Carena C. Mcilwain

Getting a divorce has had to be one of the hardest things I have done, but it was so much better going through it with Carena guiding me. Her meticulous attention to detail all of the time blew me away. She works hard! At our trial she got information allowed in that was being objected to because ...she knows the law that well! She also made sure with every big decision she had educated me on the pro's and con's to help me make the best decision for myself. However, aside from being an excellent professional, she made me feel that all my questions and concerns had validity and never once made me feel a bother for asking. Going through a hard life change, her sincerity and kindness were welcomed and appreciated.

First and foremost, Carena is an outstanding attorney and the consummate professional. I started out behind the 8 ball, after wasting valuable trying to just work with my wife’s attorney in order to save both of us attorney’s fees. After interviewing a number of attorneys, I hired Carena, and s...he was a dream come true. She is an extremely knowledgeable, aggressive and thorough attorney who leaves no stone unturned. She has a very charming demeanor in working with her clients, and the required “Pit Bull” aggressiveness when dealing with opposing counsel. Carena was always prepared and is one of the most pleasant attorneys I’ve ever dealt with. She is a very diligent attorney whom is always responsive to her clients. Every email, phone call, or questions that I ever had was promptly answered. She is head and shoulders above her peers in her ability as a Family Law attorney. If you want the best, hire Carena, she is worth every penny.

I hired Carena to represent myself and my son in a recent divorce that went all the way to trail and 5 full days in court in front of a judge with evidence and witnesses. Originally I almost released Carena from the case because she was so “nice”. What I wanted was someone who would be aggressive... and get me the best results. I did some research and interviewed several other firms and lawyers and all of them indicated I would lose a custody battle here in Washington. I also learned that Carena was to put it best; a "Pit-bull" in the sense that once she grabbed on she wouldn't let go. This is what I wanted AND she was the only one who told me she couldn't guarantee a win or loss where all others guaranteed a loss. She was honest with me which I appreciated. Carena was great in the fact that she gave me "homework" which helped gather facts that she needed and gave me some ownership in my own destiny. She never speculated the outcome of a judges ruling but gave me actual facts. I never had any false hopes from Carena because she was always up front and truthful. I learned that the schedule was driven by court dates and not so much by our wants or whims. Even if we had months before another court appearance Carina was always responsive to my e-mails, telephone calls or e-mails. She always gave me the option of a telephone conference so I would not have to spend the travel time to get to her office from work and back again. I was always kept abreast of the latest rulings because she would call or e-mail me and send a copy of any paperwork she received from the courts or opposing consul. She is well organized and keeps fantastic notes and records so she was always up to speed at any given moment with my case. Carena treated me with respect and dignity the whole time we worked together. Because the judicial system is foreign to me I had a lot of questions and she helped educate me in the process. The fact that I am a “Dad” in Washington and that I won primary custodial parent is a testament in itself.