Black Diamond Lawyers

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...

Kyle Drinnon is a Seattle personal injury attorney. He represents individuals who have been injured through the negligence of others in car accidents, slip and falls, and other incidents.

Kyle has represented injured clients throughout the Puget Sound region in jury trials, arbitrations, and mediations, and has successfully argued before the Washington Court of Appeals and Washington Supreme Court.

Kyle is a Puget Sound native and graduate of the University of Washington. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the Seattle University School of Law located in heart of Seattle.

Lanning M. Trueb has spent almost 30 years representing seamen in plaintiff maritime cases arising throughout the North Pacific; including waters off Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Russia. In addition to practicing maritime law, Lanning owned and operated his own commercial fishing vessel in the Alaska commercial salmon fishery. Lanning has been involved in over a thousand maritime matters covering a wide range of maritime issues - from commercial fishing injury and death claims, to serious injury and death claims involving oil spill response, tug and barge, SERVS, off-shore supply, tankers, and cargo vessels. He's represented crew and family members...

At Cornerpoint Law, attorney Stacia Hofmann, JD, ARM, focuses on helping Washington and Idaho businesses and individuals draft, revise, interpret, implement, negotiate, manage, and enforce contracts. Stacia primarily spends her days helping new and established small business owners use the power of contracts, the rules of law, and concepts of risk management for more effective operations and enhanced legal protection. This typically involves drafting and revising business, employee, and customer agreements, and answering related legal questions. Stacia also assists individuals with business ownership offers, exits, LLC disputes, and employment contracts. Cornerpoint Law is a solo, mobile law practice, so clients work...

Brian’s legal career started at the Snohomish County Public Defender’s Association, representing juveniles charged with crimes. After that position, he worked for one of the most successful personal injury attorneys in Montana. Brian now focuses primarily on criminal defense, using his skills and experience to aggressively represent those being prosecuted by various governmental agencies. Brian is a successful trial attorney, and has represented clients charged with crimes including assault, domestic violence, drug charges, DUI, theft and more. He has been referred cases by prosecutors, judges and other attorneys due to his reputation in the field of criminal defense.

Maritime Injury Lawyer James Beard has a unique understanding and compassion for the clients he represents. For 30 years his legal career has been devoted to representing crewmen and commercial fishermen who have been injured while working at sea. He is widely recognized as one of the most experienced maritime injury lawyers in the Pacific Northwest in handling maritime wrongful death and personal injury cases. He has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for his clients located throughout the United States.

Beard begins each maritime injury case by making sure that his clients are getting the proper medical treatment and care...

I am an experienced and knowledgeable Immigration Law Attorney. My practice areas include Family Sponsored Immigration, Naturalization/US Citizenship Applications, Nonimmigrant Visas and Employment Based Immigration. I am committed to providing exceptional service and representation for your immigration law needs.

I earned by B.A. in Political Science and Government from the University of Washington. In 1990, I received my J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. I am admitted to practice law in the State of Washington and am a member of the Washington State Bar Association.

I am fluent in German, and Japanese interpretation is available.

Paul is the founding attorney of North City Law. Paul offers business, estate planning, probate, dispute resolution and litigation advocacy. Paul is curious in his clients, as he has built businesses himself, including North City Law. Based on his understanding of his client’s position, Paul gives strategic options to empower choices. During client intake and interviews, Paul listens for key gaps in a story to root out hidden issues. In disputes and litigation, Paul helps clients reframe the situation to conform to the applicable legal theory. When clients trust Paul with their business, Paul ensures money is spent wisely on...

Maki Imakura is a Registered USPTO Patent Attorney who is excited to work with entrepreneurs and business working on cutting-edge technology. She received a B.S. in Cellular & Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Washington. Maki received her J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law. Maki draws on her technical background in life sciences research and experiences with drug discovery involving large data sets and collaboration to provide a unique perspective for clients on their technology and intellectual property needs. During her scientific career, Maki worked in the fields of cancer research and drug discovery....

David C. Tingstad joined the Firm in 1995, and has extensive experience in the areas of business and real estate transactions, limited liability companies (LLCs), corporations and real estate. David regularly counsels clients in all aspects of business combinations such as asset acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures. In addition, his practice includes assisting operating businesses with succession planning, financing, dissolution and disputes between owners. David is a member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Partnership Law Committee, which is currently working to revise Washington’s Limited Liability Company Statute. David is also a Member of the American Bar Association’s Committee...

Per joined the firm in 2005. He has represented a wide range of clients in the negotiation and drafting of documents for large loan transactions, sales of assets, corporate restructuring, leases, real estate transactions and secured transactions. Per’s experience includes practice before the federal bankruptcy court and appeals in the federal courts and before the Washington Court of Appeals. Per and his family reside in Edmonds. He enjoys golf, bicycling and music.

Bill Kessler helps businesses, individuals and families reach their goals by providing timely, thorough representation. He understands and facilitates each client’s big-picture objectives, and efficiently integrates his role in achieving those objectives. Bill has litigated Superior Court cases all around Washington and cases in the United States District Courts for the Western District of Washington and Eastern District of Washington. He has also argued cases to the Washington Court of Appeals and has been admitted pro hac vice to several federal and state courts around the United States. Bill conducts a range of business and real estate transactions, including...

Samuel K. Darling is a general civil litigator whose practice emphasizes divorce, employment, and real estate law. Mr. Darling's legal experience also includes landlord tenant disputes, land use issues, personal injury, construction defect matters, creditor law, and business law. Mr. Darling received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 2002. In 2007 he earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota, where he graduated on the Dean's List with an "A" Average and was a Royal Stone Scholarship Recipient, a member of several student organizations, and a moot court Best Brief Nominee. Mr. Darling began his legal career with...

I am a native of Olympia, and my family has been in the region for more than 100 years. I received my B.A. in Philosophy before graduating from Lewis and Clark Law School. I have been licensed to practice law since 1996 and have spent my career serving my community. I place an emphasis on attorney-client communication. This includes promptly responding to messages, regularly meeting with clients at my office, and providing an online portal through which clients may access their important records. I promise this level of communication to each and every client I serve.

I am a compassionate and empathetic individual, and I founded Akiona Law, PLLC to fully realize my passion for helping people in this turbulent and uncertain economic climate and to ensure people are being treated fairly and are not being taken advantage of. I practice family law in Snohomish County, Washington and my office is located in Everett. I support and encourage parties to work together to resolve their issues, especially when children are involved. The fact of the matter is when you have children, you are going to have deal with your former spouse for the rest...

I represent people and businesses. My practice focuses on civil litigation, plaintiffs' personal injury and business law, but I also handles a wide variety of other types of cases. If your case is out of my practice area, I will help you determine the type of lawyer you need to make sure you get to the right person. I earned my law degree from the University of Washington School of Law in 2001 and my bachelors degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Washington School of Business, with a Finance concentration, in 1998. ...

Whether working hands-on with clients, or spearheading a novel legal matter, Elijah is dedicated to crafting meaningful and lasting legal solutions for his clients. He provides a wide range of legal services, including intellectual property, corporate, contract and litigation services. Over the years he has learned that the law cannot be practiced in a vacuum. Effective legal assistance requires an understanding of each client's unique business and personal realities. In addition to representing clients with their personal matters, he has successfully assisted with matters including trademark and copyright registrations, cease and desist letters and infringement, civil litigation, settlement negotiations, licensing...

Mark B. Saku, Esq. is a Seattle-based attorney whose practice focuses on copyright and trademark law and the protection of intellectual property in the the entertainment and new media industries. Mark received his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law with a focus in Intellectual Property. Mark's work commonly involves content and media licensing, business development, copyright and trademark law. Some of his recent work covered: contract negotiation involving media distribution and music publishing; legal counsel in the use of copyrighted images in live performances; and legal assistance in the development and negotiation of small business development and content licensing.

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;...

Maria Hajar is the founder and principal attorney of the Law Office of Maria Hajar. She is a licensed attorney in the U.S. and a French legal counsel. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Her practice focuses on Immigration Law. Ms. Hajar has extensive experience representing clients in family-based immigration cases before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. consulates abroad. Ms. Hajar also represents clients in removal and deportation proceedings before the immigration courts in both non detained and detained dockets. Ms....

I began my insurance career as a casualty adjuster for Farmers Insurance in 1989. In addition to Farmers Insurance, I worked as a large loss property adjuster, supervisor, and claims manager for 21st Century Insurance and SAFECO, and have over sixteen years of property and casualty claims experience. In 2005, I received my J.D., summa cum laude, from Southwestern University School of Law, where I served as Lead Articles Editor for the law review. I earned my CPCU designation in 2008, and am currently serving as Vice President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the CPCU Society....

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.

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...

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,...

James joined GTH after completing a clerkship for the former Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court. He focuses his practice pursuing trials in the areas of personal injury, catastrophic accidents, employment law, and insurance coverage.

He has briefed and argued multiple appeals, including cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court. In his practice he has represented families in wrongful death cases, victims in sexual abuse cases, and many returning U.S. service members who face discrimination or retaliation in the workplace.

When he’s not working, he’s blazing trails, scaling peaks, and skiing with his...

Before earning her law degree, magna cum laude, from Gonzaga University School and joining GTH in 1991, Margaret Archer was a financial analyst for Westinghouse Hanford Company. She puts her business acumen and insight into the world of finance to good use in her position as Chair of our Board of Directors and in her practice areas of land use, real estate litigation and commercial litigation.

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...

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.

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,...

Ronald L. Cohen is a Seattle native and practices law in Bellevue, Washington. He has more than 30 years experience and has an engaging and friendly manner in guiding individuals and families through their legal matters.

Aaron began his career as a city prosecutor and then transferred to prosecuting felony crimes for the government. Aaron then went into private practice continuing to work on criminal matters including DUIs, Sex Crimes, White Collar Crimes, Drug Distribution, and more. He expanded his practice by becoming licensed in Utah and Washington and operating offices in both states. The firm expanded from just handling criminal matters to including bankruptcy, wills & estates, family law including divorce, child custody, and parental rights with all areas of criminal law. Aaron held many contracts working with the government including as a public...

Carol L. Finklehoffe is a partner at Lipcon, Margulies and Winkleman, P.A. who has been practicing for 30 years in both the state and federal courts throughout Florida, California and Massachusetts. Ms. Finklehoffe is an “AV” rated trial attorney who is a certified specialist in Maritime and Admiralty law. The main concentration of her practice relates to complex personal injury, resort law, wrongful death, sexual assault and medical malpractice. Ms. Finklehoffe is also a skilled maritime lawyer who has developed an expertise in cases involving cruise ship passengers and maritime crew members on various types of commercial and private vessels. Ms....

My name is Lisa S. Tse and I was born and raised in Moses Lake, WA. I moved to Bellevue, WA for high school and attended the University of Washington at Seattle, WA. I went to Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, KS. This was the same alma mater that my father went to as an undergraduate. My father was an art professor at the local community college for 30 plus years. Growing up in a small town, living in a growing mid-size town, and then moving to the midwest, I have seen how Americans live and lead their...

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,...

Early in his career, Don became a part of legal history when he served as counsel at the trial and appellate levels in the famous “snail darter” case (Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153 [1978]), litigated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The litigation resulted in a successful review by the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to practicing law in Chicago and the Pacific Northwest, Don has also taught law and served in senior administrative positions at the University of Puget Sound, University of Michigan, and University of Tennessee law schools.

Since joining GTH in 1982, Don’s practice...

I have been practicing law since 1996, primarily representing homeowners and commercial building owners with construction defect claims, property insurance claims, and other real estate-related claims. I also serve as local and national counsel for a variety of companies that supply construction materials or services.

In 2015, after a three-year legal battle, I settled the largest mass action lawsuit in Washington history on behalf of the owners of nearly 1,000 homes.

Our firm also practices general litigation, and for our construction supplier clients we handle preliminary notices, liens, and collections.

Ray Weber has over 20 years experience in civil litigation. His practice concentrates on product liability, construction defect, personal injury, highway design, and insurance coverage. He has successfully defended product manufacturers in cases involving automotive, marine, medical and agricultural products; and local governmental entities in liability cases ranging from catastrophic injuries to public records act claims.

Bruce Winchell focuses his practice on business litigation, insurance coverage litigation, and business advice. Bruce has extensive trial, arbitration and mediation experience with a focus on preventing and efficiently resolving disputes.