Judge Dave Larson was born in Tacoma, WA. He has been a judge for Federal Way Municipal Court since March 2008. He was a trial lawyer for 23 years before becoming a judge. He earned an “AV Preeminent” Peer Review Rating which means his peers, "rank him...at the highest level of professional excellence."  He was the 2018 DMCJA President’s Award for his work on judicial independence; work that helped inspire the formation of the Council on Independent Courts.

He is a member of the Civic Learning Council and a 2014 recipient of the Judge William Nevins Award for commitment to civics education. Other recognitions include Gender & Justice Commission for domestic violence prevention, “Hero” of Federal Way Schools in 2018 and 2022 for long-term commitment to public education, and the readers of the Federal Way Mirror picked him as Best Community Leader in 2022. He has other accolades and accomplishments that are too numerous to list.