Foodborne Illnesses: Risky Foods You Should Never Eat

Guest Bio: Bill Marler, JD

Bill Marler, Managing Partner, Marter Clark, Seattle, Washington,  is the most prominent food-safety lawyer in the U.S. and a major force in food policy in the country. He has represented victims in nearly every food-borne illness outbreak in the U.S. in the last 20 years, including the recent ones at Costco and Chipotle. He knows just how scary these illnesses are. Shockingly, every year, foodborne bugs sicken 48 million Americans, sending 128,000 to the hospital and 3,000 to an early grave. Marler is the Publisher of Food Safety News.

Marler is a graduate of the Seattle University School of Law class of 1987. In 1998, he became the Law School’s “Lawyer in Residence.” He received undergraduate degrees in Political Science, English, and Economics from Washington State University in 1982. While attending WSU, he was elected to the Pullman City Council. At 19, he was the youngest person, and first student, ever elected. In 1997, Marler received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the WSU College of Liberal Arts. 

In 1998, Governor Gary Locke appointed Marler to the University Board of Regents. He recently served as President of the Board. He also served on the State Higher Education Coordinating Board. In April, 2010 Marler was awarded the prestigious NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Innovation in Education. In 2008, he was awarded both the Seattle/King County Bar Association 2008 Outstanding Lawyer Award and the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association’s “Public Justice Award,” and in 2013 he was honored with the Seattle University Distinguished Law Graduate Award.  

Marler has been chosen by the attorneys of the State of Washington as a “Super Lawyer” every year since 1998. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys.  He has been chosen as one of “America’s Best Lawyers” in every year since 2009.