FOOD FIGHTER

BY GEORGE SOLTES

PHOTOS BY DINAH SATTERWHITE

As a young attorney, Bill Marler took on fast-food giant Jack in the Box after tainted burgers sickened scores of diners and resulted in the deaths of four children. After winning compensation for numerous victims, Marler joined forces with former rivals to form Marler Clark, touted as America’s only law firm dedicated solely to foodborne illness.

As I walked into the Bainbridge outpost of Marler Clark, a squat gray building adjacent to the ferry terminal dominated by a large sculpture of a kraken tentacle and a sign declaring it “The Food Safety Law Firm,” Marler was wrapping up a phone call. “Call me if you need anything,” he said in closing. “Don’t be a dumbass.”

What was that about?

A group of Marines got exposed to E. coli while they were undergoing basic training. This kid I was talking to had a really rare reaction and had to have a hip replacement at age 20. These kids are like 25 years old now and they’re all going to get a bunch of money. The kind of stuff that I do, not only do you have to get the money, you sort of feel obligated to make sure that these kids don’t do something stupid.

What made you decide to start your own firm?

My background is different from most lawyers. I grew up on a small farm. My parents were teachers. Between my junior and senior years at Central Kitsap High School, I worked as a migrant farm worker. In college, I became the youngest person ever elected to the Pullman City Council and spent four years doing that. I had a different perspective. I never really felt like I fit in at the law firms where I was working, primarily because I had aspirations to do big things and good things. I always sort of knew that I needed to be my own boss.

Why did you open this space separate from your main office in Seattle?

Basically, to get out of the house. During COVID, my kids came home to Bainbridge and my wife was home. I’d be downstairs yakking on Zoom while my kids were working or in school. I was out walking one day and somebody was out here pounding in a “For Lease” sign. I said, “I’ll lease this,” so they took the sign down.

What makes Marler Clark different?

We run ourselves kind of like a public health agency. Not only are we investigating outbreaks and figuring things out, sometimes before the government does, but we’re also doing things to prevent outbreaks from happening in the future. There’s no other law firm that has invested so much in legislation, and I travel around the world giving lectures on why it’s a bad idea to poison people. For me and the people in my firm, I think it’s more fulfilling than just making money.

Do you have any food advice to help people stay safe? Here are the six things I don’t eat:

1. Sprouts, like alfalfa sprouts. Just stay away from them because they’ve caused the largest foodborne illness outbreaks around the world.

2. Unpasteurized milk and juice.

3. Bagged salads. All the outbreaks I’ve been involved with regarding salads have been from triple-washed bagged salads.

4. Raw oysters. It’s not worth it anymore with global warming.

5. Raw or undercooked fish, like sushi.

6. Undercooked beef or chicken.

You were instrumental in spurring passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the most sweeping food safety reform in a generation, and there is a new Netflix documentary based largely on your work. Are your kids impressed? My kids aren’t impressed by much of anything.

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