Dan Gerl is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Next Law. Dan is a former prosecutor with nearly twenty years of experience handling Criminal and Injury cases in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and throughout Western Washington.
In 2002 Dan enrolled at the Seattle University School of Law with the goal of becoming a prosecutor. He began his career as a legal intern with the Skagit County Prosecutor’s Office, where he handled several jury trials before graduating cum laude.
After passing the Bar, Dan continued working as a prosecutor for four years in Federal Way and Pierce County, handling hundreds of cases, and over 40 trials before a jury, winning the vast majority of them. Over time, however, Dan realized that, despite his solid conviction record, his values aligned more with helping the accused than prosecuting them.
In 2013, Dan founded Puget Law Group, focusing on DUl defense, criminal defense, and personal injury. In less than a decade, Dan grew PLG from a solo practice to the largest firm of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Under Dan’s leadership, PLG made the Inc. 5000 and Puget Sound Business Journal’s lists of the “Fastest Growing Private Companies” four years in a row. PLG was also recognized as “The Fastest Growing Criminal Defense Firm in America” in 2022 by Law Firm 500.
Despite such success, Dan found that “bigger” doesn’t always mean “better.” And Dan has always been committed to being the BEST. Dan left PLG in January 2024 and founded NextLaw because he wanted to make good on this commitment.
Dan is rated “10/10” on AVVO, its highest rating. He is a member of the Washington State and Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Associations, and the Washington State Association for Justice (“EAGLE”) . He has been named a “Top 3 DUI Attorney in Tacoma” and a “Top 10 DUI Attorney” for Washington State.
