Mary E. Coleman

Mary Coleman is by far one of the best professionals in any area I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I initially went to see her after losing a bid to relocate as part of a disastrous divorce - completely mucked up by my previous lawyer who overcharged me to death - which landed me with a nig...htmarish, restrictive parenting plan. She gave it to me straight: legally, the parenting plan was going to be very difficult to change anytime soon. But she was compassionate, hated giving me that answer, and even referred me to another lawyer - a competitor she respects - to check her thinking on my case. She was right. I actually checked with four other lawyers, all of whom confirmed Mary's take. But only Mary had an attitude that didn't scream resignation. She was almost angry about my case and had some choice but accurate things to say about the guardian ad litem I'd had, who was unprofessional bordering on abusive. But I could see that to Mary my case was also a puzzle begging to be solved and that if anyone was ever going to find a way out for me, it would be Mary. I saw something of a kindred spirit in her in that sense. I was right. She even pitched my very unusual, difficult case to other lawyers at brown bag lunches, hoping to find a loophole. She gave me a lot of advice on what would work in my favor for a future relocation case and it's sort of a waiting game at this point. Mary helped me later on with a modification for child support which went well. And I have kept a balance with her after my ex was ordered to pay legal fees for that case because I will likely need a lawyer again and if it's family law there's no one I trust more than Mary Coleman. I have consulted with roughly ten lawyers in the past five years and Mary's temperament, expertise, and remarkable mix of empathy and straight talk make her a real gem. I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you, Mary, for being one of the people out there who really do actually seem to want to help people with what you do.

My ex-wife moved from Oregon to Washington with our 5 year old daughter in an attempt to limit my visitation and residential time with our child. I eventually moved to Washington State because the Portland to Seattle travel was killing me (and my daughter). A wealthy and vindictive woman, my ex-wi...fe could afford to hire attorney after attorney (She is on her 8th family law attorney at present) while I was often representing myself Pro Se. While I feel I did a halfway decent job representing myself, often the court doesn’t take Pro Se litigants seriously. On more than one occasion a pro-tem Commissioner ignored my motion because I was not a licensed attorney. I was spending so much time in the Kent, WA. Courthouse, I started to recognize the court staff and the regular attorneys. Time and again this little silver haired woman would be at the podium, sometimes representing 2 or 3 clients back to back. She had a great voice, and gave a simple, clear presentation each time. It was obvious that the more seasoned Commissioners appreciated her style. No bluster, no smoke and mirrors, just focused and thoughtful logic in an organized straightforward presentation. That’s Mary Coleman. On the day I first noticed Mary, she had been awarded attorney’s fees for a motion she had won. The Commissioner asked Mary how much money she wanted for fees and Mary stated a reasonable amount and that the work had only taken 1 hour. The Commissioner then doubled the fee award to Mary saying that her request was too low. Mary declined, again stating that the work only took one hour. I have never seen an attorney turn down “free” money, but that’s Mary. She is honest and fair almost to a fault (if such a thing is possible). I retained Mary on a limited representation basis that same day. This means that I did most of my own writing and legal heavy lifting with Mary acting as my mentor and coach. Mary cut through my bloated motions and responses to focus on the facts. She was very easy to work with and provided fantastic guidance throughout the entire process. We would collaborate via email, finalize our documentation, and then Mary would stand with me in court and present everything to the Commissioner. Mary is super organized and detail oriented. Mary won 3 (yes three) Orders of Contempt against my ex-wife and Adequate Cause to modify our parenting plan, significantly reuniting me with my daughter and limiting the damage my ex-wife was doing to our child. I have had some very bad and very expensive experiences with family law attorneys in the past. If you need a family law attorney in the Kent, Washington – South King County area, you can benefit from my costly experience. Retain Mary Coleman, Attorney at Law, Curran Law Firm.

I needed some specific advice on modifying a parenting plan. Mary was very attentive and asked good questions to gain an understanding of the situation before providing sound and clear direction on how I should move forward. Mary was patient and efficient in explaining what I needed to do; I was doin...g most of the paperwork myself. Protocol of the legal system can be confusing and intimidating to the average citizen. Mary was a great support and I felt she was well worth my money.