The King and Snohomish County Family Law Attorney
Areas of Practice in Family Law
I have 37 years of experience in King and Snohomish Counties practicing Family law in the following areas:

◾Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce) Four major issues in a Dissolution are:
1.Parenting Plan including child custody and residential schedule of visitation
2.Child Support, including day care, health insurance, college expenses and other child-related costs
3.Spousal Maintenance, formerly known as alimony
4.Division of Property and Debt, which can involve valuation of businesses and real estate
◾Legal Separation
Legal Separations are very similar to a Dissolution action, except that the couple remains married at the end of the proceedings. This option may appeal to those with certain religious or personal convictions about divorce, as well as those who may desire to provide their spouse with continuing health insurance benefits. All Property and Debt, Spousal Maintenance and children’s issues are addressed in Legal Separations in basically the same way as they are in Dissolution cases (see above).
◾Parentage Actions (Paternity Cases)
◾Parenting Plans (Custody) Including Modifications
◾Parent and Child Geographic Relocations/Modifications
◾Child Support Issues (including Modifications and Adjustments)
◾Spousal Maintenance Issues (formerly known as alimony)
◾Restraining Orders and Orders for Protection, including criminal Domestic Violence or Assault IV cases.
Overview of Divorce Matters
Divorce cases are first and foremost about the lives, relationships, and futures of the people involved. Because divorce creates significant disruption resulting in permanent changes there are many questions you might have at the outset, such as:

◾How will we split up our property?
◾Will I be able to support myself?
◾How do I protect my relationship with my children?
◾Where will I live?
◾Where will my children live?
◾How do I prevent my spouse or domestic partner from moving our assets?
Confident Advocacy and Attentive Service
I am a seasoned professional who can answer your questions, inform and guide you through the process, help you formulate goals, set realistic expectations, provide you with options, formulate a case strategy, negotiate from a position of strength, and ultimately be prepared to litigate if reasonable agreements cannot be reached. Moreover, I understand the stress and emotional strain my clients go through during divorce proceedings. I am totally dedicated to supporting you through the challenges of the process with compassionate, yet thorough and aggressive representation - helping you face the challenges of the moment with an eye toward the future.

Knowledge and Experience
During the last three and one-half decades, I have represented hundreds of clients in Washington State divorce actions, including cases involving contested child custody, parenting plans, child support, property and debt distribution, and spousal maintenance, as well as cases involving complex property and financial issues such as stock options, business valuations, tax issues, real estate investments and partnerships, executive compensation and benefits, retirement and pension valuations, QDRO distributions, and valuation and distribution of valuable collections.

I am not only capable and prepared to handle standard divorce cases, but I am among the most experienced available for handling complex divorce cases involving complex financial and property matters, as well as litigation, appeals, and cutting edge areas of developing family law like domestic partnerships.

Although I primarily practice in courts located in Seattle, Bellevue, and Everett, I have represented divorce and family law clients in state and federal courts throughout Washington State, and clients throughout the nation.

Choosing the Right Attorney
Choosing the right attorney is a critically important decision. I have prepared a list of factors to consider when hiring a divorce attorney. Please feel free to judge me against this criterion by clicking here.