Michael T. Pfau

Michael Pfau, a Seattle-based lawyer with a national practice, has devoted a significant amount of his 30-plus year career to helping childhood sex abuse victims find justice, compensation, and closure through the legal system. He has brought hundreds of successful lawsuits on behalf of children—and adults who were sexually abused as children—against the predators and perpetrators that have hurt them, including the powerful institutions that ignored, covered-up, or acted in secrecy for years, even decades.

With a national reputation for success, Michael and the PCVA legal team are frequently contacted by abuse survivors throughout the United States for help. They also assist, advise, or join with other law firms and lawyers on child sex abuse cases where substantive knowledge and firepower are required to litigate against influential and powerful institutions.

Michael’s approach to his work is not that of an ordinary personal injury lawyer, making him a highly sought-after advocate for child sex abuse victims. The skills and experience needed to handle these complex, layered, and often emotionally charged cases are highly specific. He understands child sex abuse lawsuits from start to finish. He acknowledges that everybody has a unique story, and everybody experiences the trauma differently. Sexual abuse is an individual trauma—not a mass tort. As such, his firm treats each individual with the respect he or she deserves.

Michael has personally tried over 50 cases in front of juries, judges, and arbitration panels and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for survivors through trial verdicts or settlements. He has prevailed against the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, the Boy Scouts of America, and other state and national institutions. He has successfully represented individuals who have endured sexual abuse in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, youth organizations, and daycares, including significant victories against the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services in foster care cases. In claims against human trafficking operations, such as the website backpage.com, Michael and his team were instrumental in shutting down its operation and obtaining compensation and closure for some of the individuals it harmed, with other cases ongoing.

Michael knows that for most abuse survivors, justice is not just about compensation. Many come forward to feel heard and to effect change. Over the years, Michael has played a significant role in amplifying those voices to make a difference. And while he can’t guarantee specific results, most of the people he represents “walk out the door” at the end of the case feeling glad they “walked in the door” at the beginning.

Michael is active in his community, notably with charities that reach out to and assist poor and marginalized people.