I began my legal career representing hundreds of parents with juvenile dependencies in cases in which their children had been removed by DSHS resulting in dependency and termination actions in King County Juvenile Court. I was later an Assistant Attorney General in Seattle prosecuting these cases on behalf of DSHS. Most recently I have represented children in foster care in dependency proceedings.
I am well-schooled in Juvenile Court cases having represented both sides of the equation. Parents are entitled to a public defender to represent them, however some parents choose to retain their own attorney. Often CPS cases and family law divorce cases overlap. It helps to have a lawyer who is knowledgeable in the juvenile dependency system who is also able to represent a parent in a companion divorce or parenting plan case.