Phil Talmadge is a graduate of West Seattle High School, as a National Merit scholar. He has a B.A. (magna cum laude) from Yale and a J.D. from the University of Washington, where he was on the Law Review.

Phil served in the Washington State Senate from 1979 to 1995. He chaired the Judiciary and Health Care Committees in the Senate, where he was a leader in court reform, alternate dispute resolution, crime victims’ rights, domestic violence prevention, public health, mental health, and health care reform. He served on the Washington Supreme Court from 1995 to 2001. He promoted the judicial information system, privacy of court records, and court reform.

Phil has taught appellate advocacy at the Seattle University and University of Washington Law Schools. He is the author of a number of articles on legal issues, including a treatise on attorney fees. Phil has built and operated a small business, Talmadge/Fitzpatrick/Tribe and has been a Superlawyer since 2001. He is a fellow of the national American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the Washington Appellate Lawyers Association.