Malo Lawyers

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...

Ben Melnick joined Schauermann Thayer in 2018, and he became a partner in 2020. He graduated with a BA from Washington State University in 2010, and he earned his JD from Gonzaga University School of Law. His practice focuses on personal injury, auto, motorcycle, and biking accidents, wrongful death, and insurance disputes. He is licensed to practice in all Washington and Oregon state and federal courts. Ben is active in the legal community. He is an Eagle Member of the Washington State Association for Justice, and has chaired the WSAJ Clark County Round Table since 2017. Ben...

For six years I've helped clients in the Pacific Northwest deal with debt collectors. While I can help clients who have any type of consumer debt whether it's credit card, utility bill, micro-loans, etc., I have particular expertise in defending medical bills. People often do not know that they have very specific and powerful rights when dealing with a collection agency. If you have been contacted by a debt collector I can likely help.

I was one of the founders of my firm, Navigate Law Group. A core value of our firm is to try to expand access to the...

Attorney McAleer has primarily devoted his practice to criminal defense with a focus on defending those accused of sex crimes and other major felony crimes. Attorney McAleer’s approach to these cases and attention to detail has earned him a local, state and national reputation which was achieved by passionately representing hundreds of clients charged with essentially every type of criminal offense.

With over a decade of experience in corporate law, regulatory compliance, and expansion strategy, I am committed to providing practical, results-oriented legal solutions for small businesses and individuals. As the Managing Attorney at Heritage Legal Advisors, I focus on helping clients navigate the complexities of business formation, contracts, and estate planning to safeguard their assets and achieve their goals. Having managed multi-million-dollar commercial agreements and advised on mergers, acquisitions, and market expansions, I bring big-business expertise to small business clients. My career includes saving clients significant costs through meticulous risk management, efficient contract negotiation, and regulatory compliance strategies. In estate planning, I...

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...

Practicing law in Washington and Oregon for 20 years in the areas of domestic and international tax law, simple and complex estate planning, business formations, business transactions, family succession and legacy planning.

PATRICK A. PALACE is the owner of Palace Law, a firm of workers' compensation and personal injury attorneys. Patrick was the President of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) 2013-2014. He is a member of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (2014-present) that prepares and trains Bar leadership nationwide. Currently serving on the NCBP Executive Counsel. He is currently the co-chair of the 21st Century Lawyer NCBP committee. He chaired the WSBA Future of the Profession Committee 2013-2015. Additionally, he served on the WSBA Board of Governors from 2008 – 2011, the Washington Association of Justice Board...

I am curious about your story and want you to feel heard throughout your legal process, whether it is estate planning, a probate, a guardianship application, or something else. I want to level with you so I can give you quality advice that helps you move forward. About me: I live in Lakewood, Washington with my husband, but grew up in British Columbia. I am very active in my church, and I got a puppy in 2023 so I could compete in dog agility. If you are curious about me, please don't hesitate to call. I would love to know...

Kelsey Morfitt is a former United States Air Force attorney and hails from Enumclaw, Washington.

Kelsey graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and majored in Spanish and Political Science. She graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington while serving as a member of Gonzaga Law Review and interning for the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, Washington State Attorney General’s Office Social and Health Services Division, Washington State Senate Committee Services, and the Chambers of Judge Robert Whaley in federal district court. Kelsey also completed service projects in Honduras with...

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.

Nicholas (Cole) Douglas is a partner at Cochran Douglas, which has its offices in Tacoma, Washington. Concentrating his practice on personal injury matters, ranging from car accidents to product liability and wrongful death, he also takes on sexual abuse cases, serving clients throughout the state of Washington. Douglas is a compassionate and empathic attorney, taking the time to listen to his clients and answering all their questions. He provides personalized solutions for each of his clients cases and understands the pain they must be going through, especially when they are injured by another person’s careless actions. Graduating cum laude and with dean’s...

Jordan K. Foster, Criminal Defense Attorney I started my career doing real estate, business, and construction law. A few years back, I decided a change of pace was in order and began practicing criminal defense law. Since entering the criminal defense arena, I have been voted a Rising Star in Criminal Defense Law by Washington Super Lawyers in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Today I focus primarily on criminal defense. I assist people facing misdemeanors, felonies, and traffic infractions. I am an active member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association, and...

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...

Matthew White is one of the founders of South Sound Law Group, along with his father, William White and his sister, Erin White. As a family owned and run law firm, South Sound Law Group does things a bit differently, and it shows, as they have a reputation in the community for caring, effective, and lasting advocacy.

Although the main office is located in Tacoma, WA, Matt and the rest of the team at South Sound Law Group regularly handle both criminal and civil matters all over western Washington.

Matt represents Washington residents, as well as visitors, tourists, and military members, on...

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...

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.

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...

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)...

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.

His primary areas of practice at GTH include environmental law with an emphasis on negotiations, mediation and litigation involving responsibility for hazardous and toxic waste cleanup. Brad has extensive experience in complex securities and business litigation, he has prosecuted several successful class actions, and he is often asked to speak about hazardous waste issues, environmental master planning, and liability issues affecting real estate transactions.

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.

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...

Scott Ellerby is a partner in the firm. His main areas of practice are real estate litigation, probate, trusts and estates litigation, municipal law, creditor-debtor law, commercial transactions and commercial litigation. He has lectured at numerous legal seminars over the past 25 years on topics in his practice areas, and has represented a wide range of private clients and public entities in negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and bench and jury trials. Scott was a contributing author of the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, and was chair of the King County Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Section. He earned his B.A....

Steve Wells is a criminal defense attorney with nearly two decades of experience, including 10 years practicing in Alaska. He handles criminal cases at the state and federal level, and has a 97% record of success. Steve’s commitment to excellence has earned him the recognition of his peers, with inclusion in the 2014 edition of the Alaska Super Lawyers list and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He takes an active role in the profession, such as by serving on the board of directors for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and as a founding president of...

As a fourth generation Washington lawyer, Hunter developed an early interest in the legal profession. He was drawn to the profession’s challenges and complexities, as well as the sound judgment required of good lawyers. Hunter pursued his interest at the University of Washington School of Law. There he researched and authored reports on modern legal issues for Law School Dean Kellye Testy and served as managing editor of the Washington International Law Journal. Hunter also served as a legal extern to United States District Court Judge Robert J. Bryan. Hunter’s practice areas include business and commercial litigation, municipal liability, insurance...

Matthew Kaminski was born and raised in South Florida, attending the University of Florida for undergrad and then Florida A&M College of Law for his Juris Doctorate.

After two years of practice, he relocated to Washington State and began a law office in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle. Mr. Kaminski was later recruited to assist Ashby Law as a senior managing attorney in order to help develop their office, including their Yakima office.

Mr. Kaminski fell in love with Yakima and the surrounding Valley and with the assistance of his partner Brooke Barnes founded Yakima Law PLLC.

Christopher Small is the owner of CMS Law Firm LLC, the Northwest's premiere estate planning, probate, and trust administration law firm. CMS Law Firm focuses on estate planning for one reason - legacy and family protection are at the forefront of their philosophy and beliefs. Christopher is the proud father of three kids, Blakely, Jackson, and Dillon, and understands how important it is to make sure families have the protection and safety they need to excel no matter the circumstances.

Some of the routine matters we handle include, wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney, health care...

Im a DUI Attorney in Seattle, WA. I started my legal career at the Spokane Public Defenders Office in 2004. After 2 years I got a job in Seattle, WA at the largest criminal defense firm in the State. While there I handled a wide variety of criminal cases and represented thousands of individuals. In 2010 I started my own practice Leyba Defense PLLC, a Seattle DUI Law Firm focusing on DUI and other serious traffic offenses. In my career I have litigated over a 100 jury trials to verdict, and I currently have an...

A Pacific Northwest native, I grew up on Whidbey Island before moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. I received my law degree magna cum laude from Vermont Law School and was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2011. Prior to joining Gillin Law Group, I was of counsel at Genesis Law Firm for three years and an associate at Purcell Legal & Mediation Services for two years. Prior to that, I was an Assistant City Attorney with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for three years.

Before fighting for people who were injured, I worked at one of the largest insurance-defense litigation firms in Portland, Oregon. I defended the people who caused the injuries. I gained litigation experience and knowledge and understanding about how insurance companies evaluate and analyze claims and their strategies to defend against those claims. This knowledge and experience empowers me to help my clients' cases. When I am not working, my personal time is filled by spending time with my wife and three active little boys. When I am not chasing and playing with my boys, I enjoy computer games,...

A Graduate of Gerry Spence’s renowned Trial Lawyers College, Todd, has been helping people through troubled times for years. It started with working as the Public Defender for the City of Clarkston in 1997, the ability to care for clients as people set Todd apart. It continues today; clients find they have more than just an attorney representing them, they have someone who cares about them, and a firm that works for them. The professional, yet personal, touch that is brought to each case from this firm is part of what makes it remarkable. Dedicated and experienced staff know your...

Anthony was raised in Kodiak, Alaska and began commercial fishing at age 10. He received a USCG Captains license in 1979, held it for 40 years, and continues to fish Bristol Bay and Crab on the West Coast, serving as captain. Anthony has seen almost every imaginable maritime situation from sinking to serious injuries, recovering damages for the victims, including representation of fisherman in major oil spills. Consultations are free, and you can call 206-859-3400 24/7 Contingent Fee Basis for most cases Case Example: $10,000,000.00 (ten million dollars) Bond/Letter of Undertaking, for commercial fisherman and their families,...

I opened my private law practice Parnell Defense in 2006. However, before then I worked as one of WA’s leading criminal defense lawyers. After graduating law school in 1998 I started practicing criminal justice first as a public defender. Eventually I was hired as the former lead jury trial attorney for one of the busiest DUI defense law firms in Washington. I have extensive knowledge of the DUI process and am never afraid to go to trial. Over the last 22 years, I’ve tried hundreds of cases and spoken at numerous DUI seminars for WA attorneys. I am an active member...

Jason Murphy is a distinguished trial attorney with over a decade of experience litigating personal injury cases in New York City and now in Washington State. His practice focuses on complex personal injury litigation, specifically cases involving general negligence, wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, products liability, and construction accidents. Over the years, Jason has built a reputation as a steadfast litigator who never wavers from his goal of achieving justice for his clients and for their families.

In recognition of his superior litigation skills, Jason was named a Rising Star for New York’s Greater Metropolitan Area by the esteemed legal rating...

Jarrod Hays is the founder of Skyview Law. Jarrod earned his law degree from Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College in 2008 and started his practice in Seattle soon after, practicing in the fields of Criminal Defense, Family Law, Personal Injury, and Real Estate. He also co-founded the e-commerce firm Hayo, LLC and worked as its operations manager for from 2014 to 2018, guiding it to doubling its revenue every year he was there. He is licensed to practice law in Washington State and the Western District of Washington State Federal Court.

Jarrod is rated as one...

Eamonn P.S. Roach was born and raised in Pasco and graduated from Tri-Cities Prep High School. He has a large extended family in the area and has called Pasco home even when he left for school, work, or travel.

Eamonn attended Seattle University and during his junior year he studied abroad in Puebla, Mexico. He graduated in 2007, majoring in International Studies & Politics with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, he lived for a year in Hanzhou, China to study Mandarin Chinese. Eamonn then returned to the United States and attended Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington.

Eamonn presently...