Top Probate Lawyers in ZIP 98502 | 4 available

My role is to put my client in the best possible situation, and utilize my knowledge, experience and expertise to help my client reach the optimum resolution for whatever issue or problem my client is facing. Those resolutions are client specific, and wholly dependent on the goals of each individual client.

I have been in private practice in Thurston County, Washington since 1996.  My practice is primarily focused on family law cases.  I was previously certified as a Guardian ad Litem for minor children by the Thurston County Superior Court.  I also served as an adjunct professor at South Puget Sound Community College for ten years, teaching the family law (domestic relations) course.  In addition to working as an attorney in private practice, I serve as a Pro Tem Judge/Court Commissioner for Thurston County Superior Court.

Estate Planning for the Whole FamilyWe work with families of all kinds; those who are married or single, with a traditional family or a blended one, and those who are just starting out or looking at a life well-lived.. I graduated with honors from the University of Washington School of Law in 1980. After working in the legal field for 28+ years, I took a 10-year break before returning to law in 2022.. So, I AM BACK! I am rebuilding what I started with the benefit of my life experience and the resources of the Personal Family Lawyer program. The programs systems create an efficiency that allows me to focus on what I like best: getting to know our clients so we can create comprehensive customized plans for them.. I am the proud mother of Megan and Alec and grandmother of Jameson and triplets; McKinley, Jaden and Jaxson.. Because of my grandparenting experience, I am especially interested in working with grandparents – who want to protect themselves, their wonderful adult children, and their adored grandchildren.. A former client who wants to work with me again, says: “Thank you for coming back to help those of us who love your wonderful help with our futures and how we want t leave things for our loved ones. You are the best! Thank you, Melanie D.”.. We start by scheduling a Wealth Planning Session (which usually lasts 2 hours). Once scheduled, we send a Life and Legacy Inventory and Assessment to be completed as best you can before the Wealth Planning Session. We also ask for copies of all Deeds, financial statements evidencing your ownership of bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and annuities, as well as stocks or bond certificates. In addition, we need copies of any LLC or Partnership Agreements and your previous estate planning documents. At that session, I make recommendations regarding a customized estate plan and the corresponding flat fee; half of which is paid upfront and the balance paid at the completion of the estate plan. (Because we don’t bill hourly for estate planning, there are no surprises.) The signing of the documents usually takes place 4 weeks after the planning session.. After completion and implementation of the estate plan, we offer free 3-year review sessions to determine if there is a need for a change in your estate plan. (The client is responsible for scheduling those 3-year reviews).. We also offer plans by which we provide life and legacy planning to family members, such as adult children, parents and grandparents.