Jay Causey | Emeritus/Retired Attorney
Jay Causey practiced for nearly 40 years in the field of workers’ compensation and disability law, including Washington State workers’ compensation claims, Social Security disability cases, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Act cases, Defense Base Act claims, and maritime injury cases. In the last several years of his practice, he was invited by a broad array of plaintiff and defense lawyers and insurance carriers to mediate Longshore, Defense Base Act and other complex workers’ compensation cases. He retired from active representation of clients at the end of 2016 and converted his practice to solely mediation work through Causey Mediation until the end of 2021. Causey Mediation enjoyed a high rate of success in bringing cases to resolution in Washington and a number of Western states.
Jay was one of a cadre of claimant lawyers involved in national workers’ compensation issues who founded the Workplace Injury Law & Advisory Group (WILG) in 1995. From its inception with fewer than twenty lawyers, WILG membership has grown to over 1100 attorneys, paralegals and other associates, and for years has been regarded as the principal national watchdog organization monitoring and defending the rights of injured and diseased workers. WILG has played a significant role in helping states resist changes to their workers’ compensation systems that reduce coverage and benefits and the rights of workers to pursue their claims through administrative and legal channels. Jay has served as a member of the WILG Board of Directors since 1995, served as its first vice-president (1995-1999) and its second president from 1999 to 2001, at which point he was the principal creator of WILG’s periodical magazine, Workers’ First Watch. He was an editor of the magazine from its inception, stepping down from that duty in 2021.
Jay has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” in workers’ compensation, has been named by Seattle Magazine as one of “Seattle’s Best Lawyers,” and has been recognized annually since 1998 until retirement as one of Washington’s “Super Lawyers.” In 2009 he was elected a fellow of the American Bar Association’s College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. In 2017, commemorating his retirement from practice, the Washington State Association for Justice presented Jay with the President’s Award: “In recognition for forty years of dedication to the cause of injured workers at the state and national levels.” In 2018, when he retired from official duties with WILG, the organization presented him with the Esther Weissman Eternal Optimism Award for his past service. He had previously been awarded WILG’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2026 WILG will honor him at its national convention for his role in creating and acting as a principal editor of Workers’ First Watch for over 20 years.
Jay received his JD from the University Washington School of Law. He graduated from Yale University with a BA in history. He also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Postscript
Brian Wright assumed ownership and management of the firm in 2017 after years of working with Jay. As part of this transition, the firm name was updated to Causey Wright. Two long-time Causey Wright employees, Kit Case and Monica Bell, worked under Jay’s tutelage for three decades. Kit Case retired after 36 years with the firm in 2025. Monica Bell continues to support Causey Wright as the Firm Administrator. Jay Causey mentored many employees over the years, always looking for their potential for excellence in our profession. Four past employees completed law school and have gone on to successful careers in law, while some others have capitalized their experience in the firm to create other business opportunities. The history and reputation of the firm are founded on the work of Jay Causey as a lawyer, a mediator, and decades-long involved advocate for the rights of injured and disabled workers across the country.
