The Firehouse Lawyer

(The Firehouse Lawyer was previously published in 1997-2000 and was posted on the Inferno Fire Services web site. Back issues or archives are available by accessing the link on this page.)

Joseph F. Quinn, the Firehouse Lawyer, may be the only lawyer in the United States whose actual law office is located in the firehouse. (Yes, he pays rent.) This makes a lot of sense, since the main focus of his practice for at least 20 years has been serving the fire service industry, through his 30 or more fire district clients.

Mr. Quinn has been housed in fire department client facilities since January 1, 1997, and is currently maintaining an office at the headquarters of Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One in historic Gig Harbor.

Biographical Summary

Joseph F. Quinn, Attorney

Personal Background

Joseph F. Quinn was born in Albany, NY in 1946. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, NY in 1967. After marrying in 1968, Mr. Quinn served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1972, assigned to the European Stars and Stripes newspaper. Along with journalistic experience earned during those four years, Mr. Quinn also operated the Officers’ Club and thereby gained hotel/restaurant experience. Mr. Quinn worked for Hyatt Hotels as a purchasing director for one year, while awaiting acceptance to law school.

Legal Education

Joseph F. Quinn then traveled to the Pacific Northwest in 1973, as he was accepted in the second class of the new University of Puget Sound Law School. He graduated with distinction from UPS Law School in May 1976, having also served as Managing Editor of the Law Review.

Legal Experience

Mr. Quinn spent three years with the largest firm in Tacoma, where he was introduced to the land use practice, personal injury cases and general practice of law.

Next, between 1979 and 1983, Mr. Quinn served as a Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor. He advised various Pierce County departments on personnel and labor matters, civil service, and the Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Disability Board (LEOFF). His primary client during those four years was the Pierce County Sanitary Sewer Utility. During those years, Mr. Quinn was involved in extensive litigation challenging the Lakewood-Parkland sewer project, a 190 million dollar public works project.

In 1983, Mr. Quinn reentered private practice, limited to land use and municipal law. Between 1984 and 1996, Mr. Quinn was a partner/shareholder first at McCormick, Hoffman in Lakewood and then at Vandeberg, Johnson & Gandara in Tacoma.

Commencing in January, 1997, Mr. Quinn opened his own law practice, but has primarily advised fire protection districts. Mr. Quinn continues to represent the Lakewood Water District and a few private clients.

Bar Admissions

State of Washington since 1976
Federal District Court since 1976
9th Circuit Court of Appeals since 1979
U.S. Supreme Court since 1985

Land Use Practice

Mr. Quinn has been involved in many Superior Court reviews of land use decisions by officials of Tacoma, Pierce County and other local governments. He has appeared extensively before the Pierce County Boundary Review Board, and has been involved in the incorporation issues for the new cities of Lakewood, Edgewood, and University Place. Mr. Quinn has frequently appeared before Hearing Examiners on all sorts of land use and environmental appeals.

Labor/Personnel

Between 1980 and 1983, Mr. Quinn was heavily involved in labor and personnel litigation as the primary labor attorney in Pierce County government. During those three years he litigated numerous unfair labor practice cases, grievance arbitrations and court appeals. In 1986, Governor Booth Gardner appointed Mr. Quinn as a Commissioner of the Public Employment Relations Commission, where he served as a Commissioner from 1986 to 1990. In recent years, Mr. Quinn’s labor and personnel work has primarily been advising fire districts with respect to employment issues, litigating unfair labor practice matters, grievance arbitrations, discrimination issues (including sexual harassment), Fair Labor Standards Act questions, and discharge and discipline matters.

Municipal Law

In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Quinn’s municipal practice has expanded since 1983 to include the full range of services necessary and expected by any municipal corporation. In addition to personnel issues, this includes contract review, public bidding laws, open meetings and records, annexations, merger and consolidation of districts, real property issues, election matters, recall of elected officials, property tax and related financial issues, and even antitrust law. A municipal lawyer is really a general practitioner who happens to represent a municipal corporation.

Professional and Civic Activities

Mr. Quinn served as President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association during 1995-96. Locally, Mr. Quinn is active in Lakewood Rotary and served as its President in 1997-98.

Representative Clients

Mr. Quinn’s clients now include virtually all of the Pierce County fire districts as well as South King Fire and Rescue, Burien Fire, Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, King 28, Woodinville Fire and Life Safety District, Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety, King 10 (a partner in Eastside Fire & Rescue) and fire districts in Clallam, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Thurston and Whatcom counties. Mr. Quinn now also represents the Valley Regional Fire Authority in Auburn and the Riverside Fire Authority in Centralia, the first two regional fire authorities in the State of Washington. He has represented the Lakewood Water District for over 22 years.

Cases of Note

In 1986, Mr. Quinn argued Brock v. Pierce County before the Supreme Court of the United States. The matter involved a federal grant dispute arising under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.

Mr. Quinn has appeared before the State Supreme Court several times, usually representing local government agencies or elected officials in recall matters.

Mr. Quinn has represented clients in a total of 16 reported cases in the appellate courts of the State of Washington. The following is a list of the most significant ones:

• In re Recall of Pearsall-Stipek (three different cases); 141 Wn. 2d 756 (2000); 136 Wn. 2d 255 (1998) and 129 Wn. 2d 399 ( ). All three cases involved attempts to recall from office the Pierce County Auditor. She was never recalled from office.



• In re Recall of Sandhaus, 134 Wn. 2d 662 (1998). Mr. Quinn successfully defended the Adams County Prosecutor from recall, when the Supreme Court reversed a Superior Court order ruling the recall sufficient.



• In re Recall of Lakewood City Council, 144 Wn. 2d 583 ( ). A dissident group of citizens tried to recall the Mayor and full city council, for allegedly violating the Open Public Meetings Act, but were unsuccessful. Mr. Quinn represented the elected officials.



• Estate of Friedman v. Pierce County, 112 Wn. 2d 68 (1989), 51 Wn. App. 176 (1988). Mr. Quinn successfully defended Pierce County in this taking case, when the courts held that the plaintiff had not exhausted its remedies or the case was not ripe for decision. Therefore the Court did not have to decide the constitutional questions.



• Pierce County Sheriff v. Civil Service Commission, 98 Wn. 2d 690 (1983). In this case, the court added to the body of law on the inherent power of the courts to hear and decide cases coming before the court when there is no right of appeal of administrative agency action. Mr. Quinn represented the Sheriff in this case, that arose indirectly out of Pierce County’s racketeering scandal that came to light in the early 1980’s, revealing some corruption in that county department.