$ 300-450 per hour
I started the law firm in 2003 in Vancouver, WA and offered legal services in the areas of family, elder, and eventually juvenile (dependency). I stopped taking contested family law matters in 2017 when I took a contract to represent parents as a defense attorney in CPS cases. In 2024, my law partner and spouse, Eugene Graff, and I moved to Texas. He now works for the State of Texas and my law practice is now limted to court appointed child welfare matters, representing parents, doing guardian ad litem work, and mediation. I take a few estate planning cases by word of mouth. I retired my WA and UT bar licenses when I got my TX bar license.
Since the beginning, I have felt every client that comes to me for legal services is there because I am meant to be his or her attorney. I have learned a lot from my clients and some became friends after the case was resolved. One was able to adopt her granddaughter out of a CPS case. Another was unjustly accused of assaulting his child by a vindictive former spouse. Another was a victim of DV but was able to have an negotiated divorce, rather than make the trauma worse with litigation. Another was deprived of his share of the marital property in a divorce because his attorney quit the last minute. With a new trial, it was made fair and equitable by the court. It is an honor to me to represent the people who come to me for legal help - even when the court appoints me and they didn't choose me. In particular, the work in child welfare is healing the world, one family at a time when people are willing to step up to do the things the court believes will help them be better parents. I don't believe a parent can be successful without people who care and believe in them. That is the mission for me. I understand not everyone is ready to be helped when the help is there. For those who are, it is a joyous experience for the parents, the children, and all the professionals who work with them to get them to the finish line.
3
Practice Areas
9 years | 319 cases
27 years | 624 cases
43 years | 960 cases
$ 300-450 per hour
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Chat withState: Texas
Acquired: 2025
No misconduct found
State: Washington
Acquired: 2002
No misconduct found
State: Utah
Acquired: 1999
No misconduct found
PO Box 50062, Amarillo, TX, 79159
17 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 17 reviews
Posted by Gwen | October 10, 2022 | Hired Attorney
Fantastic!
I was lost in the sea of legal family law paperwork, thinking I could do it on my own. I needed help. Meredith took the time to listen to me, understand what was going on, where I was at in the process and what I wanted to accomplish. She offered several options, everything from; here is your recomme...
Posted by anonymous | June 16, 2020 | Hired Attorney
Legal Separation
I would NOT recommend this lawyer. My documents were full of errors that I had to point out and have her correct and then get charged for fixing the mistakes that she made. My name was spelled incorrectly on the final separation paperwork that was recorded with the courts. When I asked her to chan...
We are sorry you feel had a bad experience with our firm. We have reviewed our records and this matter does not sound familiar to us. It is our mission to provide personal attention to every client and strive for the utmost client satisfaction in every case. Please contact me directly to discuss your specific concerns.
Posted by Roger | June 05, 2019 | Hired Attorney
I Would Highly Recommend Meredith!
Dissolution of Marriage has to be one of the more difficult challenges for an attorney to handle these days. Mrs Graff was excellent. She fully explained the process and time line of events. Handled all the paperwork correctly which created an outcome that met everyone’s expectations. At this point I...
Posted by Melinda | December 22, 2017 | Hired Attorney
Estate Planning
My husband and I needed to do Estate planning and to appoint guardians for our minor child. From the minute I walked in to the office of Meredith McKell Graff. I knew I was in the right place. Meredith gave my husband and I the most comprehensive and informative consultation on Estate planning that b...
Posted by Mark | October 19, 2016 | Hired Attorney
Failed
Failed on many accounts. Finally just had to terminate them and move the business to another firm. An example: emails that were lacking in any advise or information. Which lead to you asking questions, for which you receive billing. Invoices which do not tend to match the level of work being perf...
This case did not ring a bell for me. After some investigation, I learned this person was the client of our former associate attorney. He never communicated with me about his unhappiness with his attorney and as a result, we did not know he was unhappy. Had he talked to me, I could have offered to represent him myself, or referred him to another competent law firm and helped make the transition easier for him. He complained about the emails sent to him by his attorney. I can't speak for her, because I was not involved in his case, but when I send an email response to a long email from a client, I often write, "See below" because I am taking the time to respond in line with every comment and concern of the client. This kind of response often takes up to a half an hour to complete. It makes me wonder if this person bothered to read beyond the "See below" that his attorney sent to him. It sounds like he did not. The philosophy of McKELL GRAFF, PLLC, which I founded almost fourteen years ago, is to provide personal attention to each client to greatest possible extent. It is truly a family law firm since my husband, Eugene M. Graff, joined me as partner. Gene and I go out of our way to meet our clients' needs. We spent a weekend in September in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island in 2015 to visit with and say goodbye to my long time pro bono client who was dying of cancer. He died two weeks later. I offer free Reiki services to all of my clients. We believe in being there for our clients. I am baffled at why this person would complain about his attorney on my Avvo.com page. I have had some discussions with him since he posted this review and he admits I was not his attorney and he admits he never talked to me about his unhappiness with his attorney. He admits he never gave me a chance to help him. I run all the invoices in the law office. He never talked about his invoices with me. We do not charge to discuss billing questions. We offer payment plans. We work with our clients. We have been offering sliding scale rates with our own Modest Means Program ever since the Clark County Bar terminated its Modest Means Program 8 years ago. I am very sorry this person had an unpleasant experience with our firm. I wish he had talked to me. I wish he had posted his complaints on the page of the attorney about whom he has complaints. Our door is always open to discuss client concerns, no matter if we, the partners, are their legal counsel, or one of our associate attorneys.
"Meredith and I worked on a complex probate/trust matter together that had facts spanning many years. Meredith was great to work with. I endorse this lawyer."
"Meredith is knowledgable, thorough and a consummate professional. I have had the good fortune to learn from her by litigating cases against her and leaned on her as a resource when facing a novel legal question, in my practice. I endorse Meredith without hesitation."
"I am not exaggerating when I state that every single time I have called Meredith for advice on a tricky issue, she knows just how to handle it. Smart, thoughtful, ethical, and a real mensch."
"If I were faced with a divorce or family law issue in Washington State, Meredith McKell Graff is the first attorney I would think of, and the first call I would make! I cannot think of a better way to validate my endorsement of this lawyer!"
"I endorse this lawyer's work. Meredith is very professional and looks after the best interest of her clients. When I have had a conflict I have referred some clients on to Meredith. She is both a combination of being aggressive when necessary but always wishes to mediate, if appropriate and desired by her client."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. Meredith is very ethical while at the same time, a strong advocate for her clients. She is a problem solver which is extremely important in the area of family law. I find her to be extremely professional."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. She is honest, hard working and always available for questions. She volunteers in the community and mentors young lawyers. She is someone that is ethical, honest, and dependable."
"Meredith is tough when she needs to be, always empathic and very knowledgeable in her chosen field. When I closed down my practice, I did not hesitate to send cases her way. I knew that any client I sent her way would be well cared-for and satisfied with her service."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. I have known Meredith for several years as a fellow member of the George & Donald Simpson Inns of Court. Meredith strikes me as a person of great competence, caring, and integrity. She is also a leader in the area of collaborative divorce. I recommend her without reservation."
Criminal defense lawyer
Trusts lawyer
Divorce and separation lawyer
Employment and labor lawyer
Employment and labor lawyer
Family lawyer
Family lawyer
Juvenile law lawyer
Elder law lawyer
Land use and zoning lawyer
Juvenile law lawyer
2009
Certified Mediator/Family Law, Washington Mediation Association
2008
Professional of the Year, Cambridge Who's Who
2007
CV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2006
Pro Bono Publico Service Commendation, Washington State Bar Association
2005
Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program
2003 - Present
Attorney/Mediator, McKell Graff, PLLC
2002 - 2003
Attorney/Mediator, Walstead Mertsching Attorneys at Law
1999 - 2002
Mediator/JD Paralegal, Steven Allen Smith, PC
2003 - Present
Clark County Bar AssociationMember
2002 - Present
Washington State Bar AssociationMember
1999 - Present
Utah State BarMember
1998 - Present
Association for Conflict ResolutionAdvanced Practitioner
2016 - 2023
Washington Mediation AssociationBoard Member, Certification Committee Chair
2009 - 2011
Clark County Superior CourtGuardian ad Litem
2009 - 2011
Clark County Association of MediatorsMember
2006 - 2010
International Academy of Collaborative ProfessionalsMember
2004 - 2009
American Inns of CourtBoard Member, Member
2003 - 2009
Washington Women LawyersBoard member
2003 - 2017
Clark County Bar Association/Family Law SectionBoard member, Member
2002 - 2005
Cowlitz County Bar AssociationBoard Member, Member
2002 - 2017
Clark County Bar AssociationMember
1995 - 2006
American Bar AssociationMember
Successful--Client Got His Day in Court!
Completed estate planning for client before he died of terminal cancer
Client attained all her goals in the case.
Success so far and more to come!
The non-parental custodian retained custody without visitation for the mother.
1998
Juris Doctor
1990
MA - Masters
1984
BA - Bachelor of Arts
1974
AA-Associate of Arts
2011
Cultural Competency for Guardians ad Litem
2011
2009
2008
2006
2005
2005
Avoiding Conflict and Ethical Traps
2010
2010
2007
1999
Spanish
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