Athan P. Papailiou

Office: 509-215-4679

Assistant: admin@athan-law.com

E-mail: ap@athan-law.com

Athan Papailiou is a trial and appellate attorney who has successfully represented public and private clients in a wide array of complex disputes in state and federal courts. Raised in Oregon by his Greek family, Athan takes pride in delivering smart and practical advice to clients throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Before founding his own firm, Athan was a litigator at Pacifica Law Group in Seattle, a spin-off of the international firm K&L Gates. While at Pacifica, Athan represented public, private, and non-profit clients in appellate, constitutional, and governmental litigation, including successfully representing clients in a variety of complex issues involving public education, municipal liability, public records, business torts, and First Amendment claims. 

Athan is firmly committed to public service and civic engagement. From 2016 to 2019, Athan served as a member of the Washington State Board of Governors. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest person to ever serve in the position. Athan has also served on a number of other corporate, governmental, and non-profit boards, where he has gained significant experience balancing political, business, and social objectives.

As a first-generation college student, Athan was the student body president of his high school and studied political science and biology at the University of Oregon, where he served as the Student Senate President. He then earned his law degree from the University of Arizona, where he was named a Dan B. Dobbs Scholar for his aptitude in tort law, and he served as a Writing Fellow and member of the Arizona Law Review. 

After law school, Athan served as a law clerk to Justice Stephens at the Washington Supreme Court and Judge Howe at the Arizona Court of Appeals. As an appellate clerk, Athan drafted over seventy memorandum decisions and opinions on a wide array of legal issues, including the scope of the attorney-client privilege, shareholder and contract disputes, and constitutional challenges.

Outside of work, Athan enjoys traveling, Scandinavian design, and spending summers visiting his family in Greece.