Pierce County Lawyers

Picking the wrong maritime lawyer can be like drowning in a bath tub of salt water.But salt water runs through my veins. Being born in Seattle, My first salt water job as a longshoreman and ILWU membership starting at age 16. This was long before containerization and when longshoreman carried steel hooks for grabbing boxes, and the entire waterfront was controlled by the ILWU. I walked picket lines during strikes and learned what living without a wage means.I beame a lawyer after seeing what employer union busting looked like and how marine employers out-gunned and out lawyerd workers in...

Cristine Beckwith is a compassionate defender that will give you an honest assessment of your case. She can almost always uncover evidence that works in her client's favor, resulting in a case dismissal or significantly reduced charges.

Even if incriminating statements or an admission of guilt has been made to law enforcement, hope is not lost. A strong defense combined with a positive history in the community can still result in a favorable outcome.

Cristine is rated 10/10 by the Avvo lawyer rating service. She offers a reasonable flat fee pricing structure as well as a free consultation.

Tony is an energetic attorney whose approach to the practice of law is extremely client focused. He prides himself on communicating with clients openly and often, being extremely responsive to their needs, anticipating issues that may arise, and providing appropriate advice and counsel. Currently, he focuses his attention on the representation of clients in both civil and criminal traffic matters.

Tony was born and raised in Bremerton, Washington. He earned his B.S. in Economics from the University of Washington. After earning his B.S., Tony headed east to Spokane, where he earned his J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law. He was...

I have been a local resident of Pierce County for over 40 years and have strong ties with the local community. I am the proud father of two daughters and maintain active ties with my local church and community. Upon graduation from Seattle University in 1993, I decided to become a trial attorney. At the age of 25 years, I graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law and have been a successful trial attorney ever since. My experiences include being a former prosecutor with King County and the City of Auburn. I have successfully...

My philosophy in all cases is that there can be no fair resolution without a thorough review of each and every detail in a case. You can learn more about how I dissect a criminal case on my blog (located on our website) where I detail some of the methods I use to analyze how your defense will take shape. In my 16 years of trial experience as a felony-level prosecutor and a defense attorney, it is rare that the court documents accurately provide the Judge and the Prosecutor the true account of the situation. For me, every client must...

Tara Jayne Reck is the owner and managing attorney of Reck Law, PLLC. Based in Port Orchard, Washington, with several law offices throughout the Puget Sound region, Ms. Reck focuses her practice exclusively on workers' compensation law and helping injured employees across the state recover the full amount of finances they deserve so that they can cover their medical bills and lost wages and provide for themselves and their families.

A 2003 graduate of Seattle University, Ms. Reck returned to her alma mater and obtained her Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law in 2006. While in law school, she...

Angela Horwath is the owner of a 3 attorney firm that represents clients charged with crimes. She has successfully represented 1000s of clients in Washington and has a 10/10 rating on avvo. She is well liked by her clients and nearly 50 clients have provided online reviews of Ms. Horwath.

Jason Benjamin has spent the past 23 years immersing himself in the intricacies of family law and particularly child custody cases. He has personally handled more than 1000 cases where child custody is at issue.

He particularly welcomes families who have emergency custody, domestic violence or restraining order issues, as he can typically obtain appropriate orders within hours to protect you and the children.

From the beginning of his legal career, Jason has aggressively advocated on behalf of victims of domestic violence (even when domestic violence was not treated seriously by the courts). He understands the complexities of...

My practice is focused is focused on resolving debt issues, protecting assets, and litigation regarding the same for individuals and small to mid size businesses. Prior to founding Washington Debt Law, PLLC, I worked at one of the largest creditor side law firms, representing financial institutions in bankruptcy, eviction, foreclosure, and litigation matters.

Having both creditor and debtor side experience brings a nuanced approach in dealing with creditors as I am familiar with their tactics, budgets, resources, and how best to find an effective approach. Our major solutions focus on litigation, settlement, bankruptcy, and out of court...

Jordan Couch is a dedicated advocate for those in need. His commitment to helping people both in and out of the courtroom is what brought him to Palace Law.

Jordan grew up in the prairie land of eastern Montana. After high school he moved to Maryland where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. From there he travelled to Indiana and graduated from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law where he was awarded membership in the Order of Barristers. While in law school Jordan worked for NASA and clerked for judges in the Maryland Court of...

Ashton Dennis is a litigation and trial attorney focusing on representation individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injury or wrongful death. Ashton handles a wide range of cases often holding corporations, the government and individuals accountable for their actions. Ashton has litigated cases across the United States in both State and Federal Courts.

Ashton earned a dual degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Washington State University. He went on to obtain his law degree from Seattle University.

In 2014 and 2015, Ashton was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in Washington State, which is reserved for just...

PROTECTING YOUR MILITARY CAREER, YOUR ROAD TO RETIREMENT AND YOUR FAMILY'S FUTURE FINANCIAL SECURITY

Whatever your rank, worldwide location, charged offense or circumstance, your military career deserves more than just a competent legal defense. We "exclusively" defend active-duty members facing courts-martial around the world.

Stephen has published several articles on military justice, including: Federal Criminal Practice: A Military Justice Primer; A PTSD Primer: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things; Resolving the Torture Memo Conundrum by Court-Martial; Guantanamo 101: Rejecting Cruel, Unusual and Degrading Justice; Military Commissions: Justice Guantanamo Style; Defending Gay Soldiers Who Defend America; and Blessed are the Peacemakers: Remembering...

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...

There are few attorneys in the Pacific Northwest who possess as much knowledge and experience in the field of elder law as Eileen Peterson. In fact, she is the only attorney in Pierce County certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation since the program began in 1994.

Eileen has also served as Chair of the Guardianship Task Force for WSBA Elder Law Section from 2007-2013 and was the recipient of the WSBA Elder Law Exceptional Service Award in 2009. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on a wide range of topics including elder law, guardianship,...

I was a prosecutor for 15 years for the cities of Kent and Seattle. I serve or have served as a pro tem judge for the cities of Kent, Federal Way, Des Moines, Algona/Pacific and Issaquah. Since 2011 I have practiced as a defense attorney doing criminal defense, civil rights restoration, and protection order litigation. I represent individuals on cases from murder in the first degree to traffic infractions.

Marc is widely considered one of Washington state’s most accomplished divorce and family law attorneys. In practice since 1975, he focuses his practice on divorce cases involving complex financial and/or business interests. He’s also known for treating his clients with respect and compassion. In addition to litigation, he’s an experienced mediator, arbitrator and trained in Collaborative Law, offering alternative approaches to resolving divorce cases.

Get your case dismissed with a motion or because the government is unable to proceed. On a recent dismissal the Judge said she had not dismissed a case in 20 years but she was dismissing mine.

99%+ client satisfaction. All of our clients give us positive reviews.

Where I grew up in the mountainous Redwoods people prided themselves on their common sense. Common sense is not something frequently associated with the law. But there is a lot of common sense behind the ideas of the law. Re-introducing...

Janice Langbehn spent her first career in social work, primarily in Child Protective Services throughout Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis counties. During her 18-year career with the State of Washington, she worked with more than 1,000 children and families, while at the same time raising her own four adopted children and earning two Masters degrees in Social Work and Public Administration.

Upon retiring from social work Janice became an advocate for the LGBT community, seeking equal treatment for families in hospital visitations. In 2011 her work was recognized by President Barack Obama, who awarded her the second highest civilian honor in...

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...

Kenneth Gorton is a litigation attorney in Washington. He has dedicated his career to advocating for injured and disabled people. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, and represented hundreds of clients in personal injury, consumer protection, and other types of cases. Mr. Gorton received the highest possible rating by AVVO, one of the best-known ranking services for lawyers, which rates him as 10 out of 10 (superb). He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which only admits trial attorneys who have demonstrated “superior results in...

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...

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...

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...

Valarie Zeeck joined GTH in 1997. Her primary area of practice is employment law and litigation. She advises and provides training to owners, managers, and employees in employment law in order to help them reduce litigation expense and risk. She also defends employers in employment-related litigation, focusing on extracting clients from litigation at the earliest possible stage.

Valarie has written and co-authored several papers for legal publications and periodicals and has been a frequent speaker on legal matters at educational and business seminars. She is a member of the Pierce County chapter of Washington Women Lawyers.

I know divorce and family law inside-and-out. For the past decade, I've obtained outstanding results over-and-over again for hundreds of clients all over Pierce, King, and Snohomish County. Divorce and family law is all I do. I do it at the highest level. And I do it a value most others cannot.

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...

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...

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...

Dianne’s practice areas include environmental law, real estate litigation, natural resources law, and land use. Her commitment to these issues also extends to her life outside of work. She has co-authored articles about environmental issues and litigation, and she served as a member and officer of the Board of Trustees of the AgForestry Education Foundation from 2007 to 2012. Dianne also served on the Point Defiance Zoo Society’s Board of Directors for 11 years, including as President, and was chair of the 2013 Zoobilee. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the fabulous Symphony Tacoma.

Rita Herrera Irvin is a partner at McKinley Irvin, one of the largest and most exceptional family law firms in the Pacific Northwest region. She helped found the firm with Sands McKinley in 1991. Rita prides herself on being a tough advocate for her clients so that they can have the best possible chance of success. She takes the time to get to know her clients so that their goals can become her goals. Rita attended Seattle University School of Law, graduating with her J.D. in 1991. She is also a past board member with Centro Latino, a Trustee with...

John Cyr is a founding partner of the Law Offices of Johnson & Cyr and a lifelong resident of Washington State. John is a rising attorney in the legal field with a record of not guilty verdicts and dismissals.

John started his legal career in private practice where he aggressively and successfully litigated cases involving workers’ compensation, employment discrimination, property disputes and real estate litigation. John took a natural affinity for advocating for the rights of the underprivileged and wrongfully accused and quickly expanded his practice to include personal injury and criminal defense. John has successfully negotiated highly favorable settlements for...

I graduated Seattle University School of law and immediately began working at the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office. After two years with the Prosecutor's Office, I joined Durflinger Oliver & Associates where I help those who have been accused of committing crimes. I have handled thousands of cases ranging from domestic violence to DUI's. I have helped hundreds of clients keep or restore their driving privileges by prevailing in administrative hearings with the the Department of Licensing. I have also helped many clients vacate felony and misdemeanor convictions and restore their firearm rights. My previous experience as a prosecutor...

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.

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.

Warren’s primary area of practice is labor and employment law. In this capacity, he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, termination, wage-and-hour litigation, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, and day-to-day advice.

If client loyalty and satisfaction are any measure of an attorney’s success, then Warren has a lot to proud of. After 30 years, he continues to represent his first legal client, a chain of locally owned grocery stores. In fact, he has worked for many of his clients for several decades. Some of his other long-term clients include Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Housing Authority,...

Attorney Moses has been defending juvenile and Family Law Clients in the courtroom since 1999. Whether your case is a divorce, legal separation, child custody and support, spousal support, domestic violence, or guardianship, he has the experience and resources necessary to achieve a successful outcome of your case. He has a strong background in defending the rights of individuals, and is competent to handle your case from beginning to end, with thoughtful attention to detail, whether it be at the negotiating table or in the courtroom.

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...