• Courtroom Number: W-728
• Bailiff: Jacqueline Ware
• Department: 23
• Assignment: Civil

Biography

Judge Andrea Darvas was elected to the King County Superior Court bench in 2004. She has served on the Court’s Jury Committee, Technology Committee, Local Rules Committee, Personnel Committee, the Courts and Community Committee, of which she is a past Chair, and the Pro Se Committee. She served for many years on the Board of Trustees for the Public Law Library of King County, as is a past president of the board. Judge Darvas is a past Trustee of the Superior Court Judges Association and serves on the SCJA’s Education Committee. She has been an instructor at the State Judicial College from 2011-2013 on the subject of civil motions and discovery. Judge Darvas also is a Science and Technology Fellow of ASTAR, the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center.

Judge Darvas received the Washington State Association for Justice’s Judge of the Year award in 2017, and the Cardozo’s Society’s L’dor V’dor award in 2022.

Before her election to the bench, Judge Darvas spent 22 years in private practice, with an emphasis on personal injury, medical negligence and insurance coverage litigation and trial. She has been a speaker at over 60 CLE and CJE seminars on subjects relating to trial practice, civil litigation, evidence, discovery, legal ethics, and insurance coverage. While in private practice, Judge Darvas held an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and was elected a “Super Lawyer” in Washington Law & Politics magazine each year from 2002 to 2004. She also was listed as one of the “Top 50 Women” by Washington Law & Politics magazine in 2003. She received the Professionalism Award in 2002 from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association (now the Washington State Association for Justice).

Judge Darvas is a strong supporter of the “We the People” high school Constitutional Law program and has volunteered to coach students and as a judge over the past twenty years at both the State finals in Olympia and the National finals in Washington, DC.

Judge Darvas’ service to the legal community includes serving as a hearing officer in lawyer discipline cases, service on WSTLA’s Board of Governors, working as a Special Independent Disciplinary Counsel for the Bar Association, and service on numerous committees and commissions on behalf of the Washington State Bar Association and the King County Bar Association.

Judge Darvas obtained her law degree cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served on the Law Review. She has a B.S. degree in Zoology, also from the University of Michigan.

Requests

Rules to review before calling

• Procedures for motions without oral argument - King County Local Rule 7
• Revision & Reconsideration - King County Local Rule 7
• Trial Continuance - King County Local Rule 40
• Consolidation of Multiple Cases - King County Local Rule 40*
• Case Reactivation/Case Area Reassignment - King County Local Rule 40*
• Summary Judgments - Civil Rule 56
• Motion to dismiss - Civil Rule 12
• Motion to set aside judgment - Civil Rule 60

*Set before the Chief Civil Judge in the appropriate facility

Requesting and setting oral argument for motions

If you are setting a dispositive motion, you must email the bailiff and schedule time on Judge Darvas' calendar. If you do not have access to email, please call the above number. Dispositive motions are generally set on Friday mornings (at 45-minute intervals). Please call to schedule your hearing at least two months before the hearing date you would like to request. Other types of motions that are granted oral argument are motions for restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, revisions, and class certification hearings. Please email the bailiff for a hearing date and time.

Most other motions do not require oral argument under the Civil Rules or Local Rules. If a party would like to request oral argument, the motion should be noted pursuant to the applicable court rules, simply noting in the upper right-hand corner "Oral Argument Requested". After Judge Darvas has considered all briefing (moving papers, responses, and replies), if the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument. Submitting Papers for Motions with Oral Argument For all papers submitted, including caselaw provided to the court, please provide the bench copy on three-hole punched paper.

No deliveries directly to the courtroom

Unless arrangements have been made directly with Judge Darvas' bailiff, no deliveries are to be made directly to the courtroom. All deliveries should be made to the judges' mailroom, Room 2D. Pretrial Requirements Pursuant to KCLR 40(d)(2), all trial memoranda and other trial submissions are due not later than five court days before trial. Please contact the clerk by email to obtain information on pre-numbering exhibits. All submissions should be made to Judge Darvas, care of Room 2D. Jury Instructions should be submitted both in hard copy and in Word-compatible electronic format. This may be done either by providing them on a CD or flash drive, or by providing them via an email attachment to the bailiff at darvas.court@kingcounty.gov.

In addition, Judge Darvas requires all parties and counsel to work together to complete the Estimate of Witness Examinations Form (13KB), and that form must be submitted together with other pretrial memoranda 5 court days before trial.

Before the hearings or trial

Before appearing in Judge Darvas' court, please review the Rules for Conduct (28KB) in her courtroom.

Hearing or trial information

General trial schedule is Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm. Judge Darvas requests all parties to plan accordingly so that trial may actually begin at 9 am. Should any party require time to set up or prepare before beginning at 9 am, the courtroom is open no later than 8:30 am every morning to accommodate preparation/set-up time requirements. However, please contact the bailiff the day before to determine accessibility to accommodate preparation or set-up time requirements, since the court frequently has hearings scheduled on other matters between 8:30 and 9 am.

Judge Darvas is currently in the Civil Department. However, the court manages a heavy caseload of civil cases. If you have a civil case which is assigned to Judge Darvas, you may be assigned to another judge at the time of trial. The assignment generally will take place on Thursday morning before trial. You are still required to comply with all court rules regarding pretrial submissions and deadlines. All papers submitted will be provided to the trial judge at the time of assignment. To determine which judge you have been assigned to for trial, please check the Civil Calendar. It will be updated on Thursday before trial and is frequently updated on other days.

Judge Darvas requires all counsel and parties to be prepared at the end of each day to disclose all witnesses that party is intending to call the following day in trial.