Jonathan Yousling

Jonathan received his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2011 and graduated Magna Cum Laude.  Since graduating, Jonathan has been an active member of the Washington State Bar Association since 2012.  Jonathan worked for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Washington in Spokane during his Judicial Externship.  He conducted research and analysis on various criminal and civil issues, including Habeas Corpus claims, controlled substance crimes and criminal conspiracy.

Jonathan’s Story: The bright light of a streetlamp beamed down onto the dirt of a neighborhood park. It was midnight. In the light there was a kid barely 15-years-old. We will call him Eddie.  

Eddie made some poor decisions the week before and found himself in this place. He had crossed people you don’t want to cross. Eddie was surrounded by a crowd. Spectators were shadowed in the dark around the circle. Among the crowd were a few of Eddie’s friends. I was among them. 

The kid across from Eddie knew a harsher world and was molded by it. He was by all accounts feared. He had a reputation for brutality, and he was a bully.

The bully charged and knocked my friend to the ground. Then he began to lay into Eddie. The crowd watched, mesmerized by the show. Eddie’s friends were paralyzed by violence they were not ready for. I was afraid, too. 

But I realized Eddie needed me. I charged at the bully. I gave no thought to the stories of his brutality, his jail time, or his older brothers. I bear hugged him and drove him to the ground. I weighed less than a hundred pounds at the time and was by no means an imposing figure. 

By luck, the sounds of distant sirens came to my aid as I was wrestling with the bully. His friends pulled me off and they ran.  

I learned something about myself in that moment. If I’m needed, I’ll rise to meet the challenge, even in the face of fear or doubt.

When I explain to my friends and family what I do there are always two answers: the simple and the complex. The simple answer is I help injured people recover compensation for their losses.  

The complex answer is what drives me every day.  

My clients need me to be their champion.  

Wonderful people come into my office and tell me about how their lives have been turned upside down by the carelessness, thoughtlessness, and sometimes greed of other people or companies. They share their brokenness.  

These people allow me to guide them as they battle uncertainties and challenges—like broken bones, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and the death of a loved one. They choose me to be their champion. They choose me to go into the arena for them.  

We battle defense attorneys and insurance companies in this arena. These opponents are armed with unlimited resources and their sole purpose is to devalue human existence and experience. They want to say that what is lost is not a big deal. They want to seed doubt and skepticism and cynicism. They want my clients to feel guilt for having the courage to challenge them. But who stands with these people against these insurance companies?  

I do. GLP does. I know that unless I demand that my client’s loss be recognized, acknowledged, and that real value is placed upon that loss, it will not happen. People choose me to be in the arena on their behalf and I do not take it lightly.

Yes, I help people who are injured. But it is more than help. I will not let them face that bully alone.  

Thank you to all who have trusted me and those who will.