest law.
 
The Foundation honored Stritmatter July 13 in Vancouver, B.C., at its annual Gala and Awards Dinner, citing him for “his commitment to justice for all.”
 
A founding partner of Stritmatter, Kessler, Whelan and Coluccio law firm in Seattle and Hoquiam, Stritmatter is a former president of the Washington State Bar Association and was the first chairman of the Northwest Justice Project, dedicated to serving low-income residents in the state.  He was also the first chairman of the Access to Justice Board, established by the Washington Supreme Court in 1994.
 
Last year, Stritmatter won the Washington State Association for Justice’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and impressive record of legal accomplishments. In 2003, the Hoquiam native received the American Bar Association’s prestigious Pursuit of Justice Award in 2003.  He has been repeatedly recognized by the legal community as a “Super Lawyer” and one of the “Best Lawyers in America.”
 
Stritmatter currently represents plaintiffs in a major class action against AT&T/Cingular for misleading and overcharging millions of customers. In November, the Washington Supreme Court reinstated an $8 million default judgment against Hyundai Motor Company for a paralyzed man represented by Stritmatter’s firm.
 
At the Tuesday evening event, Public Justice Foundation President Mona Lisa Wallace lauded Stritmatter as “friend and defender of the common good and the ideals of justice…. and such a good-hearted man.”