Fox Island Lawyers

Jordan Couch is a dedicated advocate for those in need. His commitment to helping people both in and out of the courtroom is what brought him to Palace Law.

Jordan grew up in the prairie land of eastern Montana. After high school he moved to Maryland where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. From there he travelled to Indiana and graduated from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law where he was awarded membership in the Order of Barristers. While in law school Jordan worked for NASA and clerked for judges in the Maryland Court of...

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...

I aggressively pursue legal remedies on behalf of my clients to the fullest extent of the law by providing forceful, commanding, and bold attorney representation; as a result, I GET results! At the end of the day, I hope to make meaningful connections with honest hard-working people. Ultimately, my goal is to form lifelong relationships with my clients--I'll work on your case as if I were a member of your family; I invite you to consider becoming a member of ours. My practice areas include the following: (1) Employment Discrimination; (2) Disparate Treatment; (3) Disparate Impact;...

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...

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...

Thaddeus D. Sikes practices workers compensation law, fighting for the rights of injured workers trapped in an L&I bureaucracy captured by employers who exert inappropriate influence through their multiple agents and representatives, adjusters, third party administrators, retro groups, and defense attorneys. The balance of power has shifted to employers, to the overwhelming detriment of workers. Mr. Sikes has dedicated his education, training and life's work to resetting the balance. Mr. Sikes received his law degree from Seattle University School of Law, and subsequently obtained his license to practice in the State of Washington in 2003. He exclusively represents injured...

PROTECTING YOUR MILITARY CAREER, YOUR ROAD TO RETIREMENT AND YOUR FAMILY'S FUTURE FINANCIAL SECURITY

Whatever your rank, worldwide location, charged offense or circumstance, your military career deserves more than just a competent legal defense. We "exclusively" defend active-duty members facing courts-martial around the world.

Stephen has published several articles on military justice, including: Federal Criminal Practice: A Military Justice Primer; A PTSD Primer: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things; Resolving the Torture Memo Conundrum by Court-Martial; Guantanamo 101: Rejecting Cruel, Unusual and Degrading Justice; Military Commissions: Justice Guantanamo Style; Defending Gay Soldiers Who Defend America; and Blessed are the Peacemakers: Remembering...

After earning two master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration, Janice Langbehn started her career as a social worker for the State of Washington. Upon retiring from social work, Janice became an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, seeking equal rights and treatment for families regarding hospital visitations. In 2011 her work as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community was recognized by President Barack Obama who awarded her the second highest civilian honor in the country: the Presidential Citizen's Medal. That same year, she was presented with the National Liberty Award for securing hospital visitation for same-sex couples...

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...

Sonny Nguyen is a Vietnamese American, the first generation of South Vietnamese immigrants in the United States. His father, Thu-Ba Nguyen, was one of the early refugees known as "boat people", who served and was loyal to South Vietnam. After many years of political imprisonment, Thu-Ba took his two-year-old son and fled from their beloved homeland.

Sonny is bilingual, he speaks and writes Vietnamese and English fluently. He earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2015 and continued to Willamette University where he received his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with Mediation and Arbitration.

Growing up in Seattle, Sonny...

Tara Jayne Reck is the owner and managing attorney of Reck Law, PLLC. Based in Port Orchard, Washington, with several law offices throughout the Puget Sound region, Ms. Reck focuses her practice exclusively on workers' compensation law and helping injured employees across the state recover the full amount of finances they deserve so that they can cover their medical bills and lost wages and provide for themselves and their families.

A 2003 graduate of Seattle University, Ms. Reck returned to her alma mater and obtained her Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law in 2006. While in law school, she...

I have practiced family law since 2010. I was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2007 and have operated my solo practice since 2013 in Tacoma, WA. I have worked hard to develop litigation skills as well as skills in alternative dispute resolution (mediation and arbitration) and in other services that support families that are involved in legal matters. Compassion working together with experience is a great approach for resolving conflicts.

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...

For over 20 years I have represented individuals and businesses with debt issues. Chapter 7, 11, 13 and now the Small Business Subchapter 5. My passion for helping people will turn the burden of financial uncertainty into relief by taking that burden and finding solutions to a better financial future.

David has been practicing law since 2000 following a career as a computer consultant and manager of a computer department for an insurance company. He has a high rating on avvo.com and is a respected professional among his peers.

He and his office also volunteer and participate in pro-bono work...

There are few attorneys in the Pacific Northwest who possess as much knowledge and experience in the field of elder law as Eileen Peterson. In fact, she is the only attorney in Pierce County certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation since the program began in 1994.

Eileen has also served as Chair of the Guardianship Task Force for WSBA Elder Law Section from 2007-2013 and was the recipient of the WSBA Elder Law Exceptional Service Award in 2009. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on a wide range of topics including elder law, guardianship,...

“Mr. Kesling has handled several of my legal matters over the past near decade. He is passionate and knowledgeable on legal matters and really cares about his clients and the outcome of their legal issue. I have recommended him to several friends and they too have been impressed with his services.” ~Bill, former client Peter Kesling was born for litigation. He is smart and tenacious. He also has supreme communication skills. Peter is known as a lawyer who will get things done, and his clients know they are in good hands. As Bill noted in his kind review, Peter really cares about...

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...

Ashton Dennis is a litigation and trial attorney focusing on representation individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injury or wrongful death. Ashton handles a wide range of cases often holding corporations, the government and individuals accountable for their actions. Ashton has litigated cases across the United States in both State and Federal Courts.

Ashton earned a dual degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Washington State University. He went on to obtain his law degree from Seattle University.

In 2014 and 2015, Ashton was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in Washington State, which is reserved for just...

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...

My practice is focused is focused on resolving debt issues, protecting assets, and litigation regarding the same for individuals and small to mid size businesses. Prior to founding Washington Debt Law, PLLC, I worked at one of the largest creditor side law firms, representing financial institutions in bankruptcy, eviction, foreclosure, and litigation matters. Having both creditor and debtor side experience brings a nuanced approach in dealing with creditors as I am familiar with their tactics, budgets, resources, and how best to find an effective approach. Our major solutions focus on litigation, settlement, bankruptcy, and out of court...

James B. Feldman is an experienced trial and criminal defense attorney in Pierce, King, Kitsap and Thurston counties Tacoma and other areas of Western Washington. He is a graduate of the College of the University of Chicago and the University of Puget Sound School of Law. For twenty-eight years, he has been fighting to protect the rights of people accused of crimes both misdemeanors and felonies including DUI, domestic violence, property crimes, fraud and murder. He is a member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association, The Federal Bar of the Western District of Washington, the...

After being admitted to the Washington State Bar Association, Ms. Ramirez practiced law in the private sector with emphasis on family law, bankruptcy, estate planning and elder law matters. Ms. Ramirez compassionately advocates on behalf of her clients while she assists them in successfully resolving difficult disputes and navigating through litigation and complex legal issues.

Professional Memberships/Organizations
Ms. Ramirez is licensed to practice in the State of Washington and the United States District Court. She is also a member of the following professional associations:
Washington State Bar Association, Member
King County Bar Association, Member
Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Member

Education
Seattle University School of Law,...

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,...

We are a dedicated team of legal professionals who are here to help you in your time of need and crisis. Our Washington State lawyers have the resources, the knowledge, and the experience to assist you with your legal matter in our practice areas.

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.

Ellis McGehee Carter is a distinguished attorney specializing in corporate and tax matters for nonprofit, tax-exempt, and mission-based businesses, alongside advising donors on major gifts. With a profound dedication to serving organizations that make a significant impact, Ms. Carter leverages her extensive experience in nonprofit governance, tax law, and business transactions to provide unparalleled legal guidance. Her expertise extends to navigating complex tax issues for exempt entities, ensuring they remain compliant while advancing their mission. Ms. Carter's adeptness in handling intricate business transactions for nonprofits is evident through her work on reorganizations, the creation of affiliates and subsidiaries, and facilitating mergers,...

Before becoming an attorney, Reuben worked in the construction and building trade. He puts his prior life experience to good use in his practice areas of environmental and land use law. In addition to being a skilled attorney, Reuben is a compassionate advocate who loves working with his clients to solve problems and keep goals and objectives on track.

Reuben began his career at the Washington Supreme Court where he served as law clerk to Justice Charles W. Johnson. Prior to that, he served as an extern to Judge James L. Robart at the Federal District Court in Seattle.

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...

A Seattle native, Amanda O’Halloran joined the firm in 1995, after graduating from Seattle University School of Law. She focuses her practice primarily on providing employment law advice to a diverse group of businesses, ranging from car dealerships and other retail establishments to healthcare providers, financial services companies, non-profits, and private membership associations. She is frequently called upon to provide advice on difficult employment terminations, conducting internal harassment and discrimination investigations, drafting employment agreements and other contracts, and developing anti-harassment policies and conducting training. Amanda works closely with Human Resource personnel, executive management, and business owners to resolve...

For the past 30 years, she has represented businesses and individuals interfacing with the government; she helps businesses and individuals obtain all types of zoning and land use permits, assists individuals facing government compliance and penalty actions and represents individuals with property disputes about easements, boundaries and adverse possession. She also obtains licenses for all types of business enterprises. Ms. Koler frequently challenges arbitrary requirements associated with government compliance and land use permitting. See Guimont v. Clark, 121 Wn.2d 586 (Washington Supreme Court invalidated state law imposing mobile home relocation fee on developer); Berst v. Snohomish...

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.

Kitsap County attorney Stan Glisson is a former public defender and former county deputy prosecuting attorney. He has more than two decades of experience with jury trials and litigation and this in-depth knowledge benefits every case he takes on. From DUI to complex white collar crimes, Attorney Glisson puts care and attention into every matter, helping clients reach outcomes that protect their rights, their reputation, and their freedom. He is licensed to practice law in Washington State, Federal District Courts, and Suquamish Tribal Court. To discuss your case, learn more about Stan Glisson’s practice, and find out how he may...

Shelly focuses her practice on employment law and litigation, commercial litigation, products liability, construction law, insurance defense and coverage, and appellate advocacy. She represents individuals and businesses in all aspects of commercial and employment disputes and especially enjoys working with clients to help them understand the legal process. Shelly prides herself on being a tough advocate for her clients and finding strategic and creative solutions in tough cases.

Shelly joined GTH in 2011. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, she began her legal career in Alaska, first serving as a judicial law clerk for...

Andrea is a trial lawyer with an emphasis in business and employment litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. She has successfully represented clients litigating shareholder, non-competition, and employment discrimination disputes, and obtained pre-trial injunctions. She has achieved jury verdicts enforcing her clients’ contract rights, represented clients in trust and estates disputes, and obtained protection for vulnerable adults. She also regularly represents clients in the areas of regulatory monitoring and advocacy, including extensive work in alcohol regulation and policy, and with Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Andrea joined GTH in 2005 after graduating from Seattle University School of Law,...

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...