Top Divorce Lawyers in Seattle | 125 available

After a career as a therapist, I decided that I could be more effective at helping people overcome the difficulties in their lives as a lawyer. I now enjoy working to help families and children through the difficult transitions that are associated with divorce.

After 36 years of practice, certain lessons are learned.  One is that I simply enjoy this work.  I like mediating with parents that can work together.  It is fun to see them move from feeling overwhelmed to having a sense of control and hope for their futures.  I also enjoy the contested cases as they allow me to find ways to deal with an often difficult opposing spouse.  In both cases many clients return to normal life at the end of the case with a new understanding of themselves.  I cannot take credit for this.  It is their talent to make the best of a difficult situation that makes all the difference.. As an MSW social worker and a lawyer, I am interested in combining advocacy with insight to enhance my client’s capacity to deal with their ex-spouse and their children.. I am thankful for the steady stream of client referrals that have made my practice.  Each one of them has taught me something about how to be a better lawyer.. On a personal level I have three sons who I raised after their mother passed away when they were very young.  Raising children on one's own has taught me much about parenting.  Now that they are in college I have time for gardening, biking and giving back to the community that has given so much to me.

155+ successfully negotiated settlements have enabled Leslie’s clients to achieve their financial goals and strengthen parenting relationships.. 23 trial wins in complex trials of 5-18 days let Leslie’s clients know that they unfailingly have her best work.. Prevailing in five appeals confirms the equities Leslie’s clients achieved at trial.. For 18 years, Leslie has been motivated by the equity law offers for her clients. Her deep understanding of the law, its short-comings and its generosity, guides her work and pushes her to always look for more. In the courtroom, she is clear and determined. In settlement, she is reasoned, collaborative, and firm. She takes in stride the complexity of multi-million dollar trusts, businesses, and multi-country estates, while she remains focused on creating a path for the new lives her clients envision.. Leslie has received a Preeminent AV rating by Martindale Hubbell for legal ability and highest ethical standards. She is also named a 2019 Super Lawyer by SuperLawers of Thomson Reuters.. Leslie is chair of the Advisory Board of the U/W Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, where she works to support the global scholars program for first generation college students. She has served on the Executive Committee of Seattle Art Museum Supporters, and has judged mock trial and appellate advocacy competitions at U/W and Seattle U. She also cheers from afar her daughter, Corinne, who is pre-med at Wesleyan University. When she's not practicing law, you can find Leslie supporting her husband, Mark Olson, in his new adventure with his family farm.