Anne L. W. Gould Legal Dept.

Experience a Compassionate Competent Family Law Counsel

This lawyer is licensed to practice in Washington and has no record of discipline from the Washington bar association.*

Firm Overview

We focus on family law issues from simple to complex and from collaborative to litigated. I have assisted people with "simple" marriage dissolutions, where all they wanted was to have me review their documents. I have worked on highly complex divisions of family businesses, debts and assets, in ways that can keep the business running.

I assist people in developing residential schedules that are in the best interests of their children - whether 'standard' or highly individualized. Whether parents live around the block from one another, or in different States, a residential schedule that meets everyone's needs can be created. I have helped with grandparent custody matters, third party custody cases, guardianships, and to create joint or 50/50 residential schedules and parenting plans. There is no one 'right' choice for everyone, and determining what your child needs is an important part of the process.

When child support needs to be set, modified or adjusted, I am able to review the information, and help people assess what the range of support might be based on different scenarios. Some parts of calculating support are 'formula' - other parts may be very individualized. If college is on the horizon, I help assure that support can be used to help your child focus on getting through school, not just paying for it.

Spousal support or 'alimony' can be used to provide for a spouse in some cases under Washington law. Whether you are asking to receive spousal support, or are defending against such support being unfairly assessed against you, having assistance from an attorney can make a significant impact on your finances. Knowing how to set a support amount that makes sense in your given circumstances requires experience.

Many issues are encompassed under the title "family law" and whether you are doing it yourself or not - good advice can make a huge difference during your day in court. We strive to provide a valuable, caring service to our clients, whether we have a one time meeting, or provide full representation.

Example cases

I have helped a client with a small business, in which both spouses were involved, keep the business running and thriving, while their divorce was ongoing. This was a challenging case, as the parties were not in agreement on parenting issues, financial issues, or business issues. In spite of this case offering a situation that was quite volatile, they settled their issues (after a few sessions in mediation) and were able to move forward co-parenting their children, and keeping their business afloat.

I helped an unmarried father who came to me shortly after the birth of his twins, move from spending only a few hours per week with the children to being a full participant in their lives. Though the mother had very little trust in his parenting abilities, he continued to work to show his commitment to the children, to improve his parenting abilities, and to steadily increase his time with them. Between his willingness to work on whatever issues arose, and my ability to show the court where his heart was, he was finally able to create a situation that put the children's needs first - rather than the worries of their mother controlling their lives. The children are nearing adulthood, and I receive school pictures of them most years from their still involved and still grateful father.

Main Office

Main
9500 Roosevelt Way, NE
Suite 301
Seattle WA 98115

Phone

(206) 623-1719

Fax

(206) 766-8321

Websites

http://AnneGould.com

Fees

Free Initial Consultation?

I normally provide the first 1/2 hour of consultation time free, and this often takes place by phone. Additional consultation during our first meeting is billed at $200/hour - billed in 10ths of hours.

Services Offered For Fixed Fees?

See our web site AnneGould.com - we are developing some flat fee options.

Nolo customers who are representing themselves, and are seeking 'consultation / review' services only are billed at our lowest rate of $200/hour.

Hourly Rates

Mediation is normally billed at $200/hour for the first hour, and $250.00 /split between the parties, thereafter.

Office Information

Office Hours

Open 9:30am to 5:30pm, with a 'late night' Weds or Thurs

Office Manager

Alex is my assistant.

Emergency After Hours

Yes

Languages Spoken

Anne speaks French.

Other Offices

West Seattle Office Space Available for Meetings Downtown Seattle King County Court House meetings can be arranged Everett Courthouse meetings can be arranged

Collaborative Divorce

Collaborative Divorce - a non-litigated, team approach in which the parties and their Collaborative attorneys contract NOT to use the court system, but to work together to resolve their divorce out of court.

Anne Gould has been trained as a Collaborative Attorney. She has the training and skill to help individuals who wish to stay out of court resolve their family law matters with the best chance at long term cooperation and reduced conflict. For parties who truly want what is best for the entire family, Collaborative Divorce can build a long term bridge to that goal.

"Being collaborative" is not the same as having the full Collaborative Training - so ask how the attorney, financial planner, or other professional was trained if they claim to be a 'collaborative' professional.

In the collaborative process, communication, and trust building are key added ingredients. In the litigation process, trust is usually diminished, and communication directly with your former partner is usually cut off.

Divorce Mediation

Anne Gould assists parties in Mediation. She helps both represented parties or "pro se" (no attorney representation) parties reach agreements they can live with, and assure that their agreements are correctly documented and reviewed.

Mediation is typically the most cost-effective way of resolving family law disputes. In many counties parties are required to attempt mediation (or "ADR") as part of their court requirements in their family law matters.

Reviewing the parties goals, finding their most central goals, and helping both parties achieve these goals is a "win - win" result. Where a situation is such that win - win is not possible, at least "can live with - can live with" usually is possible. Deciding the outcome without a Judge telling what it will be, empowers both parties to make choices that a court may not make on your behalf.

Anne helps people who are in difficult situations find resolutions that work for their family in a cost effective, and less time consuming manner than through using the court system. Mediation can benefit people who have started a court action, or before they've started a court action to find their best options.

Family

Family Law can include a number of issues; Divorce, Parentage (unmarried parents with children), child support, College tuition support, grand parent or other 3rd party custody matters, and family business disputes.

Anne Gould has assisted clients from every side of family law. Whether the parties are married, in registered domestic partnerships or have never lived together, the parenting and financial issues that you are experiencing can likely be solved.

Is your firm willing to help a client with one discrete part of a case, without taking on the whole case?

Yes - this is referred to as 'unbundled services' and I often provide this service.

What are your policies about dividing work within the firm to make the process most cost-effective for the client?

I often have my paralegal prepare the first draft of documents, to input the basic information, to keep costs down for my clients. I do not send 'completed' documents out unless I've reviewed them.

How frequently does your firm use mediation, arbitration, or collaborative law to resolve cases?

We almost always use one or more of these options. Family law matters have an "Alternative Dispute Resolution" requirement in Washington State, which is enforced in most cases.

I find that Mediation / Arbitration is often a great way to resolve issues, and often much less costly, time consuming, and stressful than going to court. I work as a Mediator - but not in the same case in which I am representing a party.

I enjoy working with people in Collaborative cases - and where both parties are willing to work Collaboratively, this is a solution that provides a much better family legacy than the 'win / lose' mentality that occurs when a case goes to court.

Does your firm provide pro bono legal services or otherwise participate in your community?

Not at present. I do not presently have room for any additional pro bono matters.

My pro bono or low-bono (reduced fees) case load fills up very quickly.

What distinguishes your law firm from others?

I have worked in this area of law for over 20 years, and have a good command of the law. I am able to determine what is in the 'range of reasonable' - and help focus people on finding solutions within that range, rather than sending them into expensive wild goose chases seeking unreasonable outcomes.

I listen. I want to help you find your voice. I will help you find solutions you can live with.

What is your firm's point of view regarding clients educating themselves on legal issues?

I am very happy to have clients who learn about the law, their case issues, and the processes we need to follow. I need to be a lifelong learner to help my clients, and I love having clients who are interested in learning too. Some clients want to read case law, legal rules, and other materials, and I am happy to share my information with them - often forwarding the important law to them.

I provide 'self-help' services, and 'un bundled' services to clients who either do not want, or cannot afford full legal representation so that they can obtain help with the parts of their case that they do not want to work on, or feel that they cannot comfortable work on.

Is your firm willing to review documents prepared by clients?

Yes - I am willing to review client prepared documents and to edit, or consolidate them, and to help make sure the clients know what the court will likely want to see in their documents.

I have also developed some 'forms with questions' for divorce clients to assist them in creating some of the documents that are important to their cases.

Is your firm willing to coach clients who want to represent themselves?

Yes.

Anne Gould

After completing law school in San Francisco, I came back home to Washington in 1993. I worked for a non-profit family law group, assisting them in setting up a legal department, and then joined a small three attorney firm after that. I have worked as a family law attorney since 1993. My practice expanded to include Mediation and Collaborative family law work, and presently approximately 45% of my cases are Mediation or Collaborative cases.