Cowlitz County Family Lawyers

I am an attorney who specializes in comprehensive Estate Planning and Uncontested Probate. I help people set up Trusts, Wills, and Powers of Attorney. To give my clients peace of mind, I create custom plans to address their specific goals and concerns. As I narrowly focus on this area of law, I have expertise beyond that of a general practitioner. Also, I provide services on a flat-fee basis whenever possible, so that clients do not have to worry about being billed every time they have a quick question. What also differentiates me from other attorneys is that I train financial advisors,...

Elizabeth is an experienced litigator and practitioner in the areas of juvenile law, family law, business law and criminal defense. Within the area of family law, she has represented clients in parenting and child support, parentage, nonparental custody, dissolution, modification, and adoption cases. Within juvenile law, Elizabeth has experience with Becca Bill cases (Truancy, At Risk Youth, and Children In Need of Services), representation of youth in juvenile dependency proceedings, and juvenile offender matters. She has successfully resolved many criminal matters including domestic violence cases, assault, DUI, MIP (minor in possession), violations of the Vancouver Municipal Code, unlawful camping, trespass,...

Erica has dedicated her practice exclusively to the area of family law, handling divorce, separation, support, custody, and relocation matters with sincerity and confidence. Erica is knowledgeable and professional in her advocacy and she is passionate about helping individuals and parents through difficult times.

Erica graduated from Rhodes College in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a minor in English. Prior to earning her law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2012, Erica spent a year in private practice litigating employment disputes and ERISA matters on behalf of employers, plan fiduciaries, and...

As a family law practitioner, I am motivated by helping people through complex and emotionally difficult legal situations. I work with each client to define their goals and then provide an effective strategy well supported in the law to achieve those objectives. I focus my practice on family law issues, including divorce, child custody, child support, modifications, and relocation. I also handle collaborative divorce, de facto parentage and non-parental custody, step-parent adoption, and LGBT family law. Before becoming an attorney, I worked for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office as a legal advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual...

Lisa E. Martin feels rewarded when she has helped her clients recover their peace of mind.

“I am moved when clients who felt hopeless come out of the divorce process feeling like life isn’t so bad. It’s an overall feeling of ‘I’m going to be okay, and I’m going to land on my feet.’”

Lisa has twenty years of family law experience, and has litigated countless divorce cases in both Washington and Oregon. Her clients regard her as approachable and easy to talk to.

“I owe it to my clients to educate them and help them make the best choices, so that everyone...

Deanna Rusch is a highly respected family law and divorce attorney in Vancouver, WA known for her intellect, humor, and straightforward yet kind approach to solving her clients’ challenges. Her practice includes all areas of family law, with an emphasis on complex divorce, relocation, inter-state, and UCCJEA issues. She is particularly skilled in assisting divorce clients who own businesses or other complex financial assets. She has been ranked a Rising Star by Washington Super Lawyers every year since 2010 and has been named a “Washington Outstanding Young Lawyer” by Seattle Met magazine. While the legal complexities of family law can...

Priest and Ellis PLLC is a Vancouver WA law firm, whose attorneys practice Divorce and Family Law, Criminal Law, and Guardianship and Estate Planning law. We practice law with a better perspective. We emphasize building strong relationships with clients, based on good communication and using negotiation and litigation skills to achieve favorable results. Our specific areas of practice are diverse and include divorce, collaborative law, child custody, modifications, paternity, child support, criminal defense, DUI, domestic violence, felony charges, guardianships, probate, wills and trust, and much more. Call today to schedule a lawyer consultation in our convenient...

Family law attorney Casey Sanders is fiercely committed to his client’s well-being. He understands that his clients are dealing with stress and uncertainty, and is determined to protect what is most important to them. Casey focuses his practice on divorce and custody cases, including parenting plans and parenting plan modifications. He is an active member of the Vancouver community and the Clark County Bar Association.

Teresa Foster is Partner in Charge at McKinley Irvin's Vancouver office. A former social worker, she is now regarded as one of the most skilled family law attorneys in Vancouver. Teresa is a knowledgeable and formidable advocate with exceptional courtroom skills who focuses her practice on complex divorce cases, especially those involving high net worth property division, complex child custody issues, international family law, relocation, third party custody, and unmarried couples. She has successfully litigated cases in both Washington and Oregon. Teresa believes in providing her clients with personalized and responsive service, keeping her clients informed on the status of...

Jeff’s practice is primarily family law and criminal defense. He enjoys complex family law cases, involving businesses and other complicated scenarios. He has also done work in construction defect cases. Jeff especially enjoys helping people to clean up their criminal record through vacations/expungements and restoring rights to buy firearms.
In addition to helping establish compliance procedures for highly regulated industries, he is also certified in Collaborative Law. Jeff is an avid believer in alternative dispute resolution, due to its low-conflict approach to settling a dispute outside of the courtroom, and the benefits it serves to all parties involved.

Zach Walsh’s background spans the globe, from litigating criminal and family law cases in the Pacific Northwest’s smallest jurisdictions to fighting piracy in Moscow. Prior to joining McKean Smith to practice criminal and family law, Zach honed his courtroom skills as a prosecutor, and as an attorney at one of Portland’s largest family law firms.

Zach has the experience to manage complex criminal and family law cases; he also knows how to help clients protect their liberties and navigate the complicated intersection of family and criminal law. He doggedly pursues just and expedient resolutions on complicated legal matters for his clients....

When legal issues interrupt your life, getting caring and competent legal representation can be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Whether facing serious injuries caused by another, criminal charges, divorce or custody issues, at the Dalton Law Office, PLLC, we strive to put our clients’ needs first. We know our clients are real people who deserve our attention, compassion, respect and full support.

We zealously advocate for those involved in automobile collisions and other accidents, those who are accused of crimes. and for people in transition in their marriage and families.

At the Dalton Law...

Danielle has practiced divorce and family law since 2014. She devotes herself to providing each client with information he or she needs to decide if collaborative, mediation, or litigation is right for him or her. From there Danielle works with her client to help them through the process with compassion and understanding. Separation is a difficult time and she helps people find a new path.

Danielle's office is in downtown Vancouver, WA and she accepts cases in Clark County, WA.

Kirsten A. Samwel founded her law firm with a genuine desire to solve client problems effectively and efficiently. Her motivation lies in helping clients through their legal issues compassionately, while advocating on behalf of those clients in a tough and competent manner. Kirsten has a reputation for being an approachable, open-minded attorney. She is someone you can talk to and is a bright, well-qualified lawyer who dedicates herself to achieving her client’s goals. Kirsten Samwel is a trusted counselor and attorney at law whose practice area emphasizes...

I am a third-generation Vancouver, WA resident, and I'm proud to currently serve as an attorney to the community I was born and raised in. Throughout my college years, I lived in places such as, Honolulu, HI, Albertville, France, Seattle, WA, Salem, OR, and San Mateo, CA. I have also traveled extensively throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Mexico, and Canada. My goal is to provide excellent legal advice and services to my clients by utilizing my world experience, along with my grounded, hometown knowledge in order to best suit each client's individual needs.

AA Comparative Literature, BYU. Provo, UT BA Sociology, Loretta Heights College. Denver, CO MA Creative Writing/Poetry, Rutgers Graduate School. Newark, NJ JD Doctor of Jurisprudence, University of Utah College of Law. SLC, UT Certified Mediator, Washington Mediation Association, 2009 - present. Certified Lifecycle Celebrant in Funerals/Memorials, Ceremonies for Healing. Reiki Master, 2009 - present. Ordained Minister with First Nation Church-Cherokee 2014 - present. Formed McKELL GRAFF, PLLC: March, 2003 Associate Attorney, WALSTEAD MERTSCHING, PLLC 2002-2003 JD Paralegal and Mediator, STEVEN ALLEN SMITH, PC 1999-2002 Adjunct Professor: Weber State University, Ogden, UT Salt Lake Community College, SLC, UT Rutgers Law School, Newark, NJ Rutgers College of Arts and Sciences, Newark, NJ University of Medicine and...

Ms. Jeffers is known to be a strong advocate for her clients during negotiations and when arguing in front of judges and juries. She treats her clients as the individual people they are and makes sure they understand the process every step of the way.

Ms. Jeffers is admitted to both the Oregon and Washington Bar Associations and has been working in criminal defense since 2005. Her membership has included the Clark County Bar Association, Washington Women Lawyers, Northwest Indian Bar, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Trial Bar Association, Washington Defender Association, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and she...

Faye BreitReed is a passionate and skilled attorney committed to using her extensive knowledge and experience to help families in crisis resolve their legal matters. Faye puts her clients at ease with superior listening skills and a calming demeanor. Although she is a strong advocate in high conflict litigation, she strives to resolve cases outside of court whenever possible. Faye represents clients in all areas of family law and has specialized training in tax preparation. This experience makes her particularly effective when tax issues arise in family law matters.

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.

After earning two master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration, Janice Langbehn started her career as a social worker for the State of Washington. Upon retiring from social work, Janice became an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, seeking equal rights and treatment for families regarding hospital visitations. In 2011 her work as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community was recognized by President Barack Obama who awarded her the second highest civilian honor in the country: the Presidential Citizen's Medal. That same year, she was presented with the National Liberty Award for securing hospital visitation for same-sex couples...

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...

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...

I enjoy helping people out, and my career as a divorce, custody, and personal injury attorney allows me to do just that. Clients need someone who they are comfortable around and who they can trust. I understand that family matters are deeply personal and that you are a real life person and not just another case.

I am the owner and lead attorney at Seacoma Law, PLLC with offices in Tacoma and Seattle. If you are looking for compassionate, candid, and personalized advice, you have come to the right place.

I have represented hundreds of clients...

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...