Startup Family Lawyers

I have practiced family law since 2010. I was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2007 and have operated my solo practice since 2013 in Tacoma, WA. I have worked hard to develop litigation skills as well as skills in alternative dispute resolution (mediation and arbitration) and in other services that support families that are involved in legal matters. Compassion working together with experience is a great approach for resolving conflicts.

Roy Martin is a divorce and family law attorney in Bellingham, Washington. His practice is devoted to domestic relations issues such as divorce; legal separation; paternity; child custody, including the establishment and modification of parenting plans; relocation; non-parental custody; child support; spousal maintenance, prenuptial, postnuptial and cohabitation agreements; domestic partnerships; protective orders and the rights of grandparents. Mr. Martin believes his job is to thoroughly address legal issues in the most efficient manner possible. For this reason, he is committed to alternative dispute resolution techniques, such as Mediation and Collaborative Divorce, with their emphasis on negotiated resolutions. These approaches can lead...

Over the course of his career, Mark Arend has filled the shoes of a businessman, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, and an attorney. Using his diverse vocational background, he helps clients facing high-tension, complex, and adversarial family law matters. Some of his practice areas include child custody, domestic violence, child support, relocation, high net worth divorce, and military family law.

Mark’s approach to family law is based on common sense, strong ethical standards, and the highest level of professionalism. His goal is simple: to “do better” for his clients than any other legal representative would do. Mark is...

Kelly LeBlanc has been practicing law for over 33 years (21 in Washington). She has been admitted to practice in 5 jurisdictions and appeared on behalf of litigants at the state and federal level. She served as an Administrative Health Law Judge with the Department of Health and worked as a Guardian ad Litem in Pierce County many years before joining Envision Family Law Group as Senior Counsel. When the Court was faced with particularly difficult cases, Kelly was often designated to investigate and provide recommendations on how best to protect the interests of the child(ren) involved.

As a GAL, Kelly...

Christina Sherman, J.D. is dedicating her law practice, Christina T. Sherman, PLLC, to helping families grow through Adoption, IVF and Surrogacy. Christina is licensed to practice law in Washington, and has been practicing law for over 20 years. Christina represents adoptive families and birth parents both locally and in interstate adoptions in all aspects of adoption. Christina has been honored to represent hundreds of clients in their adoption cases; and has been named an Academy Fellow in the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA). The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) is a credentialed, non-profit...

As a founder and principle of the Schwarz~Garrison Law Firm I am committed to providing the highest quality representation to our clients. We listen to our clients and we pursue their goals tenaciously. Recent Verdicts: State v. Gipson: Assault Charge: Not Guilty, Self Defense: $256,000 in fees and costs reimbursed to client by the court following verdict. Dunakin v. Ronngren: Dog Bite: $229,015.73 jury verdict for plaintiff. Rollins and Hendershot v. King County Metro: Assault on Metro Bus: $250,000 Jury Verdict for plaintiffs, On appeal, plaintiffs were able...

Amy Carei is a family law attorney driven by service and shaped by her own journey as the first person in her extended family to attend college and law school. Raised by a single mother, she brings a deep appreciation for both family and financial responsibility to every case. Amy’s practice is built on genuine collaboration: she serves as the navigator while her clients remain the pilots of their own lives. Known for translating complex legal concepts into plain English, she ensures her clients understand each step of the process and feel empowered to participate in decisions that affect them. Before entering...

Since starting my practice in 2003, I have emphasized the provision of competent legal services at a cost which is adjusted for the client's particular situation. Hiring a lawyer is expensive for many reasons, but to the extent possible, I have tried to right size the fees we charge the client with the client's household income.

I focus my practice primarily in the family law area and have a great deal of experience in divorces, annulments, legal separations, child support modifications, parenting plan modifications and non parental custody cases.

A brief bit about me...

I am the first person in my...

My job is to achieve my client’s goals. Often times, clients need help defining their goals. Listening to the client and understanding their needs and interests, working through the options and setting attainable goals is typically the first step in fashioning a strategy in which to proceed with the case. I am a litigator, counselor, mediator, judge pro tem, educator, and professional speaker, now working primarily in the area of family law, domestic violence and high conflict cases. I provide service for all areas of family law, including divorce, parenting, custody, visitation, parental alienation, child support, modifications, relocation, grandparent...

I will work with you to get the best result possible for your situation. I begin all my work with an intake which I do at reduced rate to assess your situation. I start by seeing what you would like to resolve and work to bring a result as close to this as possible. I am a creative, out of the box thinker and am often able to obtain the solution my clients are looking for quickly and simply. I have worked on smaller simpler cases, as well as those that impact policy on local, state and federal levels. While...

Having been admitted to the bar in 2010, Meredith Gerhart has dedicated her legal career to various aspects of family law, with expertise in divorce, legal separation, modifications to parenting plans, adjustments to child support, paternity issues, and relocations. Beyond her private practice, Meredith assumes the role of Guardian ad Litem on the Thurston County Title 26 Guardian ad Litem registry. Court appointments frequently entrust her with the advocacy for young individuals in dependency proceedings initiated by the State of Washington. Differing from many of her colleagues, Meredith entered law school with a specific goal of becoming a family law practitioner. Her...

Attorney Cheryl Van Ackeren is passionate about protecting the rights of service members and ensuring that veterans get the benefits they deserve.
Long before graduating from Seattle University’s School of Law, Cheryl knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Cheryl enlisted in the Army at 18 to achieve her goal and hoped to take advantage of the “green to gold” program to become an officer, and eventually, a Judge Advocate General. Cheryl’s military career began in the signal corps with the 1st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Tx. Her enlistment included a 15 month deployment to Iraq during the early days of...