About Mel Crawford
I grew up in Eastern Washington, and worked for many years on a wheat and cattle ranch located in the remote Horse Heaven Hills. Before attending law school, I spent eight years providing direct care to people with mental illness and developmental disabilities.
I graduated from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, in 1993. I returned to Seattle, where I have practiced law ever since.
My first trial, in 1994, was an ERISA long-term disability benefits case in King County Superior Court, in Seattle. The trial was a success, and our client was awarded all of the disability benefits owed to her.
Over the next many years, I handled a wide variety of cases, many involving medical issues, which interest me a great deal. My practice is now devoted to representing people who have been denied short-term disability or long-term disability benefits under insurance policies subject to ERISA. I enjoy this work very much. It is very fulfilling to help people who are at a difficult point in their lives, and whose circumstances are being made worse by an insurance company’s callous and illogical claim denial.
I am “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell“, the highest rating obtainable by members of the legal community. I am rated “Superb 10.0” by the AVVO Lawyer Ranking System. AVVO reserves this rating for a select group of attorneys it rates as “5%,” which corresponds to “one of the highest scores in the country.”
The most important “rating” is what my clients say. Here are reviews my clients have posted on AVVO.