Brandon Rain
Brandon Rain has spent his career dedicated to criminal defense and constitutional litigation, providing excellent representation to a broad spectrum of clients in diverse environments. Before joining Marshall & Saunders as of counsel, Brandon acted as Legal Project Counsel to the Seattle City Attorney, offering advice on a wide range of issues regarding government operations and policy. During this time, Brandon authored amicus curiae briefs on behalf of a large coalition of major cities and national associations in the U.S. Supreme Court case Grants Pass v. Johnson. Brandon also worked in the Constitutional and Complex Litigation unit, defending the City and its employees in § 1983 civil rights cases.
Prior to that, Brandon worked exclusively in criminal defense and related fields. From 2016-2021, Brandon served as a trial attorney at the King County Department of Public Defense, defending clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors and representing clients detained for potential civil commitment pursuant to the Involuntary Treatment Act (RCW 71.05). From not guilty verdicts to pretrial dismissals, Brandon earned a reputation as a tenacious attorney who knows that successful results come from both within and beyond the courtroom.
Before joining King County, Brandon served as a public defender from 2013 to 2016 at the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel. During these years, Brandon cut his teeth winning trials in district and municipal courts and helping clients walk away from misdemeanor charges ranging from DUI to assault to unlawful transit conduct. Brandon was also asked to brief constitutional issues on a number of serious felony cases, including a novel double jeopardy motion to dismiss the aggravating factor before re-trial in a multiple-count capital murder prosecution. Several years later, the Washington Supreme Court agreed and affirmed the trial court’s order granting the motion.
Brandon began his legal career working for the late Jeffrey Steinborn, earning exceptional results for clients in felony drug prosecutions and civil asset forfeitures. The region’s premier search-and-seizure lawyer and a consummate gentleman, Jeff impressed on Brandon the importance of buttressing a strong motions practice with artful diplomacy and unconventional lawyering. In one such case, Brandon was privileged to work with Jeff as part of the team that obtained the extraordinary post-conviction release of a Jamaican citizen halfway through a 30-year federal sentence imposed for possessing marijuana seeds in Texas.
Education
- Seattle University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude (2012)
- University of Washington, B.S. in Cellular, Molecular & Developmental Biology, Minor in Law, Societies, & Justice (2008)
Bar Admissions
- Washington State Bar Association (2012)
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Washington
- United States District Court, Western District of Washington
- Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court