Leslie Jean Olson

Leslie is strategic, honest and incredibly hard working. To say that she will stand by your side is an understatement, she will step in front of a team of opposing counsel and defend her client and her client’s rights. My case was a mess, I had gone through 3 lawyers (one who claimed, to be one of th...e best lawyers in Western Washington and from the largest divorce firm in the city, his representation and work was atrocious) looking for someone who would look deep and hard at the facts and I finally found that in Leslie. Leslie did a wonderful job representing me through the case and trail. The custody for my divorce was a mess where my ex had nearly unlimited funds, a team of lawyers who were constantly stirring up trouble. My ex who was struggling with intense emotional issues that got scary. I didn’t have unlimited funds and only wanted what was fair. I wanted what I earned financially to go to the kids and protection for the them while their father received the treatment. Leslie knows the law, she knows real estate, she knows business valuations, she knows how stock works with vesting schedules, she knows how taxes work in divorce, she knows how to structure an unambiguous custody agreement, so in high conflict situations the parties don’t end up in mediation every six months. She explained the tradeoffs and strategies we had to get through, the process and helped me be clearly informed on what my choices were. With her guidance we made the right decisions as a team. She always took the high road and was results driven, it paid off in SOO many ways. My case was an international case where my husbands’ assets were hidden overseas, and Leslie worked tirelessly to make sure we represented the factual picture. If my ex and his legal team hadn’t refused to be even remotely reasonable, we could have settled without going to trial but that wasn’t the case. We had to go to trial and my goodness, the difference between a good trial attorney like Leslie was clear! She was able to get a substantial award in attorney fees and exactly what I needed. She pushed me to be reasonable and it paid off, in hindsight this was one of the best things that I did in my case and without having so much trust in Leslie the results might not have been the same! It was extremely hard to achieve these results; I never gave up and neither did she. I would recommend her to anyone and would put my name behind her as the best attorney I have ever met (and I work for one of the large tech firms in a legal division). Family court is hard, not having an attorney who is skilled in so many different subjects can result in a less than favorable result. Leslie was laser focused in trial, efficient, she and I were our little two-person team and she was worth well beyond EVERY DOLLAR she earned in representing me. On a personal note, she cared about what was happening to me and was the strength I needed to stand up for my rights and my kids. Actions speak louder than words and having an honorable hard-working attorney who takes the high-road pays off. Leslie never made promises she couldn’t keep but instead explained the situation and how the law looks at things, how courts work. Where all my previous representation promised they would get the harassment to stop and protect us it would take months of me begging for help before they would even draft letters to opposing council to ask for him to stop his behavior. Leslie filed motions to mediate nearly immediately on a time sensitive issue to protect my daughter and action is clearly something she is great at.

I have been involved with multiple divorce attorneys in the past and found Leslie to be by far the best attorney I have ever encountered. She is spectacular! Very intelligent, astute, and a joy to work with. She was on-top of every detail, kept me well informed and made it much easier to sleep at ...night. Leslie was so superb that my wife frequently complained that I hired an expensive "big gun." Leslie has a wonderful attitude, understands all the gory detail legal aspects and is very honest and direct. Her total fees ended up being much more reasonable than the competition who was at a much lower cost per hour. Leslie has a highly trained and sharp support staff and she delegates very effectively. You won't find a more effective and pleasant person to work with. I highly recommend her with no reservations.

Ms Olson guided me through what turned out to be a very contentious divorce whose proceedings lasted over a year. My spouse was asking for 70% of all assets and stocks, all savings, all my 401(k) and IRA, plus maintenance; and that I pay all legal fees, and all debts—that I did not incur, and denied ...that we had a dependent child (still in school). Additionally, my spouse provided nearly nothing in discovery, including refusing to respond to direct requests for things like work history, credit card account info, and current work situation & salary, nor supplying any of the 10 years financial records my spouse had boxed and stored. Leslie provided constant help, information, communication, and advice throughout this process, identifying what we might do, and how we might do it. She was a constant source of support, and continually came up with new ways to handle the stonewalling. She provided great legal advice, and fierce advocacy, constantly suggested options, gave pro and con for each option, and let me make the choice—which she always supported. Ms Olson successfully rebutted a request for pre-disbursal of funds, where my spouse asked for $35,000 in cash and savings, in addition to two large tax refunds (from my income) totaling over $12,000. She showed in court that my spouse had quit working, moved out of state, and was not attempting to generate any personal income while asking for support. The court subsequently granted my spouse only $2500 in cash and one of the two tax refunds—saving me a huge out-of-pocket expense. During discovery, Ms Olson and her office uncovered five separate credit accounts my spouse had without my knowledge, and uncovered profligate spending patterns, max’ed out credit cards, and repeated late fees. She recommended expert witnesses for help with house appraisal, stock evaluation, and transferable job skills and labor market assessment. During mediation, Ms Olson’s superlative grasp of financial matters allowed her to negotiate a settlement that provided my spouse less than half my 401(K) , and less than a third of the stock and savings I had built up, as opposed to the 70% percent originally requested. In addition, Leslie managed so that I retained our house & furnishings, and car, and did not have to pay the legal fees or debt acquired by my spouse. Nor was I required to supply maintenance to my spouse. Ms Olson is professional, personable, always responsive (including evenings and weekends), knowledgeable about the law & Washington court procedure, and managed to stay on schedule with my issue even though she was required to serve jury duty for nearly a month during our case. Throughout the entire process, Ms Olson and her staff were always available to answer questions, and always kept me advised about what was going on. I always felt understood, and supported. The attitude of everyone in the office made this unpleasant experience much easier to tolerate because of their support, assistance, and personal communications.

I feel that I am extremely fortunate to have been represented by Leslie J. Olson in matters relating to the dissolution of my 17 year marriage. I chose to retain Ms. Olson after having asked several friends in the legal community for recommendations. Ms. Olson was recommended independently by three i...ndividuals. The outcome of my long, and difficult case makes absolutely clear that I was given very good advice. I don't believe that my interests could have been better served than they were by Ms. Olson. At every stage of the legal process I was impressed by Ms. Olson's knowledge of the law, tenacity, thoroughness, and dedication. I felt that our case was a collaborative effort, and that Ms. Olson could not have been more tactful, or sensitive to my feelings and concerns. I'm extremely grateful to her for her help, and would recommend her services, without reservation to anyone needing help getting through a divorce.

While going through a divorce is difficult at best, Leslie Olson was a godsend. I could not have asked for a finer, more professional attorney during the twenty months we worked together. There are many things that standout about Ms. Olson. Her command of the law is formidable and nothing, I mean not...hing, gets by her. I was all too happy that she represented me, because I would never want to challenge her. She is a tiger when opposed. That said, there was never a moment in my relationship with her, that I didn’t feel that she didn’t put the needs of my children and myself first. She listened with the skill of a psychologist and the compassion of a care giver. Ultimately I felt that the decisions were mine to make after I received excellent advice and that I was in total control. When I asked her a question, her follow up was immediate and she never spoke down to me. She returned each of my numerous phone calls and emails promptly and with the utmost professionalism. Perhaps Ms. Olson’s most redeeming trait is that I always felt that I could trust her. From the small nit picky challenges to ones that were far reaching she never once failed me. It seemed as if she was always ahead of me in the course of action that needed to be taken. It would be impossible to in this short review to truly define my appreciation of the job that Ms. Olson did for me. She gave me a second chance at life and for that I can never be grateful enough. She is the finest of Seattle attorneys.