Seattle & Minneapolis Civil Rights Lawyer

For more than 70 years, MacDonald Hoague & Bayless has been a national leader in civil rights litigation. Since our founding in 1952, we've fought to protect the constitutional rights of individuals facing discrimination, government overreach, and abuse of power.

Our civil rights practice has evolved alongside America's ongoing struggle for justice and equality. We represented college professors challenging loyalty oaths in the 1950s, stood with civil rights workers and conscientious objectors in the 1960s, and fought for equal representation in presidential nominating conventions during the 1970s. In the decades since, we've achieved justice for victims of police misconduct and excessive force, challenged unconstitutional prison conditions, and confronted racial profiling.

Our civil rights law firm in Seattle and Minneapolis represents clients throughout Washington and Minnesota, taking on corporate and governmental misconduct wherever we find it. We provide exceptional legal representation to underserved populations, including refugees, victims of police misconduct, and incarcerated individuals enduring unconstitutional conditions.

Our attorneys don't just practice civil rights law—we live it. Our team includes past Presidents of the ACLU of Washington and current board members of the national ACLU. We have worked with civil rights organizations like Human Rights Defense Center, Disability Rights Washington, and the Fair Housing Center of Washington.

Whether you have faced police misconduct, unconstitutional prison conditions, violations of your First Amendment rights, discrimination in housing or public accommodations, violations of your disability rights, or other civil rights abuses, our civil rights attorney team stands ready to fight for you.

How Civil Rights Laws Protect You

Civil rights laws exist for one essential purpose: to protect you from abuse, discrimination, and the misuse of power. These laws create a legal framework that guarantees every person certain fundamental freedoms and protections, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

When government officials, corporations, or institutions violate these protections, civil rights laws provide a way to achieve justice. They allow victims to hold wrongdoers accountable and seek compensation for the harm they've suffered.

Common Civil Rights Violations in Washington

Civil rights violations happen when individuals, organizations, or government entities fail to uphold the protections guaranteed by law. A civil rights attorney in Seattle, WA, can help you identify whether your rights have been violated and what legal options you have.

Discrimination Based on Protected Characteristics

Discrimination remains one of the most common WA civil rights violations. This can take many forms:

Race discrimination
Gender discrimination
Disability discrimination
Religious discrimination
Sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination

Violations of Rights In the Criminal Justice System

Police misconduct and violations of constitutional rights in the criminal justice system represent serious WA civil rights abuses. These violations can include:

Excessive force or police brutality: when law enforcement uses more force than necessary
Unlawful searches and seizures: searching your home, car, or person without proper legal authority
False arrest or wrongful imprisonment: detaining you without probable cause
Unconstitutional conditions in jails and prisons: subjecting you to excessive force, failing to provide adequate medical treatment, or denying other rights.

Our firm has secured millions of dollars in compensation for victims of police misconduct, including a $15 million jury verdict for the family of an unarmed man killed by police while holding his young son.

A Seattle civil rights attorney can evaluate your civil rights situation and determine whether your rights under Washington law or federal law have been violated.

Minneapolis and Minnesota Civil Rights Violations

In Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota, civil rights violations mirror many of the same patterns seen in Washington, with discrimination prohibited based on age, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. Discrimination in housing, education, or public accommodations is a violation of your civil rights under Minnesota and federal law.

The constitution protects Minnesotans against violations of their rights when interacting with the criminal justice system, too. Whether you have experienced wrongful arrest, excessive force, or violations of your constitutional rights in jail or prison, the law can provide remedies or compensation for the harm you experienced.

A Minneapolis civil rights attorney can evaluate your civil rights situation and determine whether your employer has violated Washington law or federal law.

Why Work With a Civil Rights Lawyer

When your fundamental rights are violated, you need someone on your side who understands what's at stake and has the experience to win. Here's why working with the best civil rights lawyer matters:

Challenging Discrimination

Discrimination cases are complex and require a detailed understanding of federal, state, and local civil rights laws. Corporations, government agencies, and institutions have teams of lawyers defending their actions. You need someone equally skilled on your side.

A Seattle or Minneapolis civil rights lawyer from MacDonald Hoague & Bayless knows how to:

Gather and preserve crucial evidence before it disappears
Navigate complex procedural requirements and tight filing deadlines
Build compelling cases that demonstrate the full extent of discrimination you've faced
Counter common defense tactics used to minimize or dismiss civil rights claims

Our decades of experience mean we've seen every argument, every excuse, and every attempt to avoid accountability, and we know how to overcome them.

Upholding Justice

Civil rights cases hold powerful institutions accountable and create change that prevents future violations.

When we obtained a $13 million settlement for a man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 17 years, we exposed systemic failures in the criminal justice system and brought attention to the need for reform.

When we obtained a $15 million verdict for a man shot by the police outside his home, we held the officers and their commanders accountable.

A civil rights attorney at MacDonald Hoague & Bayless will fight for your case, and for the principle that everyone deserves equal treatment under the law.

Protecting Freedoms

Your constitutional rights and civil liberties are only as strong as your willingness to defend them. Every time a civil rights violation goes unchallenged, it becomes easier for the next violation to occur.

Our firm has a proud history of protecting fundamental freedoms. In recent years:

We secured a $680,000 jury verdict for activists jailed for writing protest messages in chalk on Seattle sidewalks. This verdict affirmed First Amendment rights.
We won a $250,000 verdict for a transgender prisoner subjected to invasive searches, protecting dignity and privacy rights.
We obtained $500,000 for a Minnesota man whose leg was broken by jail guards and held law enforcement accountable for excessive force.

When you work with MacDonald Hoague & Bayless, you're hiring a firm that has spent seven decades on the front lines of civil rights battles.

Some of Our Recent Civil Rights Case Victories Include

Our track record speaks for itself. We've secured millions of dollars in compensation for our clients and established legal precedents that protect civil rights for everyone:

$15 million jury verdict for the surviving family members of an unarmed man killed by police while he held his young son in his arms
$13 million settlement for two men wrongfully convicted of rape and imprisoned for 17 years before their exoneration through DNA evidence
$680,000 jury verdict for activists jailed in Seattle for writing messages of protest in chalk on city sidewalks
$500,000 settlement for a Minnesota man who had his leg broken by guards in a county jail
$250,000 jury verdict for a transgender prisoner subjected to an invasive pat search by a Washington prison guard
$3 million settlement for the family who died by suicide in a Washington jail after guards ignored his obvious mental health crisis.

Contact Our Law Office in Seattle & Minneapolis Today With Your Case

If your civil rights have been violated, time is critical. Many civil rights claims have strict filing deadlines, and evidence can disappear quickly. The sooner you contact an experienced civil rights attorney, the better your chances of achieving justice.

MacDonald Hoague & Bayless has offices in both Seattle and Minneapolis, allowing us to serve clients throughout Washington and Minnesota. Our law firm has the knowledge, resources, and commitment to take on even the most powerful opponents.

Don't face this fight alone. Whether you're dealing with employment discrimination, police misconduct, housing discrimination, or any other civil rights violation, we're here to help.

Fill out our online form today. We'll listen to your story, explain your legal options, and help you understand the best path forward. We believe that everyone deserves affordable legal advice when they’re up against discrimination or abuse of power.

Your rights matter. Let us fight for them.

Our civil rights lawyers represent individuals in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, King County, and throughout the state of Washington. In Minnesota, we’re proud to represent individuals in the Twin Cities and across the state.

Our law offices are located at 705 2nd Ave, Unit 1500, Seattle, WA 98104, and 801 S Marquette Ave #200, Minneapolis, MN 55402.