Douglas “Doug” Wacker is an attorney at The Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker (TBW Law) who represents people at their most vulnerable moments—after serious injuries, when their rights are violated, or when the system is bearing down on them. His practice focuses on personal injury, criminal defense, and civil rights, and he brings one thing to every case: disciplined preparation paired with courtroom-ready advocacy.

Doug is not a “settle-and-move-on” lawyer. He is a trial attorney who has taken felony and misdemeanor cases to jury verdict, and in 2022 he transitioned into civil litigation to broaden his practice and to fight for people harmed by careless individuals and companies, especially when defendants and insurance carriers refuse to be reasonable before litigation. He takes pride in holding wrongdoers accountable and in pushing relentlessly for recoveries that meet and exceed what clients expect, not a discount an adjuster hopes they’ll accept.

Doug’s trial philosophy is rooted in one essential truth: juries decide cases with both mind and heart. He is a graduate of the Gerry Spence Method at Thunderhead Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming, where he spent three intensive weeks alongside top trial lawyers from across the country sharpening the craft of trial advocacy and storytelling, learning how to deliver a client’s story in a way that allows jurors to feel what happened, connect with the human being behind the case, and render justice based on truth rather than tactics. Opposing counsel should understand this up front: Doug prepares cases to win, and he is fully willing, ready, and able to take the fight to a jury.

His goal is simple and personal, to help clients move forward with peace of mind, knowing that even if they face permanent limitations or lasting harm, they will have the resources and security to build the second-best life for themselves and their families.

Doug brings over a decade of criminal litigation and trial experience as a public defender in King County, Washington, serving communities including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, Sammamish, Issaquah, Renton, and Federal Way, and representing more than 3,000 individuals. That work shaped his approach to advocacy: treat every person with dignity, fight with urgency, and never assume the system will “do the right thing” unless someone forces it to.

Clients consistently recognized Doug’s energy and commitment—his refusal to let people be reduced to a file number or a stereotype. He went beyond the four corners of the courtroom to help clients access stabilizing resources and break cycles that kept them trapped in the criminal legal system. He also took special care in cases involving severe mental illness, fighting relentlessly to protect the civil and constitutional rights of individuals found incompetent to stand trial. His tenaciousness pushed both opposing counsel and the courts to ensure his clients received legally required treatment and were not lost to neglect.

Doug served 12 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, first enlisting and later commissioning as an officer, and he was honorably discharged. His service included global assignments and deployments supporting OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (Afghanistan). In 2006, between deployments, he was one of only 10 officers selected for the Marine Corps Legal Education Program.

Doug earned his B.A. from UCLA and his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, graduating in the top third of his class. During law school, he gained rare perspective on how courts actually work through internships and externships with the California Superior Court (Orange County Civil Complex Center), the California Court of Appeal (Justice Richard Aronson, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three), the Washington Supreme Court (Justice Susan Owens), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California (Criminal Division).

While serving in the Marine Corps, Doug volunteered for two years as a Mentor to the Veterans Court in San Diego, helping veterans navigate the criminal justice system and the VA medical network. Through that work, he developed deep familiarity with the realities of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and how those conditions can affect every part of a person’s life. That experience reinforces how he practices today: build trust, investigate thoroughly, and fight for the best achievable outcome, because nothing less is acceptable. For his service and commitment, Doug was awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

Doug understands that hiring a lawyer often happens during one of the most stressful periods of someone’s life. He takes that responsibility seriously as a compassionate counselor, clear-eyed advisor, skilled negotiator, and, when necessary, a tenacious courtroom advocate. He applies Marine Corps leadership principles to every case: plan, prepare, anticipate, act decisively with sound judgment, and adapt, innovate, and overcome to accomplish the mission.

Doug and his wife chose to make their home in the Seattle area with their two sons and daughter. Outside the office, he’s a dedicated Pacific Northwest sports fan—Sounders FC, Seahawks, Mariners, Kraken, Reign, Storm, and UCLA Bruins—and he enjoys traveling with his family and participating in soccer, rugby, skiing, swimming, and running.

‍

‍