Sophia Woolery

I consulted with, and hired, Sophia to help me with a custody issue with my child’s father. I was only a few weeks postpartum and my child was very sick and in the hospital. Sophia was so kind to me during this sensitive time and was incredibly knowledgeable about custody issues. Ultimately, my child...’s father and I reconciled, but Sophia was there for me during every step of the process until this happened. She was very available as well, making time for me even when she was incredibly busy.

Sophia helped me navigate a new out-of-state parenting plan with my very difficult co-parent. She was proactive in finding the simplest path to the best interest of my child without getting distracted or intimidated by any of the difficult communications. She advised me wisely on all counts, and made... sure I had all the information needed to make good choices. Co-parenting conflict is so intensely stressful, but after every call or email I received from Sophia, I felt very held and reconnected to the path forward.

I hired Sophia for post-decree support and a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) renewal. My former attorney had moved on from private practice and I was nervous about having new representation, but I needed it. The other party is a domestic violence perpetrator and extremely challenging to dea...l with and - I'm terrified of him. I was looking for an attorney skilled in DV, who could cut through the noise he'd/OC would make and secure ongoing protections for my child and myself. Sophia's natural intellect and in depth knowledge of the law are a force. She was responsive, concise, and educational when I asked her to be more behind the scenes for post-decree support so I could learn how to handle things for myself when expenses were unreimbursed and piling up or he violated the no contact order. She took point to litigate the DVPO renewal, made an argument for and won a five year renewal. It's a tremendous relief. I'm so glad I found Sophia. While I hope that things quiet down with the five-year renewal and I won't need as much support for now, it's reassuring to know Sophia is in my corner when I do.

Sophia helped my fiance and I in a child custody case involving his two children. She was very personable, listened to our desired outcome, and continuously provided multiple approaches (aggressive and not so aggressive) as our case progressed. We started with a temporary motion hearing to essentiall...y get full custody of the kids and move them to our school district, as we provide a stable home life and their mother does not (lives in shelter and voluntarily unemployed). Unfortunately, our commissioner felt this was too aggressive and set a temporary parenting plan with 50/50 and did not want switch school districts 2 months into the school year. While this was disappointing, Sophia reassured us that if we kept doing what we're doing, and their mother also chose to do the same, we would get the outcome we want. During routine discovery, we learned the kids' mother potentially had an addiction problem based on spending habits found in bank statements. Sophia helped us use this as leverage to get an agreement to strike our scheduled trial date (would have been very expensive) and attempt to settle the case in mediation-arbitration. We also requested a chemical dependency evaluation to have a third-party opinion on the addiction. Given all the facts and that Sophia strategically chose a mediator who is familiar with Pierce County (to our benefit), we were able to settle the case in mediation (without arbitrating) and got the school district change (our #1 concern as the kids' commute to school was 1 hr to and from during our residential time and 2+ hours during their mother's residential time!!). Schedule remains 50/50 (and we were fine settling here), but we were also able to add in some additional protections i.e. treatment for mother per chemical dependency evaluation recommendations, no contact between our children and mother's abusive ex, etc. Overall, we are very pleased with how this case turned out for us and are very grateful to Sophia and her team. They were very informative and supportive, as well as conscious about our budget (simultaneously planning a wedding).

I have used Sophia for my family law case for several years and she's helped navigate some tricky negotiations. I appreciate that she is very detail-oriented and pragmatic about her advice, but ultimately with an eye toward letting her clients choose the path that makes the most sense to them. I woul...d recommend Sophia without hesitation to anyone looking for help with a family law case.