Rich Barker

Rich Barker is a partner at Singleton Schreiber’s Spokane office, where he focuses on personal injury, whistleblower and False Claims Act matters, tribal litigation, and wildfire litigation. He brings more than a decade of experience as a federal prosecutor and litigator, having served in senior leadership roles in both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington and the District of Columbia.

Most recently, Mr. Barker served as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, where he led the prosecution of federal criminal and civil cases across twenty counties. Barker led high-profile prosecutions, including a double homicide trial on the Colville Indian Reservation, a dark web murder-for-hire case, and the conviction of a major drug trafficker responsible for distributing over 100 pounds of narcotics across state lines. A career prosecutor, Barker also oversaw major fentanyl trafficking cases and helped establish a dedicated federal role to combat the opioid crisis in Spokane.

As First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Barker oversaw the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions and held several key positions, including Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Coordinator, Digital Asset Coordinator, Tribal Liaison, and Public Affairs Officer. Over the course of his government service, he was lead counsel in hundreds of federal matters, ranging from white collar offenses to violent crimes, and tried more than 40 cases to verdict in federal courts across Washington and the Nation’s Capital.

Barker is widely recognized for his commitment to tribal justice and was instrumental in hiring the first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) prosecutor for the Northwest United States. In 2024, he received a Department of Justice Director’s Award for his work with Native American communities and leadership on public safety initiatives.

Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Barker was a litigation associate at a major global law firm in Washington, D.C., where he represented institutional and individual clients in complex investigations and regulatory actions involving the SEC, DOJ, and other federal agencies.

Mr. Barker began his legal career clerking for the Honorable G. Murray Snow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and the Honorable J. Clifford Wallace of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, where he teaches Trial Advocacy and Conflicts of Law. Barker also serves on the Executive Committee for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judicial Conference, where he works with appellate and district judges, as well as other legal professionals, to plan and organize the Ninth Circuit’s annual judicial conference.

Department of Justice Director’s Award for Outstanding Service in Indian Country, 2024 

District of Columbia Impact Award for Outstanding Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, 2018 

Affiliations

Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference 

WSAJ – Washington Association for Justice.

TAF Coalition - The Anti-Fraud Coalition 

At Large Member of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Executive Committee

Membership

Planning Committee Member, Annual Federal Criminal CLE in Richland, Washington 

Volunteer, Scouting America 

Spokane County Bar Association

Press Releases