Sumner Business Lawyers

Shawna Mirghanbari recently celebrated her 25 Year Law Anniversary. Shawna has been an Adjunct Professor of Business Ethics at Seattle University. Shawna has also taught Paralegal Studies, Family Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Justice, and Ethics Diversity & Conflict for the Law and Justice Department at Central Washington University. EDUCATION Juris Doctor, Seattle University School of Law, 1995 Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Seattle University, 1991 BAR Admittance: 10/17/1995 CREDENTIALS: Summa Cum Laude, 1991 Truman Scholar for Washington State, 1989 Honors Program 1987-1989 Academic and Soccer Scholarships Valedictorian, 1987

Chuck practices in both State and Federal Courts, as well as many Tribal Courts. Chuck is a semi-retired Tribal Court Judge, having acted for 16 years as a judge on specific cases for 32 different Indian Tribes located in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Chuck has also been appointed as a Special Master Judge for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut. On occasion Chuck is still appointed by Tribes to act as a trial or appellate judge.

In addition to Indian law, Chuck has an...

About Thomas

I have been a practicing attorney in the state of Washington since 1998. Since that time I pride myself in being a problem solver for my clients. Clients come to me with a variety of problems and legal issues. It is my job to help solve those problems and to resolve their issues. Sometimes the answer to the problem is aggressive litigation while other times simple, competent assistance with legal transactions is all that is needed. Regardless of what type of problem or legal issue you have, I am here to help you solve...

Joe Gordon, Jr. joined GTH in 1968 and has been a pillar of the firm and of the legal community in the Pacific Northwest for many years. He has tried superior court cases involving a wide range of civil litigation matters in 26 of Washington’s 39 counties. As a Washington State Assistant Attorney General, he served as a trial attorney for the Department of Labor & Industries in both the Olympia and Seattle offices.

In private practice, Joe has regularly represented rental property owners and management companies on landlord-tenant matters. He has also represented both employers and injured workers on industrial...

Eric represents victims of wrongful termination, unfair wage and hour practices, workplace harassment, and discrimination; whistleblowers who suffer retaliation after standing up for themselves or others; and entrepreneurs crossed by former business partners. As a civil litigator and class action attorney, he routinely assists individuals and entities in employment litigation, consumer protection actions, and complex business and contract lawsuits. Eric has prevailed in numerous appellate cases supporting worker rights, including before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court.

Mindful that most people seldom interact with the legal system, Eric uses his knowledge and experience to guide his...

Sal practices in state and federal courts throughout the state of Washington and has litigated most of the Western states as well. One focus of Sal’s practice is medical negligence, wrongful death, and serious injury cases. Sal has represented patients who have been injured as a result of doctors, nurses, and emergency room physicians making mistakes resulting in death, paralysis, brain injuries and loss of life or harm to babies. Sal has brought actions against Multicare, CHI Franciscan, Harborview, Children’s Hospital, and Swedish Medical center among others. Sal’s cases have involved surgeons, OBGYN doctors, Emergency Department...

Lisa Kremer's practice focuses primarily on estate planning, probate, and guardianship. She particularly enjoys working with families to try to resolve issues with a minimum amount of stress and turmoil. Lisa also advises businesses, particularly on trademark, copyright and privacy issues, including HIPPA compliance.

Lisa began her professional career as a journalist. She was an award-winning reporter for The News Tribune. In 2005 she decided to move from writing about people’s problems to helping solve them. She commuted from Tacoma to the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle and graduated in 2008.

Lisa is a Trustee of the Tacoma-Pierce County...

Jemima has handled hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of real estate transactions involving almost every sector of the market. Her primary practice areas are commercial and real estate transactions. She has extensive experience with all facets of land use matters including title and survey review, development, and environmental studies and reports.

Her clients include private developers, landowners, purchasers and sellers, landlords and tenants, borrowers and lenders, regional and national banks, universities, non-profit organizations, assisted living facilities, hotels, and homeowner’s associations, each of whom have various business and real estate needs. With the passage of I-502, her work has also...

Alan Macpherson’s primary area of practice at GTH is estate planning and taxation. He particularly enjoys working on projects that combine financial and tax as well as legal aspects, such as establishing and monitoring investment LLCs and generation-skipping trusts and helping clients build specific themes into their estate plans, like helping with the education of grandchildren.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Holt moved gradually westward—with a 7-year stop in Iowa City to pick up his undergraduate and law degrees—until he got to Tacoma in 1970. He has lived and worked here in the Northwest ever since, joining GTH in 1971 after clerking for Judge William T. Beeks in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington.

His primary areas of practice include the purchase and sale of businesses and large commercial real estate projects, as well as intellectual property law, privacy and publicity law, public records law, and finance.

Kurt represents South Sound businesses and individuals in White Collar Crime matters. He advises clients on corporate criminal risks, federal grand jury investigations, financial crimes, securities frauds, bankruptcy crimes, government contract frauds, real estate schemes, Medicare frauds-and tax frauds. He is GTH’s authority on cybercrime and legal issues relating to cybersecurity and data privacy. His work includes assisting South Sound businesses in creating cybersecurity plans consistent with the US protocols issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He also advises clients on data privacy requirements arising from the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR)...

John Guadnola is a seasoned attorney with an extensive background and impressive record of success in his practice areas, which include antitrust litigation, alcohol regulation, copyright and trademark litigation, and complex litigation. As Executive Director and General Counsel of the Association of Washington Spirits & Wine Distributors, John is also actively involved in alcohol regulation issues on the legislative level and enforcement levels.

As co-lead counsel in a case of national significance (Costco v. Hoen), John represented distributor intervenors in a successful effort to defend Washington State laws governing distribution and sale of beer and wine against an antitrust claim brought...

Since joining the firm in 1994, Stephanie has worked on a wide variety of cases representing clients in employment, business and injury litigation, as well as estate litigation and business disputes. She also represents clients in matters involving misappropriation of trade secrets, noncompetition contracts, Consumer Protection Act claims, unfair competition issues, contract disputes and consults on matters of legal ethics.

In her commercial litigation practice, Stephanie focuses on complex business disputes, disputes between members of closely held companies and trust and estate litigation. She represents corporations, closely held businesses, fiduciaries as well as individual parties involved in these types of...

Before earning her law degree, magna cum laude, from Gonzaga University School and joining GTH in 1991, Margaret Archer was a financial analyst for Westinghouse Hanford Company. She puts her business acumen and insight into the world of finance to good use in her position as Chair of our Board of Directors and in her practice areas of land use, real estate litigation and commercial litigation.

Shelly focuses her practice on employment law and litigation, commercial litigation, products liability, construction law, insurance defense and coverage, and appellate advocacy. She represents individuals and businesses in all aspects of commercial and employment disputes and especially enjoys working with clients to help them understand the legal process. Shelly prides herself on being a tough advocate for her clients and finding strategic and creative solutions in tough cases.

Shelly joined GTH in 2011. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, she began her legal career in Alaska, first serving as a judicial law clerk for...

Ellis McGehee Carter is a distinguished attorney specializing in corporate and tax matters for nonprofit, tax-exempt, and mission-based businesses, alongside advising donors on major gifts. With a profound dedication to serving organizations that make a significant impact, Ms. Carter leverages her extensive experience in nonprofit governance, tax law, and business transactions to provide unparalleled legal guidance. Her expertise extends to navigating complex tax issues for exempt entities, ensuring they remain compliant while advancing their mission. Ms. Carter's adeptness in handling intricate business transactions for nonprofits is evident through her work on reorganizations, the creation of affiliates and subsidiaries, and facilitating mergers,...

Andrea is a trial lawyer with an emphasis in business and employment litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. She has successfully represented clients litigating shareholder, non-competition, and employment discrimination disputes, and obtained pre-trial injunctions. She has achieved jury verdicts enforcing her clients’ contract rights, represented clients in trust and estates disputes, and obtained protection for vulnerable adults. She also regularly represents clients in the areas of regulatory monitoring and advocacy, including extensive work in alcohol regulation and policy, and with Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Andrea joined GTH in 2005 after graduating from Seattle University School of Law,...

Michael T. Smith advises individuals and companies of all types and sizes regarding the proper formation and structure of a business entity (corporation, limited liability company, etc.), their general business and corporate matters, issues related to the purchase or sale or lease of real property and transactions to purchase or sell their business. Michael also focuses his practice on assisting people prepare their estate plan, including wills, trusts, community property agreements, durable powers of attorney, health care directives, and helping families navigate and administer a loved one's estate in probate proceedings. Michael can also assist with guardianship proceedings for loved ones...

Robert Dickson practices civil litigation, with a focus on issues related to business, real property and construction law. His clients are diverse, ranging from large corporations to residential homeowners. Recently, Mr. Dickson expanded his practice to include the representation of property owners in mediating their distressed property matters through the Foreclosure Fairness Act. Another element of Mr. Dickson's practice includes contributing to various legal publications. In particular, he serves as an editor and contributing author of the LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Real Estate Litigation (LexisNexis 2014) and a contributing author for the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual. At present,...

Travis’ practice focuses primarily on business and real estate transactions, with an emphasis on entity formation, governance, and mergers and acquisitions. Travis believes that a good process is the best way to arrive at good results. Thus, before he can provide effective legal advice, he must first carefully listen to the client’s particular situation and understand exactly what the client both needs and wants. Only then can a comprehensive strategy be crafted to help resolve the client’s current legal needs but also allow the client to continue working towards the client’s aspirations. Travis’ practice gives him great satisfaction because he...

Auburn Lawyer, L.L.C. is a small legal services office that caters to individual clients who have Family Law or other personal and some small business legal matters. We do not handle felony criminal matters, bankruptcy, employment law or collection matters. Mike Pratum has extensive prior experience in the areas of Family Law, Personal Injury and Misdemeanor Criminal matters, as well as cases involving alcoholism or drug addiction. His goal is to make sure each client has a clearly defined budget for their hourly billed services, so an accurate forecast can be made...

For nearly a decade, Brad served as general counsel for Tacoma-based Associated Petroleum Products, Inc. In this capacity, he became an experienced advisor to directors, owners and senior managers in the petroleum distribution industry, dealing with the structuring, drafting and negotiating of corporate and commercial transactions, business and strategic initiatives, risk management, and litigation. After Associated Petroleum was acquired by Fortune 500 World Fuel Services, Inc., Brad continued to support both Associated Petroleum and World Fuel Services’ North America Land Division as senior counsel until joining GTH.

Brad focuses on business, commercial and transactional law at GTH, supporting the day-to-day...

Michael A. (Mike) Boswell is an experienced business attorney, advisor and litigator with more than 20 years of experience. He is licensed in both Washington and California. He is well versed in business transactions and operations, assisting companies with their formation, day to day operations, and ultimately the winding up of the company. As an addition to his business experience, Mike has extensive intellectual property experience having managed disputes dealing with all facets of intellectual property and technology, including trademark and copyright infringement actions, trademark opposition proceedings, and matters concerning trade secrets. Mike uses this extensive litigation...

Experience Matters!

Mr. Armstrong was formerly a Government Trial Lawyer with over 1000 victories and a 75% win ratio in state and appellate hearings. His perspective can give you well-rounded advice because he served as a prosecutor, defense counsel and advisor for WA state agencies. Mr. Armstrong helps you understand and use the strong arm of the law to your advantage. His advice is proven but more importantly, understandable. His simple background in Oklahoma City allows him to break down complete legal issues into understandable options to protect your empire. Mr. Armstrong has studied International and Administrative Law in London, England, France, Italy...

Renee Roman is a seasoned attorney with extensive experience, holding licenses from the Washington State Bar Association. Additionally, she has achieved success as a real estate broker in the state of Washington. Prior to establishing Marine View Law & Escrow PLLC, Renee gained valuable experience in real estate and worked as part of a general practice law firm, specializing in family law, real estate matters, estate planning, and probate. Currently, Renee focuses her practice on real estate law,, estate planning, and probate cases. She is deeply committed to providing top-notch representation and passionately advocates for the rights of her clients. No matter...

For over 20 years I have represented individuals and businesses with debt issues. Chapter 7, 11, 13 and now the Small Business Subchapter 5. My passion for helping people will turn the burden of financial uncertainty into relief by taking that burden and finding solutions to a better financial future.

David has been practicing law since 2000 following a career as a computer consultant and manager of a computer department for an insurance company. He has a high rating on avvo.com and is a respected professional among his peers.

He and his office also volunteer and participate in pro-bono work...