Seattle Divorce Attorney-Mediator
Skilled Guidance for Divorce Agreements
Would you prefer making your own life choices instead of being told what to do by a judge? Are you willing to do the work to reach agreements with your spouse instead of fighting? I help people who want to reach amicable agreements in their divorce or separation. I work with clients who want to approach their divorce constructively, by working towards negotiated resolutions with integrity and dignity. I use approaches that help preserve the ability to co-parent in the future, ensure all have the information needed to make wise financial decisions, and prevent escalating conflict. I'm a Seattle divorce attorney, mediator, and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® with over 29 years experience, skilled in guiding clients with complex financial and parenting matters, and dedicated to helping clients and their families do better by staying out of court.Call (206) 622-6707 (or scroll down for our contact form) to learn more.
Learn More
Complex Property and Support Questions
Negotiation Coaching
Parenting Plans
Child Support
Family Businesses and Divorce
Financial Analysis and Post-Divorce Planning
Collaborative Divorce
Mediation
Family LawChoose a More Respectful and Cost-Effective Divorce
Many find Mediation or the Collaborative Divorce process to be a good choice to reach a negotiated divorce settlement—without the dynamics of an adversarial court process. In either Mediation or Collaborative Divorce, you have professional guidance from the very start to help you reach an agreement that satisfactorily addresses concerns, including property division, child support, spousal maintenance, and parenting. You get the skilled support and financial, legal, and parenting information you need to make the best possible decisions based on your unique circumstances and priorities. Both the Collaborative Divorce process and Divorce Mediation are designed to allow you to make thoughtful and reality-based agreements to create the best possible post-divorce future. Each of these processes has unique benefits, so you and your spouse can choose the one which will best lead to your success.Learn More
Experienced and Highly Rated as a Seattle Divorce Lawyer and Mediator
My mission is to help my clients have the best possible divorce. For nearly 30 years, I have helped clients address a wide range of issues with excellent outcomes. Washington Law and Politics magazine rated me among the "25 best" family law attorneys statewide. I am the 2005 recipient of the "Attorney of the Year" award from the Washington State Bar Association Family Law Section, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, have been selected annually since 2007 for the "Super Lawyers" list by Washington Law and Politics magazine, and am rated "AV" (preeminent) by Martindale-Hubbell.
From my office in Lower Queen Anne, near downtown Seattle, I also assist clients with living together (cohabitation) agreements, prenuptial agreements, marital and family mediation (mediation that helps families get back on track), and mediating/facilitating matters that impact individuals and communities.
Collaborative Divorce and Mediation Can Be Better for Your Children
If you're getting divorced, the biggest gift you can give your children is to preserve or create an ongoing co-parenting relationship with your ex. If you can do that, your children will do better. It's worth the effort to work towards an agreement with your co-parent. Power struggles, such as court battles, tend to perpetuate conflict, and increase anger to which children are exposed, adversely affecting children. Increased drug use, promiscuity, anxiety, and lower grades being among the commonly seen problems when children are exposed to acrimony. Court battles and litigation-style adversarial negotiation tend to inflame power struggles, and make things worse for children—all at tremendous financial and emotional cost. It's rare for parents to be able to work well as co-parents following a court battle or litigation-style negotiation, and their children inevitably pay the highest price. If you choose Collaborative Divorce or Divorce Mediation, you have the opportunity to lay the foundation for a healthier future for your children by working constructively towards divorce agreements that create two healthy co-parenting households and take into account what is important to all.