Jennifer C. Rydberg

Jennifer C. Rydberg

also known as Gellner Law Group

4.3
Rating: 7.8

Licensed for 47 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Kent, WA
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Divorce & Separation

8407 South 259th St., Suite 203, Kent, WA

About Jennifer

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Estate Planning 40%

Plan for your future and that of your family, preserve and distribute property you have worked hard to acquire, minimize or avoid inheritance taxes and probate, and gain peace of mind, in collaboration with your lawyer.

48 years

40%
Probate 40%

Work with your lawyer to find the most efficient and effective way to resolve your loved one's affairs, respecting the decedent's wishes and honoring the family, whether with a court probate proceeding or with one of many non-probate procedures that may be available to your situation.

48 years

40%
Divorce and Separation 20%

Whether you represent yourself and save fees, or have full litigation representation, my collaborative, client-centered family law representation will help you resolve your family's legal issues fairly with civility, respect, and efficiency.

48 years

20%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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

Gellner Law Group

8407 South 259th St., Suite 203, Kent, WA, 98030-7536

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

Jennifer C. Rydberg's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.3 /5.0

18 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (18) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 6 reviews | Compassion

Posted by JOHN | November 05, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

The worse attorney ever

One year ago this attorney had 5 evaluations, 2 fair and 3 very bad. This attorney lies and completely fails to represent her clients. Everything she told me was a lie. In court she sat behind me and never said a word. Later she said she no longer took sides in divorce actions. I lost everything wit...hout any legal representation. This result meant nothing to her. I filed a complaint with the BAR. They said none of this could be true so they dismissed my complaint. That is why her record does not show the truth.

Posted by Tom & Marie | April 03, 2015 | Estate Planning

Estate Planning - Revocable Living Trust Preparation

Right up front we have to say Jenny is a wonderful, knowledgeable, efficient and caring Lawyer. We are in a transition to retirement and our existing plans were quite dated. A couple of friends recommended Jennifer based on their positive experiences. We found her to be very competent and caring, J...enny listens, analyzes and presents alternative solutions for consideration. We had some angst over how to handle one of our sons in the Trust, her advice broached an area we hadn't fully considered. We both agree that our experience with Jenny was more than we had of a lawyer expected going in. Her counsel was most effective and she presented a number of options in the sensitive areas and helped us judge them and come to conclusions that satisfied us. We and our families are much better set for the future due to our experience with and counsel from Jennifer Rydberg. Thank you, Jenny!

Posted by Stephanie | July 21, 2014 | Probate

One hour with Jennifer Rydberg

Jennifer is one of the most insulting business people I've ever dealt with and I would not recommend her to anybody. My father recently passed away and we discovered we would have to put one of his retirement accounts through probate due to a paperwork error and I submitted an inquiry through her we...bsite to see if we had any recourse. She contacted me immediately and said I needed to talk to a probate attorney right away so I scheduled an appointment with her. I went in and reviewed everything with her and she proceeded to tell me my father was cheap for not hiring an estate attorney and I was the same for trying to do the probate myself; there was nothing we could do about the account but we needed somebody to step in and finish the probate. She made comments about his small estate and if the account in question had another zero after it she might go after the bank for malpractice. She's condescending on top of being insulting! I was so blind-sided I walked out of her office thinking I was stupid and I needed to hire somebody right away but realized soon after I would never give her another penny of our hard-earned money. She needs to learn a thing or two about respect because there are plenty of attorneys out there and that's not the way to attract new clients.

Posted by Brent | February 11, 2014 | Estate Planning

Handling Our Family Trust

In 2000 we had an attorney draw up a living family trust for us which was done fine. In 2012 we needed to amend the trust and file a quit claim deed on our Seattle area home and our condo in California, moving them into the trust. Our attorney was totally unresponsive to our needs, so after nearly ...a year without any action we made the decision for find another attorney. We selected Jennifer Rydberg solely because she specialized in estate planning. We were a little nervous because her hourly rate was higher than we were used to paying, but when we met in her office our concern quickly melted away. Jennifer was warm and personable. She quickly reviewed our trust and our reasons for needing to make changes. She also easily handled the quit claim deed for our Washington house and she had a professional arrangement with an attorney in California that she used to handle the California condo quit claim deed. It was obvious to us that Jennifer was highly knowledgeable in all aspects of living trusts. We had several more contacts with her via email and phone. She was always cordial, had an immediate answer for any questions we had, and never acted as though she was in a hurry or that our call was an inconvenience for her. In the end, we got everything we needed and wanted and even more. As an example, she put each section of our trust on a PDF document so our entire trust is now computerized for future use. We are very pleased with our relationship with Jennifer and the work she did for us. We will retain her for any future legal matters. We have already recommended her to two of our friends who are considering drawing up a trust or other estate planning. Brent & Luanne

Posted by anonymous | February 10, 2009 | Lawsuits & Disputes

Professional experienced problem solver who puts YOUR best interest first

Jenny knew exactly how to navigate the judicial system and helped guide me in a way that avoided an expensive and lengthy process. Jenny is a compassionate individual who at the same time maintains a stern position on the rights of her client. Jenny provided me with creative alternatives t...hat allowed me to effectively negotiate a resolution instead of relinquishing decision-making to a court/judge. Jenny's professional etiquette & successful reputation was proven in the courtroom when I witnessed the respect she was shown by personnel in that infrastructure. Jenny is a timely person that communicates well when extenuating circumstances arise. Time and money were two things I didn't have a lot of so she pushed me when I needed it and pushed her self even harder in my support. I intend to use Jennifer C Rydberg's legal services again for my estate planning because I know she will look out for my best interest and not charge me an arm and a leg either.

See All Client Reviews

Jennifer C. Rydberg's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Jennifer
Susan Lee Beecher headshot
Susan Beecher

Family lawyer | Jan 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Ms. Rydberg is an excellent attorney with decades of experience in family law. She is a highly respected member of the legal community for good reason, and I would recommend her for even the most complex and puzzling of family law cases. While Ms. Rydberg has a well established practice in family law, she also has an active and growing practice in estate planning, and I recommend her for that as well."

Mark David Albertson headshot
Mark Albertson

Estate planning lawyer | Dec 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Jennifer is a smart, caring and knowledgeable lawyer, and has a reputation in our community as an excellent lawyer"

Jean Meschke Bouffard headshot
Jean Bouffard

Divorce and separation lawyer | Oct 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I confidently refer marriage dissolution matters to Ms. Rydberg because of her years of experience, her knowledge and her unflinching determination."

Peter William Mogren headshot
Peter Mogren

Divorce and separation lawyer | Feb 06

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I have known Jennifer as an attorney for over 25 years. We have been opposing counsel on cases, I have consulted with her on issues, and I have referred clients to her. Jennifer knows the law and the procedures. She knows how to effectively use her time to accomplish a good result for her clients. I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements
Susan Lee Beecher headshot
Susan Beecher

Business lawyer

Boyd F. Buckingham JR headshot
Boyd Buckingham

Family lawyer

Jean Meschke Bouffard headshot
Jean Bouffard

General practice lawyer

Peter William Mogren headshot
Peter Mogren

Family lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.8 (Very Good)

Honors

2011

Silver Beaver, Chief Seattle Council, Boy Scouts of America

2007

District Award of Merit, Boy Scouts of America, Chief Seattle Council

2004

Named Gift Honoree, AAUW

1993

Couples Award, Green River District of the Chief Seattle Council

Work Experience

2010 - Present

Fire Commissioner, Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety

1979 - Present

Lawyer, Jennifer C. Rydberg, attorney at law

Associations

2010 - Present

Estate Planning Council of South King County

Board of Directors & Charter member

2009 - Present

Estate Planning Council of Seattle

Member

2001 - Present

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Member

1996 - Present

Family Law Officers of the Court, King County (FLOCK)

Member, former editor

1989 - Present

American Association of University Women, South King County Branch

Member & Past President

1987 - Present

Boy Scouts of America

Advancement Committee Member

1978 - Present

King County Bar Association

Member

1978 - Present

Washington State Bar Association

Member

1978 - Present

South King County Bar Association

Member

1978 - Present

Washington Women Lawyers

Member

2002 - 2011

Rotary Club of Kent Sunrise

Member, Foundation Chair, Scholars

1997 - 1998

Domestic Abused Women's Network (DAWN)

Board Member

1995 - 1997

East King County Bar Association

Member

1991 - 1995

Tahoma School District

Board Member, President of Board

1978 - 1992

American Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Striker Probate

Successful transition of assets to the children.

See More Legal Cases

Education

1977

Seattle University School of Law, formerly UPS School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1977

University of Puget Sound School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1973

University of Puget Sound

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2007

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Living Trusts

2004

Family Law Mid-Year Meeting

How do attorneys deal with this new and growing concept; Why do clients want it; Successes to achieve and pitfalls to avoid

2003

Washington Family Law Reporter

Unbundled Legal Services

2001

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Basics of Family Law -- When a New Client Walks in the Door ... What do you do next?

2001

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Setting up a Family Law Practice and Operating on a Low Budget, Best of CLE

1999

Eastside Estate Planning Council

Retirement Plans & Divorce -- What Professional Advisors need to know

1998

Continuing Legal Education Seminar

Essentials of Client Intake and Evaluation

Publications

2005

Washington State Bar Association 2005 Washington Family Law Deskbook, Chapter 57, Emerging Concepts in Legal Services: Unbundled Legal Services

Languages

English

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