Gary R. W. Slater

Gary is an outstanding attorney and a fine person. He was responsive, supportive and professional in helping me through a divorce. I was confident in how Gary advised me in what my options were in proceeding through my divorce action. I was divorced in 91 days and experienced open communication and i...mmediate responses to emails and phone calls. I appreciated Gary's professional approach and his wealth of knowledge in ensuring I prevailed in a successful outcome in my divorce proceedings. I recommend Gary without hesitation and would add that he shows genuine concern in supporting his clients.

My recent experience with this attorney has given me great cause to warn others who may now be seeking legal advice for a divorce situation. While Mr. Slater is a very nice fellow, the way he handled my case was appalling. Though he was very confident that our case for a positive child support sett...lement was strong, he did not present himself very well in court. Mr. Slater was immediately knocked off kilter by my wife's attorney who came well prepared and was well spoken. Clearly, Mr. Slater was caught off guard right from the start, and never really regained his footing. Upon conclusion of the hearing, Mr. Slater informed me that I should expect to pay somewhere between $450 and $500 per month for child support. When I was actually informed later that day (by my ex) that I now owed $750 per month in child support, I immediately phoned Mr. Slater to investigate. Mr. Slater then informed me that the $750 per month figure was correct, and his initial estimate was off because of the following two reasons. First, Mr. Slater admitted that he had used the wrong worksheet to calculate the payment (he used the worksheet for a younger child, and my daughter was 18.) He also explained that he'd forgotten to add the medical insurance component to the payment. As Mr. Slater has been practicing family law for quite some time, I was quite bewildered as to why he would make such seeming amateurish errors. After the results of the hearing, I expressed to Mr. Slater that I was having some serious concerns. In fact, I wanted to sit down with him and discuss what had taken place. Before I could set an actual meeting, Mr. Slater sent me a series of e-mails stating that I should consider alternate counsel. When I asked him why he thought I should consider retaining a different attorney, he replied that he could not represent a client who may no longer have confidence in him. A curious response indeed. Since then, I did retain a new lawyer and the process continues as I write this. In explaining the situation to my new attorney, however, she was quite taken aback (to say the least) at the way Mr. Slater handled my case. My wife's attorney also indicated to my new lawyer that she didn't think Mr. Slater did a very good job either. Imagine the feeling (during a child support hearing) to be wishing that you had retained your wife's lawyer, and not the one who was supposed to be working for you. There is another factor I should point out. Mr. Slater is actually battling some form of cancer at this time, and is currently receiving chemo therapy treatment. This does not automatically make him a bad choice, but he never bothered to disclose his battle with cancer to me when I initially hooked up with him and chose to retain him. I don't doubt that Gary Slater was an excellent attorney in his prime, but I fear that his current condition is diverting his attention from his work. Anyway, long story short, he burned through $3,500 of my $4,000 retainer, and if anything, muddied the waters even further. Now I have an even further uphill battle if I'm to come out of this with any kind of decent result. Do yourself a great favor, and look for someone who's got his eye more on the prize.

Mr. Slater was a true gentleman in every aspect during the difficult time I was going through divorce proceedings. He gave excellent advice in an honest yet tactful way, and ensured that the children and I were heavily protected and provided for under the law. His professionalism is unparalleled an...d I was impressed with his knowledge of the Washington courts system. Having had a father who was an attorney I know that his representation made me feel secure that my situation was resolved in the most beneficial manner possible, without causing acrimony and added drama between my ex and myself.

I first met Mr. Slater on 11/01/2012. I had many questions concerning Ruth's will and Estate. Mr. Slater reviewed the material and the will. The process of verifying the will was going to take a little research as it was over 55 years old and all the named executors had past away. He and some a...ssociates had located a person who could verify one of the signatures on the will. The two beneficiaries named in the will had asked if I could be executor since I had been handling her affairs through Durable Power of Attorney for a few years and was familiar with the estate. After presenting to the court all the information that was found and verified, I was appointed executor. Due to the size of the estate and possible tax implications, with the advise of Mr. Slater, I hired a tax consulting firm. With the advice from Mr. Slater and the tax firm. I was able to liquidate the assets, pay all taxes and disperse the money and misc. assets in a logical and systematic way. This whole process took approx. 6 mo. Throughout the entire time Mr. Slater was easily accessible for my many questions and concerns. He provided many forms to help me keep everything organized and presentable to the courts. I very much appreciate all the effort he went through to ensure a smooth finish to this estate and made the whole process less stressful on me. Thank You Gary.