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01 May, 2024 by Brittany
I hired Hillary and she is the exact lawyer I needed and will use in the future. Hillary is definitely experienced and knows what she is doing. When in the court room she is very prepared and professional and knows exactly what to say. Hillary and Renee (her assistant) are very good at communicating. You will not be disappointed I have had a very difficult case but Hillary is very experienced and she knew how to deal with it. I will definitely use her in the future!
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20 Feb, 2023 by Kera
Hillary was recommended to me when my divorce became too complex and high conflict. Hillary was professional, understanding and amazing at all of our hearings and then at our trial. She is incredibly smart and knows the ins and outs of the law, is always prepared, and pays great attention to details. She is a warrior who fought hard for me and my kids and I would highly recommend her as being the best and was able to work miracles for us!
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06 Feb, 2022 by Janette
Hillary did an amazing job for me. My ex and his lawyer were throwing every curveball imaginable to disrupt, disarm and cause harm to my fragile state of emotional and financial ruin of a left over marriage. Hillary took over after I had to fire my previous lawyer who ran up the bill by responding to every outrageous thing my ex and his lawyer could dream up. I was living in a nightmare and Hillary came to the rescue. She picked up the pieces quickly and supported me as best as she could. She did not overcharge and indeed helped me to save money by letting me know that we didn't have to respond to every little crisis the other team was dreaming up. In the end I was lucky to have walked away with some of things from my nineteen year marriage. I should have hired Hillary from the beginning. She is incredibly smart, thinks on her feet and is supportive of her clients. We had a hard time at court and Hillary admitted it but it was through no fault of her own. She worked wonders at having my best friend and mother dismissed as his witnesses on the stand and I am forever grateful to her that she fought for my right to return to school to continue an education so that I could support myself after 19 years as a stay at home parent. From what I know now my case was very hard and messy but Hillary championed me through it with ongoing optimism. Thank you Hillary. Anyone who reads this needs to know that she and Renee her assistant really will have your best interest at heart and will work hard to help you no matter what gets thrown their way.
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23 Oct, 2020 by John and jeri suzuki
My husband and I are very pleased with Birnbaum Law Offices. We have known Adam for many years and he has advised us on LLC partnership formation and operations, realestate partnership contract consultation, and even personal family business matters. He is trustworthy, reliable, and extremely competent and experienced in his field. Thank you Adam!
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16 Apr, 2019 by Joe and mary
We used Adam several times and only wish we could use him for all our land deals, but we are out of the area he likes to service. He not only got results in a short time but explains the steps so well and is just a very personal person. I would recommend to anyone!
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03 Apr, 2017 by Anonymous
Adam has been the attorney for our company since he took over for Matt. He knows exactly how to handle any situation we throw at him and his staff especially Vickie are the best. Whenever anyone at out company has a legal question Vickie makes sure we get the answer we need. I would recommend Adam to anyone who needs an attorney.
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15 Aug, 2009 by D
Merry does a great job and is a good value.
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09 Oct, 2024 by Anonymous
Tom is a great attorney who is very experienced in family law. He not only slammed the other party, he slammed the other attorney by catching his every mistake, missed deadline, and had the ability to quickly motion to strike when rules aren't followed. He is accurate in predicting how the court may rule and his judgement is spot on. His level of service is what you want from an attorney as a small practice. You get prompt and timely responses, honest billing, quality and attention to detail. I would highly suggest reaching out if you have a legal matter in his field of practice before calling a larger firm where you are left in the dark except when it's time to pay the bill.
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06 Feb, 2024 by Anonymous
We went to Consult him about our concerns. I had a lengthy story skipping around dates cos its from memory. He told me how much and what needed to be done. He was straight to the point and gave a lot of information in how to solve the problem and where we went wrong. Due to the amount we could not afford, we learned and went away happy. Good Job
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01 Mar, 2023 by William
Tom is on point. Amy too. I couldn't be happier. They acted fast. Quick response to my calls and emails. Made it easy. Communication was perfect. Highly, HIGHLY, recommend Thomas Baldwin.
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18 Sep, 2024 by Melissa
I hired Chelsea to assist me with a traffic ticket. She handled the case very quickly and was able to have the ticket reduced and not appear on my driving record! I would definitely hire her again!
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13 May, 2024 by Anonymous
I consulted with her and spent $200 for her legal advice. After taking my $200 which would have been applied to a retainer- she never called me, sent me a retainer, and basically ghosted me. I have a very basic family law issue and not sure why she took my consult money just to ghost me. Unprofessional, rude, and a scam!
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08 Feb, 2022 by Anonymous
I hired Chelsea for my family law matter. She has always communicated clearly, quickly, and made sure to take the time to explain everything that was happening. She also made sure to keep me informed of all possible outcomes. She showed compassion, patience, and sympathy for my situation and I truly felt like she cared about me and my family. In the courtroom, she was professional and courteous towards everyone and stayed calm and cool under pressure. I feel like she was always prepared for every possibility. I highly recommend her!
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25 Feb, 2022 by Jk
Donna and her staffs have been very responsive with my uncontested divorce proceedings of my Vietnamese ex-wife who left me outright 6 months after she got her US Citizenship. I researched online and interviewed divorcees on the pricing bracket, and it was within the range. I must admit I asked little too many questions and repeats for me to be sure and understood were what piled up the bill. If I had enough confidence in myself, knew for sure that the divorce would be uncontested, and easily communicate with ex-wife directly, I would go to different direction for half less in total expenses or lesser in by doing the other way. I choose Donna because she was two out of five lawyers that responded right away, is local, near Costco, expert, good reviews, and was referred by Employee Assistance Plan (Magellan Ascend). I will utilize her service again as needed. On the few silly minor downsides: seems staff turnover seems to be high during the pandemic, one staff charged annoying 0.05 hour of service but bill as 0.1 hour to round to the nearest tenths, staff got my email wrong first few times by using gmail.com instead hotmail.com, and Donna didn’t graduate with law degree in WA State at least she was certified to practice law in WA with law degree outside WA state.
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01 Nov, 2021 by Anonymous
I cannot put into words how horrible my experience was with this law firm. I had never had to hire a lawyer before so I did not know what to expect, but I should have paid attention to the red flags I had from just the intake call. Made an appointment to talk with Donna, desk associate had to call back because she had not written down my name. Go to pay the cashier and even after an email asking for the receipt they said I would receive, but didn't, still didn't get one. Received my papers to sign via an app called DocuSign and 4 times they had me signing in the wrong place and I had to do it again. I had an uncontested- open and close- divorce case. I was quoted 1,500 with a retainer of 3,000. I wasn't told I would be assigned to C. Tucker and not Person, whom I'd spoke to, but I didn't initially mind, until I had to call back a week after I signed on to even get the name of who my lawyer would be. Then for the appointment I made to speak with her for the first time, I had to call in an hour later because she'd forgotten to call me. From there the list goes absolutely bonkers of questions I wasn't asked, questions she refused to answer, paperwork that was filled out with wrong information on paperwork that they didnt explain, to Losing the info I'd sent multiple times, to charging for 20 mins of actual 5 mins of phone conversations. She charged me for every mistake they had to go back and fix. It was only after 3 email threads I CC'd to Person of the mind-boggling incompetence and the fact that Tucker spend 400$ of my money sending a server to my ex, that was admitted by Person that it was a waste of time and money, did Tucker get fired. Donna then took on my case herself and finished the almost complete job, but absolutely refused to make things right with the money the person she hired squandered. Stating she had to eat the 600$ of work she had to do. So a total of over 3,600$ was what it costs to get an uncontested divorce. Save yourself in incredible and expensive headache and just RUN!
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25 Apr, 2019 by Anonymous
I am going through a divorce with someone who doesn’t want one, in emergency situations where I’ve felt trapped, in danger and controlled she has stepped in and been responsive along with her staff to protect not only me but my girls. I am thankful I hired her and to have her and her staff who quickly respond and together address all issues to keep us as safe as possible.
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15 Jun, 2017 by Anonymous
Greg Webley is nothing but a big fat liar and a thief I hired him to take on my case. He kept asking for more money. He took on my case and worked against me!! He's a hot headed con! He lied to my face and said he was all for me until we were in the court room then he worked against me! Hire him if you want to get locked up, dis respected, have your bank account emptied by Mr.Webley and lied to over and over!!!!! You would get a better attorney out of a Cracker Jack box!!!!!!
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13 Apr, 2015 by Damian
We met with him to do a contested adoption in which he stated he did so the time But that was definitely not the truth. After taking $8000 from us he had nothing to show for the money except he filed a petition for adoption. Webley and his assistant continually dodged our calls and emails until finally i went down to his office and demanded an update. He informed me he was out of money and needed more to continue so we asked for an invoice for all the money we had already given him. He said he would need a week or two to put an invoice together (fabricate one more likely). Don't make the same mistake we did.
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11 Jul, 2013 by Anonymous
Greg did great by me and my children. He is very no nonsense and will tell you exactly what you need to hear-on another note his secretary will tell you her entire life story, loudly and non-stop, it was the only downfall of Greg. I will also recommend Greg to anyone I know although I will advice them that Jacki is hard to handle sometimes....she seems to forget its about the client and not about her stories
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13 Mar, 2015 by Ron
My ex used the legal system in WA state to put me in an extremely bad way. Apparently, I "attacked my son." She even admitted it to me as a lie and I informed Mr. Smith about this statement. He said, "well it worked." Throughout my divorce he didn't advise me one time. He always asked me, what I wanted to do. I'm not the expert, I hoped he was and he charged me as if he was. A friend advised me to use Hillary Holmes as he did, I wish I had. He said Hillary was all over it and he felt she really protected him and had his back. Mr. Smith didn't even have my file available at the settlement conference and I got my clock cleaned. I talked with the judge about my issues or distortions my ex said about our finances in an effort to help myself. Not a word from Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith certainly didn't wait to invoice me, however. If you're a man, look elsewhere.................Please!!!!!!!!!!......... This guy won't help you in the slightest. He believes everything the other attorney tells him...........I mean everything.
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15 Dec, 2014 by Daryl
Dan took on my 2 year long divorce case with ONE month to go before my trial. Being a father in the state of Washington and fighting for joint custody, I honestly didn't think I had a chance. I was wrong! Dan not only got me joint custody, he saved me a lot of money too! He absolutely owned that courtroom and did his homework- only 1 month before my trial! Trust me when I tell you this.. Dan is THE man! Highly recommend!
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02 Dec, 2014 by Laurie
Mr. Daniel Smith took over my divorce case at the halfway point; it was spinning out of control. He stepped in and quickly made progress in a professional and steady way. He negotiated an excellent settlement for me. I am extremely happy with all aspects of the service he provided.
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08 Jun, 2022 by Amy
Dennis casey was supposed to file adoption papers soon as signed papers. Never did. I opted out the adoption. Never answered my calls until I found his email online and made a paper receipt. He and the supposed adoptive parents called cps on Me. But by the Grace of God cps only is requiring me to do an agreed family services instead of dragging me thru court. He's behind a scheme and hurting families. Be careful!!!!
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31 May, 2016 by Anonymous
Dennis did an adoption for my husband and I and it was nothing but a wonderful experience. He walked us through the entire process from top to bottom and even called us afterwards to see how we had adjusted to life as new parents. He is now working on a will for us. I highly recommend this attorney to anyone!
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14 Nov, 2015 by Mike
Dennis did my bankruptcy. He was very caring and helpful and made the process go smooth. A year later he did my moms divorce and also had a great experience. He is fast and very easy to talk to. Several years later my grandfather past away and left grandma with lots of debt. Dennis help grandma keep her dignity while going through the bankruptcy process. Dennis is a great and the best!
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07 Oct, 2023 by Anonymous
Absolutely the worst. Terrible Attorney, Terrible communication, Terrible Service. I always felt sorry for his paralegal Anika, as she for sure carried the burden and brunt of his workload and kept him in business.....AWFUL ATTORNEY!!!!! Total Rip Off also - what a waste of money - Bradshaw was embarrassing in court. He always tried billing us for things in excess also of what he actually did. Disgusting.
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07 Oct, 2017 by Daniel
I was in bad vehicle accident! Mr.Bradshaw and his team were so great in handling all my bills. He was very true to his word and a very professional! Thank you so much Mr.Bradshaw for settling my case!!!
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18 Sep, 2016 by Anonymous
The Slayer would not return any phone calls every time you would contact him every time it goes to voicemail then when I paid for him the $2,500 he told me he would let me know when he would go over that amount and never did and charging me extra money all this lawyer is he just wants money he did nothing for my case my divorce case and now I don't even get custody of my child and my ex has ruined my life I would never recommend this lawyer
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What a Family Law Lawyer Can Do for You

A family law lawyer provides legal services related to family relationships, including marriage, divorce, child custody, and adoption. Family lawyers help clients navigate emotionally charged legal issues, providing guidance and representation in disputes that affect spouses, children, and parents. Whether you're going through a divorce, seeking custody of your children, or drafting a prenuptial agreement, a family law lawyer ensures your rights are protected and your interests are represented.

Family law attorneys often handle sensitive matters and offer objective legal advice, helping clients reach fair outcomes either through negotiation, mediation, or litigation.

When Should I Hire a Family Law Lawyer?

Hiring a family law lawyer is beneficial in several situations, especially when legal matters involve close personal relationships. Common reasons to hire a family law lawyer include:

  • Divorce or separation: When ending a marriage, a lawyer can help you navigate issues such as division of assets, spousal support, and child custody arrangements.
  • Child custody and visitation disputes: If you and your co-parent can't agree on custody or visitation, a lawyer can represent your interests and work toward a solution that benefits your children.
  • Child support: Whether you’re seeking child support or defending against a claim, a lawyer can help ensure the appropriate amount is calculated and enforced.
  • Prenuptial or postnuptial agreements: A lawyer can help draft or review agreements that protect your assets in case of divorce.
  • Adoption: Family law lawyers guide you through the legal process of adoption, ensuring that all requirements are met.
  • Domestic violence or restraining orders: If you're a victim of domestic violence or being falsely accused, a lawyer can help you obtain or challenge protective orders.
  • Paternity cases: If there are questions about the paternity of a child, a lawyer can help establish or dispute legal fatherhood.

Hiring a lawyer early can prevent issues from escalating, and they can offer you the best chance of achieving a favorable outcome in emotionally charged situations.

What Does a Family Law Lawyer Do?

A family law lawyer provides a wide range of services depending on your specific legal needs. Their responsibilities may include:

  • Advising on legal rights and options: Helping you understand your legal rights regarding divorce, child custody, support, and other family law issues.
  • Filing legal documents: Drafting and filing petitions, motions, and agreements with the court, such as divorce papers, custody agreements, or support orders.
  • Representing clients in court: Arguing your case in front of a judge if a settlement can’t be reached through negotiation or mediation.
  • Mediation and negotiation: Assisting with alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, to reach agreements on issues like custody, property division, and support without going to trial.
  • Enforcing court orders: Helping you enforce court orders related to child support, alimony, or custody if the other party fails to comply.
  • Drafting prenuptial or postnuptial agreements: Creating agreements that protect your assets in the event of a divorce.
  • Handling adoption proceedings: Ensuring that the legal process of adoption is followed, from filing paperwork to finalizing the adoption in court.

How Are Family Law Lawyers Paid?

Family law lawyers typically charge clients in one of several ways, depending on the complexity of the case and the lawyer’s experience. Common payment arrangements include:

  • Hourly rates: Most family lawyers charge by the hour, with rates varying based on experience and location. Clients are billed for the time spent working on their case, including consultations, court appearances, and document preparation.
  • Flat fees: For more straightforward legal services, such as drafting a prenuptial agreement or handling an uncontested divorce, some lawyers offer flat-fee arrangements.
  • Retainer fees: In cases that are expected to require significant time and attention, such as contentious custody battles, a lawyer may charge a retainer, which is an upfront payment that covers the initial costs of legal services. The lawyer then bills against the retainer as they work on your case.

The exact cost will depend on the complexity of your case and the lawyer’s fee structure, which should be discussed upfront.

How Much Does a Family Law Lawyer Cost?

The cost of hiring a family law lawyer varies based on factors such as the lawyer's experience, the location, and the complexity of your case. Here are some general cost guidelines:

  • Hourly rates: Family law lawyers typically charge between $150 and $500 per hour, depending on their experience and the complexity of the case.
  • Flat fees: For simpler cases, such as drafting a prenuptial agreement or handling an uncontested divorce, fees may range from $1,000 to $5,000.
  • Retainers: For more complex matters, such as contested divorces or custody battles, lawyers may charge a retainer ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 or more. The lawyer will bill against the retainer for the work they do on your case.
  • Additional costs: You may also be responsible for additional costs, such as filing fees, mediation fees, or expert witness fees.

Always ask for a clear breakdown of the lawyer’s fees and any additional expenses during your consultation.

Top Questions to Ask a Family Law Lawyer

Before hiring a family law lawyer, it's important to ask questions to ensure they're the right fit for your case. Here are key questions to ask during your consultation:

  1. What experience do you have with family law cases like mine?
    Make sure the lawyer has experience handling cases similar to yours, whether it's a contested divorce, child custody dispute, or adoption.
  2. How will you charge for your services?
    Clarify whether the lawyer charges by the hour, a flat fee, or requires a retainer. Ask for an estimate of the total costs involved.
  3. What are the possible outcomes of my case?
    An experienced lawyer should be able to give you a general idea of what to expect based on the facts of your case.
  4. What is your approach to resolving disputes?
    Ask whether the lawyer tends to favor negotiation and mediation or whether they prefer to take cases to court. This can help you determine if their style matches your goals.
  5. How long do you expect my case to take?
    While it’s difficult to predict, the lawyer should give you an estimate based on similar cases.
  6. Who will be handling my case?
    In larger firms, junior attorneys or paralegals may do much of the work, so make sure you understand who will be your main point of contact.

How to Check the Credibility of a Family Law Lawyer

To ensure you're hiring a reputable family law lawyer, follow these steps to verify their credentials and reputation:

  • Check state bar association records: Verify that the lawyer is licensed to practice in your state and is in good standing with no disciplinary actions.
  • Read client reviews and testimonials: Look for reviews on websites like Avvo, Google, or Martindale-Hubbell. Previous clients can give you insight into the lawyer’s professionalism and success in family law cases.
  • Request references: Ask the lawyer for references from past clients who can speak to their experience with the lawyer.
  • Review their website or professional profile: Look at the lawyer’s background, case history, and areas of focus to ensure they have substantial experience in family law.
  • Look for professional memberships: Membership in reputable organizations, such as the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), can indicate a lawyer's expertise and dedication to family law.

What Should I Prepare for My First Consultation?

To get the most out of your first consultation with a family law lawyer, it’s important to come prepared. Here’s what you should bring:

  • Relevant documents: Bring any documents related to your case, such as marriage certificates, prenuptial agreements, financial records, custody agreements, or court orders.
  • List of assets and debts: For divorce cases, prepare a detailed list of all assets (e.g., homes, bank accounts, retirement funds) and debts (e.g., mortgages, loans, credit card balances).
  • Details of the family issue: Provide a written summary of the situation, including key dates and facts related to your divorce, custody dispute, or support issue.
  • Questions for the lawyer: Write down any questions you have about the legal process, costs, and potential outcomes.
  • Your goals: Be prepared to discuss your objectives, such as custody arrangements, property division, or spousal support, so the lawyer understands your priorities.

Being organized and clear about your situation will help the lawyer evaluate your case more effectively and offer the best advice for moving forward.

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