Divorce Attorneys in Seattle, Washington
With the stressful uncertainty of the legal process of family law ahead of you, finding an attorney whose personality and philosophy matches yours is the key to a successful outcome for your case. To help you reach a decision, let me tell you a little more about myself, our legal team, and our approach to client service.
Facing divorce issues such as property division and child custody or support is extremely stressful. I understand that and pride myself on being approachable, easy-to-reach, and responsive. Attorneys Monica Kaup Cary, Lucia Ramirez Levias, and I are committed to developing supportive relationships with our clients and helping them deal with the emotional difficulties often arising in family law. As a trial lawyer with more than twenty years of experience, I can be aggressive in the courtroom when necessary.
Attorneys Prepared to Achieve Your Goals
Each of our lawyers has an interesting background that has uniquely prepared them for the practice of family law. I make it a point to only hire lawyers with backgrounds in human services. Family law is much more emotional than other areas of the law. As a client of DuBois Cary, I want you to have a lawyer who you know cares about people and has the background to prove it.
Prior to becoming an attorney, I was a high-risk labor and delivery nurse at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Interestingly, I have discovered that going through a divorce or custody case is similar to being in labor: In a family law case, the client finds him or herself in a situation over which they feel they have no control. They are frightened and unsure as to what to expect. One thing is obvious, they are stuck in a process that they can't stop - they have to make it through. The big difference is that when someone is in labor, they know they will end up with a cute baby. In a divorce, what they usually don't know is that they will end up with a great new life. Trust me, I've seen it happen over and over.
My partner, Monica Kaup Cary, demonstrated her commitment to human services by spending a year in the domestic peace corps, Volunteers in Service to American (VISTA). Monica was paid a modest four-digit stipend to work with FamilyWorks, a food bank and family resource center where she worked with connected food bank clients to volunteers with expertise in job search skills, parenting skills, and nutritious cooking on a low income. She returned to the Board of FamilyWorks in 2009. During law school, Monica continued volunteering with low-income seniors and the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children program. Monica began her legal career working as a law clerk in complex tort litigation with Rosenthal and Greene, in Portland, Oregon. She returned her focus to the plight of families in the courtroom when she began a clerkship for the Chief Judge of Family Court in Multnomah County, the Honorable Elizabeth Welch. There, she got the inside scoop on how the system works from the bench. Monica gained her trial experience as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County. Monica exclusive focus has been on family law since she joined the firm. In addition to her mediation, motions, and trial experience, she has completed the King County Guardian ad Litem training, mediation training, and the collaborative law training.
Lucia Ramirez Levias joined the firm in 2008. Lucia came to us from the YMCA where she managed family programs before going to law school. She also volunteered with AmeriCorps, summer clerked at MacDonald Hoague & Bayless in Seattle, and worked as an Associate Attorney at an immigration law firm in Seattle.
Dispute Resolution Options
I always recommend that clients attempt to settle their family differences amicably. Mediation is a very viable solution that works well for many families. If that is your choice, we will help you move through your divorce with as little disruption to yourself, your spouse, and children as possible. Another option is collaborative law, a dispute resolution process in which divorcing spouses sign a commitment to avoid litigation. With their lawyers and other professional team members, they work together to reach well thought out solutions to their family law disputes. The collaborative law model can be extremely effective, but it is not for all divorcing spouses. We can help you assess the best approach to meet your goals as you go through your divorce.
When choosing a family law attorney, you should know that not all lawyers are comfortable going to court, or even willing to do so. I do not shy away from high conflict situations. As a trial lawyer, I practiced complex litigation for about ten years before changing to family law. Why the change? I prefer working with people, not insurance companies. With years of solid courtroom experience behind me, I will take your case to trial if necessary. I have success litigating cases against very aggressive attorneys and will do so for you if that is where you find yourself.
Cost-Effective Legal Solutions
Staying within your budget is important. We do our best to use your resources wisely by relying on an amazing professional paralegal staff to gather preliminary documents and do routine research under our supervision. Electronic communication streamlines the process, allowing our face-to-face meetings to be personal, productive and pro-active.
We invite you to look around our site and see if the chemistry is right. If you have further questions or want to arrange a confidential consultation, please contact us today. Our waterfront office is located on the north end of Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. We look forward to meeting you and helping you achieve the solutions you seek.
Amanda DuBois
Seattle Family Law Attorney
