Obituaries -- Lawyer William Price Had Gift For Life Outside The Law

Seattle attorney William J. Price was the lone wolf on the fringes of the pack, refusing to give up his hard-won individuality.

With the Karr-Tuttle-Campbell law firm, he defended insurance companies in some notable lawsuits. He worked on the Queen City Farms Superfund-site cleanup case, among the first in the nation, and on the case of falling ceiling tiles at the Kingdome case, in which he helped King County recover millions from insurers and contractors.

He also wrote the book "Annotated Comprehensive General Liability Insurance Policy: Washington Cases with Commentary."

Yet he didn't fit the model of Karr-Tuttle barristers, said a colleague. He came to work in jeans and sweaters; preferred animals to people; was a fiercely competitive trap-shooter and boater; and lived surrounded by wildlife art in his home on West Perkins Lane in Magnolia - until it was demolished by mudslides.

"If I had to say he was any animal, a wolf might be the one," said his wife of nine years, Cynthia Snellman, a Seattle artist.

"Bill was pretty much a loner. You know how the wolf pack drives out a wolf that misbehaves or is unusual? Everybody else's rules didn't apply to him."

Mr. Price died of liver failure Tuesday (Sept. 23). He was 46.

According to his law partner William Cruzen, Mr. Price was "driven," particularly in environmental matters. One of Mr. Price's last efforts was to sue the city of Seattle over the slides that

destroyed his home. The suit is pending.

"He had a brilliant mind," Cruzen said. "He wrote the leading book on insurance cases that attorneys look at as gospel.

"He actually was quite a character. He didn't look like an attorney because he rarely wore a suit. You knew he was going to court because he was wearing a suit then, but he rarely wore socks, even with suits. He was sort of like a late-blooming-professional hippie."

Mr. Price earned a bachelor of arts degree in English at Williams College in 1973, and a law degree at University of Puget Sound, where he edited the Law Review. He joined Karr-Tuttle in 1977 and became a full shareholder in 1985.

He cut an unusual swath. Even his wedding was off-beat, with the ceremony conducted aboard a boat on Lake Washington by a minister dressed as Merlin the magician.

"I said, `What are your hopes and dreams, Bill?' And he said `I have it.' He had his home, his pets, his dream. Then it all fell down."

Survivors include his brothers, Richard Price of Monroe, N.H., and Robert Price of Basking Ridge, N.J. At his request, no services will be held.

Remembrances may go to the Companion Animal Fund, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99614,

to help develop medications for cats and dogs.

Carole Beers' phone message number is 206-464-2391. Her e-mail address is: cbee-new@seatimes.com