About John
John Spalding earned his Bachelor of Arts from the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2005 and later completed a Juris Doctor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He also pursued specialized training in international dispute resolution through the Global Arbitration Practice program offered by Mitchell Hamline in partnership with Queen Mary University of London. His academic path combined criminal justice and law, an unusual mix that shaped a practice spanning several procedural settings.
After law school, Spalding built a practice that includes appearances in both state and federal forums. He is admitted to practice in Washington, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Those admissions allow him to take cases into district and bankruptcy court when they require litigation beyond state proceedings. He has developed experience in courtroom procedure and the filing practices particular to federal dockets.
Spalding’s membership roster reflects the range of matters he handles. He holds current memberships in the Spokane County Bar Association, the King County Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He joined the American Bar Association in 2023. Those affiliations provide access to regional networks and national resources, and they inform how he approaches both courtroom and administrative matters.
Much of Spalding’s practice touches on immigration matters and dispute resolution by arbitration. His enrollment in an arbitration training program signals a practical interest in alternative dispute mechanisms alongside traditional litigation. In immigration work he navigates administrative filings and hearings; in arbitration he prepares pleadings and manages evidentiary exchanges tailored to private dispute forums. He also takes on matters that intersect with bankruptcy or federal jurisdiction when a client's situation calls for it.
Colleagues describe Spalding as methodical in how he organizes cases and deliberate in how he presents them. He tends to break complex problems into discrete steps and to set clear expectations about timing and procedure. That approach is useful in immigration proceedings, where deadlines and document requirements are exacting, and in arbitration, where process rules vary by forum.
Spalding maintains an active practice in Washington and regularly appears in federal venues, including the Eastern District of Washington and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. He continues to work on immigration and arbitration matters while handling cases that require federal court admission.
