Cougar Lawyers

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.

In more than 24 years of practice, Lisa Seifert has built Seifert Law Offices into a firm nationally and internationally renowned for its skill and knowledge in immigration and nationality law. Ms. Seifert is admitted to the Washington State Bar Association, the U.S. District Court, and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Seifert is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) both regionally and nationally. She was awarded the AILA Joseph Minsky Award for outstanding contributions in the field of Immigration and Nationality Law. She is a regularly featured writer and speaker at AILA...

Greg McLawsen is a Washington State attorney practicing only immigration law. His practice uses technology and creativity to serve clients effectively and efficiently. Greg serves in the leadership of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and in the Washington State Bar Association where he leads the 900-member small practice section. Greg publishes nationally on a range of immigration law issues and is a regular presenter at lawyer education seminars.

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.

Rod Nelson was raised in the Yakima Valley and chose to return to Central Washington after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Washington in 1975, and from the University of Washington School of Law in 1978 in the top 10% of his class. Nelson began his law practice in Alaska in 1978 before returning in 1979 to practice in Washington State.

As a volunteer attorney for the Yakima County Volunteer Attorney Services, Nelson was recognized as "Volunteer Attorney of the Year" in 2009, and has served as Judge Pro Tem for Yakima County Superior Court. He is a past...

Kenneth Gorton is a litigation attorney in Washington. He has dedicated his career to advocating for injured and disabled people. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, and represented hundreds of clients in personal injury, consumer protection, and other types of cases. Mr. Gorton received the highest possible rating by AVVO, one of the best-known ranking services for lawyers, which rates him as 10 out of 10 (superb). He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which only admits trial attorneys who have demonstrated “superior results in...

Jason Benjamin has spent the past 23 years immersing himself in the intricacies of Family Law and particularly Child Custody cases. He has personally handled more than 1000 cases where child custody is at issue. He particularly welcomes families who have emergency custody, domestic violence or restraining order issues, as he can typically obtain appropriate orders within hours to protect you and the children. From the beginning of his legal career, Jason has aggressively advocated on behalf of victims of domestic violence (even when domestic violence was not treated seriously by the courts). He understands the complexities of...

Sandy Van is the managing partner and founder of Van Law Firm Injury and Accident Attorneys, a personal injury, mass tort, and sex abuse litigation law firm located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lakewood, and Yakima, Washington, and Legal Support Help, a legal staffing company. She is a personal injury attorney licensed to practice law in Nevada state and federal courts and Washington state and federal courts. She also has co-counsel relationships with attorneys nationwide and accepts cases nationwide. The growth and development of both Van Law Firm and Ms.Van’s personal career have not gone unnoticed. Nevada Business Magazine named...

My law practice is different than many law firms in that I personally prepare most of the bankruptcy documents with my client's involvement (as opposed to just handing over the case to a paralegal or legal assistant).

When clients have questions or concerns they speak directly to me. Although I have a busy law practice, I do not operate my firm as a "mill" but rather I strive to focus on each individual client's concerns.

The Law Office of Timothy Wilson is devoted to representing only individuals in need of filing either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. I have...

Eric represents victims of wrongful termination, unfair wage and hour practices, workplace harassment, and discrimination; whistleblowers who suffer retaliation after standing up for themselves or others; and entrepreneurs crossed by former business partners. As a civil litigator and class action attorney, he routinely assists individuals and entities in employment litigation, consumer protection actions, and complex business and contract lawsuits. Eric has prevailed in numerous appellate cases supporting worker rights, including before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court.

Mindful that most people seldom interact with the legal system, Eric uses his knowledge and experience to guide his...

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)...

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...

Jason Epstein has been dedicated to representing injured people since his first law firm position in 1999. A Seattle native, Jason received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Southern California in 1995, and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University, School of Law in 2001. After graduating from Pepperdine, Jason moved back to the Seattle area and opened his own law firm focusing on protecting the rights of the injured. Jason next took a position as an associate attorney with the Law Office of Robert B. Kornfeld. While with Mr. Kornfeld, Jason represented seriously injured people and...

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.

Sal practices in state and federal courts throughout the state of Washington and has litigated most of the Western states as well. One focus of Sal’s practice is medical negligence, wrongful death, and serious injury cases. Sal has represented patients who have been injured as a result of doctors, nurses, and emergency room physicians making mistakes resulting in death, paralysis, brain injuries and loss of life or harm to babies. Sal has brought actions against Multicare, CHI Franciscan, Harborview, Children’s Hospital, and Swedish Medical center among others. Sal’s cases have involved surgeons, OBGYN doctors, Emergency Department...

Substantial experience in Federal Court Litigation.Practice Areas Commercial Litigation(25%); Agricultural Law(20%); Real Estate; Estate Planning; Chapter 11(20%); Intellectual Property Litigation (Patent, Copyright, Trade Secrets)(15%); Environmental Litigation and Compliance(15%); Bankruptcy Law(5%)

Immigration attorney with a focus on family-based immigration law. I'm passionate about helping people of different backgrounds acquire legal status and pursue the American dream. As an immigrant myself, I understand how complex and intimidating the U.S. immigration system can be. I enjoy helping people resolve their immigration issues so they can focus on building their future. I live in Tacoma, Washington with my wife and two daughters. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, spending time with my family, and working on house remodeling projects.

Darcel Lobo has served Normandy Park and the surrounding area’s legal needs since 2009. After working with other firms, she founded to better serve her clients. Darcel was born and raised in the area and is a graduate of Seattle University and Seattle University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Washington, as well as in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Darcel prides herself on her legal work, bringing practical solutions to real-life issues and helping clients plan for their financial future. She provides legal guidance in real estate matters and bankruptcy as...

I grew up in a family business, and graduated from West Point, serving 6 years as an Army Airborne Ranger infantry officer. The combination makes me a consummate team player who instinctively leads and trains team members as needed. My legal expertise is honed from practice in both corporations and law firms, both large and small. My diverse background enables me to cross the lines of the business, administrative, technical, and legal sections of a company, and has taught me to develop and lead teams to set and attain goals harmonized to the business strategies, plans and...

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.

JAMES F. CHRISTNACHT was admitted to practice law in the state of Washington in 1984 after having attended the University Of Puget Sound School Of Law. Mr. Christnacht has engaged in the general practice of law since his admission to the bar. He is admitted to practice before the Washington State Courts, Federal District Court and the Puyallup Tribal Court. His practice has included personal injury, probate, guardianship, wills and estate planning, will contests and estate litigation, misdemeanor criminal defense and traffic matters, real estate, and business law. Mr. Christnacht is a second generation lawyer. Having grown up with...

Amy Jones earned her Juris Doctorate from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University located in Macon, Georgia. She was admitted to the Georgia Bar in November 2005. After receiving her law degree, Amy represented injured workers in their on-the-job injuries. In addition, she served as a Special Attorney General representing the Georgia Department of Human Resources Child Support Division. Amy moved to the Northwest in 2008 and obtained her Bar Licenses in both Oregon and Washington.

Prior to joining Sears Injury Law, she worked for the law firm of Driggs, Bills & Day for over seven (7)...

Warren’s primary area of practice is labor and employment law. In this capacity, he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, termination, wage-and-hour litigation, collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, and day-to-day advice.

If client loyalty and satisfaction are any measure of an attorney’s success, then Warren has a lot to proud of. After 30 years, he continues to represent his first legal client, a chain of locally owned grocery stores. In fact, he has worked for many of his clients for several decades. Some of his other long-term clients include Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Housing Authority,...

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...

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.

Lisa Kremer's practice focuses primarily on estate planning, probate, and guardianship. She particularly enjoys working with families to try to resolve issues with a minimum amount of stress and turmoil. Lisa also advises businesses, particularly on trademark, copyright and privacy issues, including HIPPA compliance.

Lisa began her professional career as a journalist. She was an award-winning reporter for The News Tribune. In 2005 she decided to move from writing about people’s problems to helping solve them. She commuted from Tacoma to the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle and graduated in 2008.

Lisa is a Trustee of the Tacoma-Pierce County...

Mark L. Fowler represents local, national, and international clients in a variety of industries including software, SaaS, real estate development, and real estate sales. Mr. Fowler has extensive experience with contracts including negotiating all forms of corporate commercial contracts and real estate development contracts to litigating breach of contract actions. He is known for finding successful solutions to highly complicated commercial, real estate, and litigation matters. Mr. Fowler’s effective handling of difficult legal issues is built on his years of experience in the District of Arizona, District of Oregon, and Washington State.

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As the Owner of ARK Law, PLLC, I am passionate about representing juveniles and adults charged with crimes in Washington State. Juvenile Defense is where my heart truly lies. I have a great deal of experience defending adults against Domestic Violence and DUI cases. I tell my clients' stories so that the prosecutor and Court see who they are, not just what they did.

I studied Political Science and Criminal Justice at Washington State University. I then attended Seattle University School of Law to fulfill my dreams of becoming a criminal defense attorney. During law school I interned with the Associated...

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...

Michael T. Smith advises individuals and companies of all types and sizes regarding the proper formation and structure of a business entity (corporation, limited liability company, etc.), their general business and corporate matters, issues related to the purchase or sale or lease of real property and transactions to purchase or sell their business. Michael also focuses his practice on assisting people prepare their estate plan, including wills, trusts, community property agreements, durable powers of attorney, health care directives, and helping families navigate and administer a loved one's estate in probate proceedings. Michael can also assist with guardianship proceedings for loved ones...

Joe Gordon, Jr. joined GTH in 1968 and has been a pillar of the firm and of the legal community in the Pacific Northwest for many years. He has tried superior court cases involving a wide range of civil litigation matters in 26 of Washington’s 39 counties. As a Washington State Assistant Attorney General, he served as a trial attorney for the Department of Labor & Industries in both the Olympia and Seattle offices.

In private practice, Joe has regularly represented rental property owners and management companies on landlord-tenant matters. He has also represented both employers and injured workers on industrial...

Clients value Erik for his sense of strategy, diplomacy and willingness to jump into the trenches with them to truly understand their actual legal needs.

Erik's practice areas include contract drafting; small/mid-size business counsel; general litigation including personal injury pre-litigation and trial work.

He is heavily involved on the front lines of the cannabis industry, having been introduced to the industry during the legalization phase in Colorado and following this up with providing business counsel to the top retailers and producer/processors in Washington State.

Erik has a long track record of pro-bono public legal service, gaining him recognition in both Colorado and...

I am currently a trial attorney with the Lawrence Kahn Law Group, representing people injured through the negligence of others. Clients may have been injured through medical malpractice, automobile collision, slip and fall. I am an author with Cengage Learning since January 2003 on the Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations (1st Edition through 6th Edition) and E-Discovery an Introduction to Digital Evidence. I was an attorney in private practice with the Law Office of Christopher K. Steuart, admitted to the Bar of the State of Washington, the United States District...

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...

Theresa is an expert in legal matters pertaining to Tax, Business, Estate Planning, Immigration and Probate. With a Masters in Taxation from UW, her knowledge and expertise in these matters surpass the majority of her peers. She uses her abilities to give back and add value to Seattle-Tacoma, which has nurtured her into the attorney she is today.