Michele Gentry Hinz

Michele Gentry Hinz

5.0
Rating: 9.8

Licensed for 47 years

Adoption Lawyer at Auburn, WA
Practice Areas: Adoption

33035 52nd Ave S, Auburn, WA

About Michele

Biography

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Adoption 100%

43 years

100%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 350-400 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Looking for an attorney? Avvo can help.

search module image

Search our directory

Quickly connect with top attorneys through our legal directory to get help with your legal issue.

chat module image

Avvo's live chat agents can help coordinate a consultation with a local attorney.

Chat with a live agent who can match you with the right attorney for your legal needs.

Chat with

Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 47 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 1978

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of Michele Gentry Hinz

33035 52nd Ave S, Auburn, WA, 98001-3622

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

Michele Gentry Hinz's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

33 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (33) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 11 - 15 of 17 reviews | Recommendation

Posted by Isabel | November 30, 2011 | Family

Applaud Wholeheartedly

I applaud Michele Hinz wholeheartedly. Michele showed me that it is possible for a birth-father's heart to be changed. Her compassion, vision, and leadership qualities were instrumental toward having my son's birth father relinquish his rights. Her personal approach and stellar effort to communicate ...with the birth father, located in a remote prison, was commendable. While advising me well and explaining every step of the way, Michele worked tirelessly and without complaint to take care of the inevitable, unexpected bumps. Her can-do, helpful attitude was exemplified during the process as well as months later when the Decree needed to be amended. Above and beyond, Michele's care for my family made this a most memorable and significant experience. Recently, Michele sent a thoughtful letter to my ten year old daughter and after reading it, my daughter said, "I'll always be grateful for her. She's extraordinary!"

Posted by Cindy | July 03, 2011 | Adoption

Putting the love in Family.

This is the second adoption Michele has handled for me. I must say that she has not only helped to add to my family but has greatly improved the quality of our lives, Both my Husband and i can never thank her enough for all she has done. The adoption experiance can be long and somtimes complicated bu...t she was always there night or day to help us and answere any questions we may have. She was always encouraging and supportive and kept us continually informed of the progress in our case and would always explain the process or next step very clearly and enabled us to complete our adoption process in a very timely manner and without complications. It was a wonderful experience and we are blessed to have had Michele with us to share in the joining of our family. It is truly her calling in life to bring so many people the most important Gift that God could Give us. Our Children. She is Professional and truly cares for her clients. I highly recommend her to those of you who want not just a lawyer but some one who cares about your family.

Posted by Kimberly | June 23, 2011 | Adoption

Great Find!

Its scary when you need to find an attorney and you are new to an area. I found Michele online searching for an addoption attorney. I picked her because she was the closest to my home and Im so glad I did because she did an excellent job! The adoption moved very quickly and went smoothly. Her fees we...re very reasonable and affodable. She was very knowledgable and professional.

Posted by Glen | September 15, 2010 | Adoption

Deserving of all of the praise she has gotten on this site

I wasn't sure how credible the reviews were when I found this site - I had never used it before. After spending the last 6 months as a client of Michele's, I can tell you that she is every bit as good as everyone says she is. Adoptions are tough - they are both emotionally and financially drainin...g. This was our first adoption, so we had no idea what we getting into. When we initiated contact with Michele, she offered to do our adoption for a flat fee or for the more typical hourly arrangement. I was slightly nervous about the flat fee, because I feared that there would be a lot of “extras” tacked on as things proceeded. Based on a very good introductory call and her good reviews on this site, I decided to go forward with the flat fee. It was a great decision – there were no extras and I received a level of attention that I never dreamed was possible. When we had problems at the hospital with a nurse that didn’t want to release the infant into our care, Michele was on the phone (and later at the hospital) immediately. All of this on a Sunday! She is extremely responsive and really understands the emotional stresses that adoption creates. It is clear that she does this because she loves to help people, not because it is “a job”. She was always prompt in returning calls and text messages, and clearly knew the law. She moved our case through the court system efficiently and effectively. We couldn’t have asked for a better or nicer lawyer.

Posted by anonymous | January 23, 2008 | Adoption

A huge blessing to our growing family

This was our first adoption and Michele worked hard to make the process smooth and trouble free. She was easy to interact with and always available when we needed her. Michele added a very professional yet personel element to our adoption process making it a very pleasant experience for our family. M...ichele has also proved to be a wonderful post-adoption support by providing us assistance with issues which have arisen since the finalization. We really couldn't recommend Michele any higher. She truly has been a huge blessing to our growing family!

See All Client Reviews

Michele Gentry Hinz's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michele
Oresta Danilyuk Rzhiskiy headshot
Oresta Rzhiskiy

Adoption lawyer | Dec 09

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Michele for her readiness to help, guide, mentor and support. Great person to consult with. I am grateful to know such a professional with open heart and smile."

Christian K. Lassen II headshot
Christian Lassen

Unknown lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Top-notch attorney. Highly respected in the legal community."

Adam Shapiro headshot
Adam Shapiro

Adoption lawyer | Jul 06

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer's work. I worked on a dependency/ adoption matter with Michele. I found Michele to be a thorough, knowledgeable and skilled attorney who cares a great deal about her clients."

Kristine Grelish headshot
Kristine Grelish

Adoption lawyer | Dec 16

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer's work. Michele Hinz worked as a Guardian Ad Litem in a contested adoption case where I was representing the adopting parents. She was instrumental in helping all parties achieve a fair result. Her professionalism and creativity really impressed me."

View All Endorsements
Joyce E. Robson headshot
Joyce Robson

Adoption lawyer

Adam Shapiro headshot
Adam Shapiro

Juvenile law lawyer

Kristine Grelish headshot
Kristine Grelish

Litigation lawyer

Albert George Lirhus headshot
Albert Lirhus

Adoption lawyer

Mark Marston Demaray headshot
Mark Demaray

Adoption lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.8 (Superb)

Honors

2025

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell

2024

Susan Paquet Mentoring Award, Academy of Adoption and Reproductive Technology Attorneys

2024

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell

2023

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell

2022

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell

2021

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2020

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2019

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2018

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2017

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2016

AV Preeminent Rated - Peer and Judicial, Martindale-Hubbell®

2015

AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2014

AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2013

AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2012

AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2011

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell®

2010

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell®

2009

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2008

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2007

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2006

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2005

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2004

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

2003

AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

Work Experience

2019 - Present

Attorney/Owner, HinzLaw, LLC

1993 - 2019

Owner, Law Office Of Michele Gentry Hinz

1990 - 1993

Attorney, Beresford Booth PLLC

1981 - 1989

Owner, Law Office of Michele Gentry Hinz

1978 - 1981

Associate, Jones, Grey & Bayley (now Stoel Rives)

Associations

1992 - Present

Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys

Fellow

1992 - 1992

Washington State Adoption Council

President

1990 - 1991

Washington State Adoption Commission

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Matter of LJM, 476 P. 3d 636 - Wash: Court of Appeals, 2nd Div. 2020

Court of Appeals overturned trial court dismissal of stepfather's de facto parentage petition

In re Adoption of J.Z.D., Court of Appeals Division II, No. 51149-5-II, Unpublished Opinion filed April 23, 2019

Trial court termination of parental rights upheld by Court of Appeals.

In the Matter of the Adoption of Infant Boy Crews, 118 Wn.2d 561, 825 P.2d 305 (1992)

Child remained in adoptive home.

See More Legal Cases

Education

1978

University of Washington School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1975

University of Washington -Seattle

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2016

Adoption Guardian ad Litem Training

Role of the Guardian ad Litem for a Minor Parent in Adoption Proceedings

2013

Adoption Essentials 2013 - Changes & Challenges

Money Matters

2012

Adoption Guardian ad Litem Training

Role of the Guardian ad Litem: Minor Parent

2009

Adoption Guardian Ad Litem Training

Role of the Adoption GAL: Minor Parent

2008

Adoption Practice, Pitfalls and Procedures

Obtaining Medical Records and Social Background Information / The Role of the Guardian ad Litem in Adoption Proceedings

2003

Inter-County Adoption Guardian ad Litem Training

Adoption Guardian Ad Litem Issues

1993

Adopting in Washington State

ICWA Issues/Birth Father Issues/Financial Issues

1992

Infertility: Challenges and Choices

Emotional Aspects of Adoption

1991

Insights Into Infertility

Emotional Aspects of Adoption

1991

Creative Alternatives to Hourly Billing

Flat-Rate Billing

1991

Adoption Practice - Current Issues & New Legislation

New Developments re ICWA & Adoption Agreements

1990

Adoption Practice - Current Issues & New Legislation

Adoption Issues

1988

Guardian ad Litem Training (Mandatory)

Interviewing Birth Parents

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution