Michelle Denise Raiford

PRO

Michelle Denise Raiford

4.6
Rating: 9.6

Licensed for 20 years

Family Lawyer at Seattle, WA
Practice Areas: Family, Divorce & Separation, Child Custody, Child Support

12537 15th Ave NE, Suite 109, Seattle, WA

Free Consultation

About Michelle

Biography

Focusing on you and your children's best interests. Free Consultation, Call Today.

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Child Custody 25%

20 years

25%
Child Support 25%

20 years

25%
Divorce and Separation 25%

20 years

25%
Family 25%

20 years

25%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 20 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 2005

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Michelle Raiford Law Firm

12537 15th Ave NE, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98125

raifordlaw.net/

Michelle Raiford Law Firm

6100 219th Street SW Suite 480, Mountlake Terrace, WA, 98043

raifordlaw.net/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Michelle online.

Michelle Denise Raiford's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

8 Client Reviews

5 star (7)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (1)
1 star (0)

Posted by Alicia | November 3, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Extremely Competent, puts kids first

I had trouble finding a lawyer who's focus was to help parents get the best for their children in a divorce. Michelle has demonstrated that she has the experience and know-how to get children through a divorce with their interests at heart.

Posted by Mike | May 23, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Great Attorney! Helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life and helped gaurentee a place in my daughter's life.

After going through a very high conflict divorce with an ex-wife who was willing to stop at nothing to destroy me including false abuse allegations and keeping my daughter from visiting me, Ms. Raiford, from the very beginning acted as a guardian and avenging angel throughout this very contentious le...gal process. From our intial consultation, where she offered me free 15-minute introductory consultation, unlike other attorneys I had contacted who had offered a similar introductory consultation, in that short 15 minutes she gave me real valuable insight as to what my ex-wife's motivations and possible next steps were with just that limited information I gave her about my case, I was immediately impressed and hired her the next day and retained her the day after. Her rates were reasonable, and she was usually very prompt in answering any questions I may have had throughout the process. The end result was as favorable and equitable of an outcome as a divorcing father could have expected in the State of Washington and had it not been for Ms. Raiford, I would have been so much worse off; I am guaranteed visitation with my daughter, I have support obligations that I can afford, and an equitable split of remaining marital assets despite my ex-wife's scorched earth plan of attempting to destroy me on her way out. I highly recommend her, especially for all of the fathers out there going through divorce with a contentious ex who is committed to destroying them out of spite and are willing to alienate your children from you or, make false abuse allegations to destroy your life, as mine had attempted to do. She worked very hard for me and obtained better results than I could have ever imagined.

Posted by Adam | April 24, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Solid divorce lawyer

Michelle handled my no kids divorce with my wife. She is direct, honest, and has good experience in guiding me what to expect. She kept my expectations aligned the whole time. She is independent, determined, and will protect you from unforeseen circumstances. She's very hands off and doesn't as...k much of you, which is nice I'd you don't have a lot of time (or money) to consult your lawyer on every little decision. I'd recommend her as your attorney if you are divorcing. My advice to a future client, would be to handle her directly, without emotion, and be clear on your desires. She will listen, and do as such.

Posted by Liza | July 24, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

The best Divorce/separation and Child custody Lawyer in Puget Sound

Michelle was an invaluable part of my divorce when I needed her the most. She answered all my questions whenever I reached out to her and always helped me every step of the way. She was very professional and informative when I had a hard time understanding the complexity of the legal system; being th...at English is my second language. With all the added stress of a divorce she always fought for me and did what needed to be done to finalize my divorce without giving any ground to the opposition. I never felt like she was only there for a paycheck but, she was there to help me because she cares about her clients. I highly recommend Michelle for any and all types of Divorce/separation, Child custody, and Child support cases out there.

Posted by Michelle | October 29, 2021 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Thank you, MIchelle!

Words cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for Michelle. Her knowledge, experience, wisdom, guidance and fierce advocacy are unmatched. From my initial visit with Michelle I knew she had my back and would fight hard to win my custody case - which she did! She got me everything I wanted and mo...re. Michelle was also willing to take my case on extremely short notice and she worked diligently to fix costly mistakes made by a previous attorney. She fought for my little family like it was her own. Michelle is an exceptional family law attorney and there is no one I would trust more than her to handle any needs I may have in the future.

See All Client Reviews

Michelle Denise Raiford's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michelle
Mary Joyce McCallum headshot
Mary McCallum

Family lawyer | Mar 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Michelle is a conscientious, dedicated and zealous advocate for her clients. Her professionalism, her strong relationships in the legal community and her knowledge of family law are valuable assets to her clients. Michelle is an esteemed colleague for whom I have the utmost respect."

Christina L. Pollard headshot
Christina Pollard

Family lawyer | Jan 10

Relationship: Supervised lawyer

"I wholeheartedly endorse Michelle Raiford. I was her supervising attorney when she was an intern at Eastside Legal Assistance Program, where she became a skilled, dedicated advocate for survivors of violence. I have watched her excel in all aspects of family law to become one of the best, brightest, and experienced lawyers around."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  9.6 (Superb)

Honors

2021

Top 10 Attorneys, National Academy Of Family Law Attorneys

2019

Top 100, Association of American Trial Lawyers

2019

10 Best, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

2016

10 Best Female Attorneys Client Satisfaction Award, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

2016

Outstanding Mentor Finalist, King County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division

2016

10 Best, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

Work Experience

2015 - Present

Principal, Michelle Raiford Law Firm

2014 - 2015

DVLP Managing Attorney, Eastside Legal Assistance Program

2005 - 2014

Staff Attorney, Northwest Justice Project

2005 - 2005

Intern, US District Court for Western WA for Judge Marsha J. Pechman

1999 - 2002

Victim Advocate, King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office

Associations

2015 - Present

Seattle King County Bar Association

Member

2015 - Present

Washington State Bar Association

Family Law Section

2005 - Present

Snohomish County Bar Association

Member

2012 - 2014

Washington State Coalition for Language Access ("WASCLA")

Board Member

2010 - 2010

WSBA Leadership Institute

Fellow

2009 - 2010

Washington State Bar Association

Executive Committee

2008 - 2009

Washington State Bar Association, Civil Rights Law

Executive Committee

Sample of Legal Cases

Division I Appeal

Reversed and Remanded

See More Legal Cases

Education

2005

Seattle University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

Speaking Engagements

2019

Washington State Bar Association Family Law Section

Annual Training Attendee Washington State Bar Association Family Law Section

2015

NLE/PSP Dissolution Law Seminar- WSBA

Classifying and Dividing the Property

2015

King County Bar Association

King County Bar Association Awards Dinner Attendee

2015

A Faceless Movement: Searching for a System that Promotes Empowerment Among all Survivors of Gender Violence- Seattle University

Supporting Survivors

2009

Washington State Bar Association, Civil Rights Law Section

Executive Committee meetings Washington State Bar Association, Civil Rights Law Participant

Publications

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