Sheila Conlon Ridgway

We were looking or a TEDRA “expert”. Sheila Ridgway has a prolific internet presence, and that is all. We trusted Sheila Ridgway with our TEDRA case and that was our mistake. First of all, she has no physical office address other than her condo on Capital Hill or her deceased parent’s home in La ...Connor, WA. Whenever we asked to meet with her in person, our request could never be accommodated. Her paralegal Melida Heien is located in “Floyds Knobs Indiana”. Sheila seems to be disoriented at times. We posted documents to her website as requested on August 6, 2026. On August 17, 2026 she sent an email confirming that based on what we provided; “she could confirm there was a Trust”. On September 16, 2026, she told us on the phone that “she wasn’t sure if there was a trust” and claimed to have never received the documents we had uploaded to her website on August 6, 2026. She is either confused, senile or just stupid. I do know that she was rude on the telephone and not willing to explain or guide us through the TEDRA process. At times, I felt I knew more about TEDRA than Ms. Ridgway did. She allowed 35 days to pass between the time she sent a “demand letter” to the successor trustee; for which she charged $700 for a one-page letter and even drawing up the petition. We had to push her to open a petition with the court. The petition was not even drafted until well after the 15 days the successor trustee had to produce the trust. The petition was not filed until October 2, 2026. Sheila Ridgway misled the opposing council by telling them she had filed the petition in court on October 1, when in fact it was filed on October 2. Ms. Ridgway then followed up with an email to that same council that "we had not filed anything". When the successor trustee’s attorney started sending disparaging information about us to Ms. Ridgway did nothing to defend our position of “simply requesting copies of the trust and will”. Our October 2 filing was then removed because Ms. Ridgway did not pay the $290 filing fee to the Clark County Superior Court. I only found this out by checking the courts website and by calling the Clark County Superior Courts Clerk. Ms. Ridgway did not tell us that she pulled the filing. When we sent a very angry email to Ms. Ridgway, instead of explaining why the petition was withdrawn, she informed us via email that neither She or Melida Heien would be not representing us going forward. We do have to thank Ms. Ridgway for quitting as our attorney. We knew from the start that Ms. Ridgway had no intention of litigating this case. We had started looking for other attorneys prior to Ms. Ridgway’s departure from our case. When I mentioned the name Sheila Ridgway to her peers, I received comments: “She used to be a good attorney”. Save yourself a headache and find someone who cares to represent you.

Against my will, I got pulled into an 18 month super complex legal drama related to undue influence related to wills that involved multiple lawyers, substantiated adult protection, attorney malpractice, fraud, theft, multiple failed mediations, and a court battle. This case was like a made for tv mov...ie, with a crazy conman who convinced my elderly relative that his family hated him and typed out new wills to be signed days before his death. While adult protection easily found this to be financial exploitation, we still had to fight it out in the courts. What a messed up system. I wouldn't have survived if I didn't luck out in getting the best attorney in the Seattle area on my side. Sheila was incredible clear, transparent, and supportive throughout. She is easy to talk to and has a great sense of humor, and the levity was very helpful in this very stressful time. Most importantly, she ALWAYS was looking out for me - not only for my interests in the case, but also to make sure I wasn't being over-charged (she refrained from attending some of the depositions, etc., to limit my fees). She is just so smart and experienced, and was such a great strategist in this whole ordeal. I loved talking to her to learn about the intricacies of the law related to my case, and she knew all the players in the case or could easily suss them out (other attorneys, judges, expert witnesses, etc.). As she knew that I knew the situational details better than her, she also deferred to me when appropriate, so between the two of us we came up with a MUCH better outcome that would have been closer to the wishes of my family member than what most of the other attorneys had thought was possible and had been pushing for. I wouldn't wish a will contest on anyone, but if you get stuck in the middle of one, Sheila Ridgway and her firm are simply the best. Thanks Sheila, Kristen, Hanan, Ken, Morris and the rest of the team!

I was referred to Sheila to handle a complex Family Trust matter. She got my sister and me in for a consult on the same day we called her office, which was a real plus. Through months of back and forth with another family member's attorney, I realized that we were lucky to have Sheila's and her team...'s excellent representation. The matter was concluded to our satisfaction. Thank you Sheila, Ken, Michael, Hanan and everyone else who made this work.

Sheila was referred to me by a highly respected law firm who had helped me set up a Special Needs Trust for my sister-in-law when her father died intestate. As, her POA, I was hoping to spare my sister-in-law the cost of a litigation attorney. But, the estate attorney was totally incompetent, and beg...an threatening me with litigation/jail when I asked to get my sister-in-law's things out of the family home. Sheila came to the rescue with correct legal terminology, unending patience dealing with the other attorney, and accurate information as to what I could do and couldn't do. Sheila kept me safe to help my sister-in-law. And, she kept me informed of every email coming and going between the parties so that I could make timely decisions, or add/adjust information as needed. Yes, it cost a lot. But, for peace of mind and a caring, knowledgeable attorney, I would recommend Sheila to anyone. She was worth every dollar.