Tom Tanaka

Deputy General Counsel

Deep legal expertise within the port industry

Tom Tanaka has extensive and long-standing experience working with ports.  He began his legal career practicing admiralty law before joining the Port in 1985. He has worked with most of the Port's departments at one time or another, although his main focus has been on real estate matters at the airport and seaport. Prior to his appointment as Acting General Counsel, he served as Deputy General Counsel. He has been involved in high profile projects for the Port such as the creation of the noise insulation program at the airport in the 1980s and the creation of the Northwest Seaport Alliance in 2015. In addition to his role at the Port of Seattle, Tanaka also serves as legal counsel to the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

Significant contributions to Northwest port associations

Tanaka has been involved in port industry organizations for many years. He is a member of the Washington Public Ports Association Legal Committee and served as chair from 1994-2003. He is a member of the Law Review Committee for the American Association of Port Authorities and served as chair from 2010-2014. He heads the Law and Legislation Committee for the Northwest Marine Terminals Association and served as President of the organization in 2017. He has made numerous presentations on legal issues affecting the port industry.