Danielle Ryder Havens

Danielle Havens is very personable and, despite the inherent stresses of the legal process, makes her clients feel at ease and comfortable. She met with me very soon after I contacted her, and answered all questions readily and with good information. She was excited to help me and outlined a very cle...ar path for dismissal and/or the other possibilities of my case. Competent and professional, I certainly recommend her services.

I first contacted Ms. Havens after being charged with a violation on a deferred prosecution agreement in 2014. The agreement had been set up by a previous attorney in the summer of 2012, and due to the new charge, he no longer wanted to work with me. After explaining my situation through tears on the... phone to Ms. Havens, she asked why my case had not been referred to King County District Court Mental Health Court (KCDC MHC). It was the first time that I had even heard of the institution, and after a quick Google search, I began to wonder the same thing. I had been diagnosed with an axis 1 mental health disorder in March 2012, and it was the reason that my case was previously granted a deferred prosecution. However, there was no structure to hold me accountable for my own actions besides the occasional probation meeting. After a consultation at her office in Seattle, my family and I hired Ms. Havens to represent me. She was successful in having the new charge referred to KCDC MHC, where it remained in probation and monitoring until the case was closed in 2017. There were a lot of ups and downs in the case, and Ms. Havens remained on the entire time. I cannot recommend Ms. Havens enough for anyone seeking criminal defense help. She works tirelessly, and is a fierce advocate for her clients. From the moment she came on board, she made things clear: she would help me, as long as I was willing to help myself. Ms. Havens made it very clear that this would be my final chance to make things right and really pushed me to be honest in seeking help through psychiatry and therapy. In advocating for me to be a part of the Mental Health Court structure (which was not easy, given the reservations of the other parties involved, and yet she still worked to get me the opportunity), I was given the chance to learn about what true accountability means. The MHC required me to take a rigorous domestic violence intervention program based on my probation officer’s recommendation, to which I was resistant. However, Ms. Havens advocates that people go into situations with open minds and willing to learn. I feel that I matured greatly in my time working with Ms. Havens and really learned from her, and the tools she advocated that I have. In short, Ms. Havens is highly empathetic, yet provides tough course correcting guidance to her clients. She is intelligent, eloquent, and advocates for people as if they were one of her own. Anyone in a sorry situation would be lucky to have her as their legal defense. I know I was.

Danielle masterfully represented and supported our family member who, as a result of a psychotic episode, was charged with trespass and destruction of property. Danielle, with incredible compassion and obvious competence, represented our family member through the process that resulted in the charges... being dismissed. We recommend Danielle without reservation and with the same confidence that she had been recommended to us by a family whose legal situation involved a mental health crisis. Based on our research and our experience, her blend of skills is unique. We are beyond grateful that she was recommended to us and happy to recommend her to others.