gI_60540_MC-foodsafetylawfirmlogo.jpgOn Tuesday, April 5, food safety attorney Bill Marler will be honored with the 2011 Seattle University Professional Achievement Award as part of the university’s annual Alumni Achievement Awards Celebration. Marler earned his law degree from the Puget Sound University School of Law, which was later acquired by Seattle University, in 1987.

Marler has represented thousands of victims of foodborne illness since winning record settlements for the most severely injured survivors of infamous 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. Since that time, Marler’s firm, Marler Clark, has become the only law firm in the country dedicated solely to representing victims of E. coli, Salmonella, and other foodborne illnesses.

“Honestly,” said Marler, “I am not sure if I deserve an Achievement Award or not, or if it is just that being in the profession nearly 24 years is enough, but, as someone once said: 80 percent of success is just showing up.”

Marler is widely considered a leading food safety expert. He is frequently quoted in publications such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and his blog is read by over one million people annually. He is a dedicated food safety and spends a significant portion of his time travelling to speak at various food safety conferences worldwide. Marler and his clients have testified before Congress on food safety issues, and in 2010 played a key role in getting the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act passed into law.

This May, best-selling author Jeff Benedict will release a book, Poisoned: The Deadly Outbreak that Changed the Way Americans Eat. The book chronicles the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, the litigation that followed, and how food safety came to the forefront of modern day food production processes. Marler is a key character.

The awards banquet will begin at 5:30 pm in the Campion Ballroom on the Seattle University campus. To learn more about the event and for ticket prices visit the Seattle University website.