Monique Gilson-Moreau

Monique Gilson-Moreau has been practicing law for over 30 years, primarily in private practice.  Monique has been a litigator, mediator, and guardian ad litem for the courts. She currently focuses her practice on family law, with particular experience in relocation and interstate custody issues (“UCCJEA” Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act ) and the Indian Child Welfare Act “ICWA.”  Monique has dealt with various tribal courts in this and other states and has appeared and/or been admitted to practice in various local tribal courts. Early in her career Monique gained experience in various areas of law as indicated in her Professional Experience below.

Attorney.   Monique was born in Verviers, Belgium and immigrated to the United States with her parents at a young age.  Monique earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now known as Seattle University School of Law) in 1985.  She continued her legal training through McGeorge University School of Law at their Salzburg, Austria Campus, earning a Diploma in Transnational Legal Practice.  She then moved to Paris, France where she completed an internship with an international French law firm.  She was sworn in as an Attorney licensed to practice in Washington State at the U.S. Embassy in Paris.  She remained in Paris for over 2 years where she continued to work for various private French law firms and eventually met and married her husband.  Monique returned to Seattle, WA with her husband in December of 1987.  Monique and her husband, Frederic, are the proud parents of three grown daughters, two of whom work with Monique as her paralegals.  Upon her return to Washington, Monique did contract work for various Seattle law firms until she began her private solo practice, which included immigration and family law.  Because Monique speaks French fluently, she has received referrals for Immigration, Adoption and Family Law cases from the French Consulate in San Francisco as well as the Honorary French Consulate in Seattle.  Monique successfully obtained asylum for a client who fled persecution in Zaire and adjusted the status of several French Nationals enabling them to work or become permanent residents of the United States.   Her empathy and compassion for others led her to volunteer to represent a financially disadvantaged victim of domestic violence through the Family Law Mentor program.  This and similar experiences eventually led her to focus her practice on domestic law, child support, custody, including interstate UCCJEA cases, adoptions, Guardian ad litem and mediation.  She particularly enjoys using her family law experience to help parties resolve their disputes.  Finally, she has supported our U.S. military by volunteering her time to provide Washington Family Law training to the JAGs at the Whidbey Island Naval Base.

Guardian ad Litem.  Monique has been appointed by the King County Superior Court as a guardian ad litem in Title ll cases.  She later completed training as a Title 26 guardian ad litem for children in family law cases.

Tribal Courts and the Indian Child Welfare Act.   Monique has represented clients in matters that either were brought in Tribal Court or in which a party invoked the Indian Child Welfare Act in Washington Tribes and as far away as South Dakota. Monique is currently admitted to practice in the Lummi Tribal Court.

Mediator.  Monique has successfully mediated settlement conferences between private parties as well as parties represented by attorneys in compliance with the settlement conference requirements mandated in several Washington Counties.

About Monique.  Monique met and married her husband, Frederic, in Paris, France in 1986.  They moved to Seattle at the end of 1987 and had three beautiful daughters, who are now young adults and on their own.  Monique is bi-lingual, French being her first language.  She enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling, spending time in the outdoors and at their property in Chelan, WA.  Monique loves animals and passed on to her children that love and compassion for animals.  Monique and her husband currently share their home with 3 dogs and 3 cats.  Sometimes she brings her Maltese “Tucker” to the office to hang out.