Russell M. Aoki
Russell M. Aoki’s practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, business
litigation, and professional malpractice claims. Throughout his 40-year career, he
has served as a judge pro tem, mediator, arbitrator, special master, and special
disciplinary counsel for the Washington State Bar Association. He has been a
Criminal Justice Act Panel attorney for more than 30 years, a former CJA District
Representative, and is currently a member of the Western District of Washington’s
local criminal rules committee.
Mr. Aoki also serves as a Coordinating Discovery Attorney for the Administrative
Office of the U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office, providing litigation support
for complex criminal cases. U.S. District Courts have appointed him over 185
times in 47 jurisdictions. He is a frequent continuing legal education speaker on
technology support for cases with voluminous discovery. He has presented to
federal district court judges, CJA panel lawyers, and private counsel.
From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Aoki served on the Washington State Bar Association’s
Board of Governors, during which he was the Treasurer. Mr. Aoki also served as
the Washington State Supreme Court’s appointee to the Office of Public Defense
Advisory Committee for 12 years. He is the past Board President of the Northwest
Defender Association, past President of the Asian Bar Association of Washington,
past trustee of the King County Bar Association, and a former trustee for the Legal
Foundation of Washington. He is the co-author of the ABA Criminal Justice
Magazine article on the risks of Generative AI discovery review. Sean Broderick
& Russell Aoki, Understanding the Risks of Generative AI Discovery Review
Results, ABA Crim. Just. (April 29, 2026).
Mr. Aoki was acknowledged by the King County Bar Association with its
Outstanding Lawyer Award in 2023. He is the 2016 recipient of the Washington
State Bar Association’s President’s Award for his contribution to the legal
profession. He was featured in the King County Bar Bulletin, Profile: Russ Aoki
Doing the Heavy Lifting, February 2019, and Super Lawyers Magazine, Heavy
Lifting, 2022.
Russell M. Aoki’s practice emphasizes white collar criminal defense, personal injury claims, and business litigation. During his 34-year career, he has served as a judge pro tem, mediator, arbitrator, special master, and special disciplinary counsel for the Washington State Bar Association.
Mr. Aoki has been named one of the top 25 Criminal Defense Attorneys in Washington by Washington Law & Politics from 2006 to 2012 and one of the top Criminal Defense Attorneys in Seattle by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, July 2010 and Seattle Magazine, January 2007. Mr. Aoki is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. He serves as a national Coordinating Discovery Attorney for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Defender Services Office, to provide litigation management and review strategies for complex criminal cases.
Mr. Aoki’s practice has expanded to include personal injury matters, focusing on permanent injury and wrongful death claims. His business litigation practice includes representing a broad range of clients from start-ups to nationally known Seattle based companies, including a major league sports team. He was co-counsel for a class action lawsuit against Expedia that resulted in a $123.4 million settlement for consumers. Mr. Aoki served as Chair of the Washington State Bar Association’s Escalating Cost of Civil Litigation Task Force, which examined cost effective strategies to contain the cost of civil litigation.
From 2006 to 2009 Mr. Aoki served on the Washington State Bar Association’s Board of Governors, during which he was the Treasurer. Mr. Aoki also served as the Washington State Supreme Court’s appointee to the Office of Public Defense Advisory Committee for 12 years. He is the past Board President of Northwest Defender Association, past President of the Asian Bar Association of Washington, and a past Trustee of the King County Bar Association. He served as a trustee for the Legal Foundation of Washington from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Aoki is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and was featured in the King County Bar Bulletin, Profile: Russ Aoki Doing the Heavy Lifting, February 2019.
Professional Associations
- Licensed, Washington State Bar Association 1986.
- Member, King County Bar Association, Asian Bar Association of Washington, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Awards
- Recipient, Washington State Bar Association President's Award, "In recognition for long standing extraordinary service to the Washington State Bar, profession and community."
Publications:
- Russell M. Aoki, Database Defense, Law Technology News, January 2007
- Sean Broderick and Russell M. Aoki, Federal Indigent Defense: How to Stop Worrying and Love the Digital Ag, ABA Criminal Justice, Volume 30, Number 4, Winter 2016.