Strategic Advisory Council Members

Bruce W. Hilyer

Presiding Judge
King County Superior Court

King County Superior Court Judge Bruce W. Hilyer was appointed to the trial bench by the Governor on July 1, 2000.

Judge Hilyer earned his B.A. in government from Cornell University in 1973 and his J.D. with High Honors/Order of the Coif from the University of Washington School of Law in 1979.

He began his legal career as a deputy prosecutor for King County from 1979 to 1981 where he tried numerous misdemeanor and felony jury trials for charges from DUI up through first degree murder. From 1981-1984, he served as legal counsel to the Mayor of Seattle. He began private practice in 1985 with a small litigation firm in Seattle. In 1988, he joined the firm of Culp, Dwyer, Guterson and Grader which focused on complex commercial litigation cases. In 1994, he started his own firm, The Law Offices of Bruce W. Hilyer, where his practice emphasized commercial cases, health care and environmental liability.

On the personal side, Judge Hilyer has two children. Before his judicial career, Judge Hilyer served for nine years on the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and as Chairman for two years. His personal interests include hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing and flying.