Yale Lewis III

PRO

Yale Lewis III

also known as O. Yale Lewis III

4.8
46 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 22 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Seattle, WA
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Family, Native Peoples Law, Wills & Living Wills

11515 36th Ave NE, Seattle, WA

Virtual Consultation Available

Free Consultation

About Yale

Biography

"Effective representation for dedicated parents"

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 70%

Elements include division of assets (real property, pensions, stock awards), residential schedules for children, and mediation / settlement conferences.

23 years

70%
Family 20%

Types of cases include contempt, parentage (unmarried parents), parenting plan & child support modifications, domestic violence protection orders, nuptial agreements, anti-harassment, garnishment, & enforcement.

23 years

20%
Native Peoples Law 9%

Most common cases include divorce / family law & personal injury (over $25,000 in medical costs).

24 years

9%
Wills and Living Wills 1%

Types of documents drafted include Simple Will, Living Will, General Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Statutory Healthcare Directive & Contingent Trust (for minor children).

23 years

1%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 20 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 425-425 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 22 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 2003

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of O. Yale Lewis III, LLC

11515 36th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98125

yalelewislaw.com/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Yale online.

Yale Lewis III's Reviews

Showing 6 - 10 of 17 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by Barry | December 13, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Fair, Knowledgeable and Cost Conscious

I hired Yale for his honesty, knowledge of the law and consideration for the legal expenses involved with divorce. He guided me through a difficult divorce, which ended in trial.

Posted by anonymous | July 24, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Family

Effective, Honest, and Trustwothy

Yale did a great job with my son's relocation case. There were many twists and turns throughout the case, but Yale always prepared us for the next step and got the job done. He's very receptative and open to discussion and alternatives, and ultimately recommends the best course of action. While I won...'t say everything went perfectly (I can't imagine it ever does), there is no question Yale got us to the finish line with the right outcome. I would certainly recommend him those with family law issues.

Posted by Kedar | November 30, 2014 | Divorce & Separation

Highly recommended!

I initially went with McKinley Irvin who charged me almost $30K for temporary hearing and ROGS alone. These two are typically 1/4th of the overall trial. Mediation and trial were far away and no negotiations had started. My ex’s lawyer on the other hand had charged her 1/3rd the money and was running... circles around my lawyer. Frustrated, I switched to Yale. With that several things changed: 1. Yale is way more knowledgeable than the last lawyer at the previous firm. He knew answers at the top of his head rather than having to do “research” and charge me for it. 2. He has a very good understanding of how math works, and the tax implications. 3. He charged me for what was reasonable instead of charging me $30 per email. At the other extreme, the previous firm charged me $300-$400 for making copy of a will – a will that was voided the moment the divorce petition was filed. 4. When something was out of his expertise such as number crunching, he would let me run the show or ask for outside help such as hire a CPA. This saved me over $100K later on. 5. His paralegal, Tony Dondero, is an awesome person to work with. 6. Both Yale and Tony were always super-quick to respond to any of my questions. 7. During the final stretch, Yale and Tony worked on weekends to meet the deadlines. 8. When I ran out of money, Yale offered that I could defer the fees and pay him later on. 9. Throughout the trial, the wellbeing of my kids was at the top of the list for Yale. Yale is a genuinely nice person and was responsible for guiding me through a difficult divorce. I highly recommend him.

Posted by Mihail | November 20, 2014 | Divorce & Separation

Great attorney for dedicated parents!

I would strongly recommend Yale Lewis as an attorney. I had a hard divorce case, with two major problems: (1) the mother wanted to relocate our child to foreign country, located 5,000 miles away from the place where we lived. I was opposing relocation and was looking for 50/50 parenting plan. (2) I ...had hard financial situation without ability to hire an attorney, but our divorce case was going to Trial as we were not able to agree with the other party on (1). Many top-rated attorneys in King County were not confident that they could win the case; the most they promised is to get more time with the child in summer time, but Yale accepted the challenge and promised that will win the relocation and he did. He also understood my hard financial situation and we established an adequate payment plan, which allowed me to survive. Our case went to trial, in a result, the child relocation to foreign country was denied, I did not get 50/50 parenting plan, but before the child school age, I’ve got most of the weekends with the child, which is awesome, we also been ordered with higher maintenance payments than anticipated. I liked a lot how Yale worked on the case – he is brilliantly smart, hard working, is very attentive to details, which is very important to disclose the other party lie, and we had it a lot, and finally he loves his job!

Posted by Sean | October 14, 2014 | Divorce & Separation

Great Lawyer

Yale handled my divorce case. He was professional and great at negotiations. He's also very blunt and doesn't sugar coat things which I feel what a lot of attorney's do. In the end, we went to the trial and he represented my case and got me a great outcome. I would definitely recommend him.

See All Client Reviews

Yale Lewis III's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Yale
Edward C Chung headshot
Edward Chung

Family lawyer | Aug 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have received nothing less than positive feedback about Yale from clients that I have worked with and ones I have referred to him. They convey that he listens and guides them through the legal process As a personal observation, I see him work very diligently during the weekdays and even weekends. He is dependable and trustworthy."

Teresa B Daggett headshot
Teresa Daggett

Estate planning lawyer | Jan 20

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Yale is an excellent attorney and a wonderful human being. He is intelligent and personable. I highly recommend his skills in handling clients' estate planning needs."

Michael William Bugni headshot
Michael Bugni

Family lawyer | Jan 19

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. We have worked on several cases as opposing counsel and I have found that he is dedicated to helping his clients."

Cynthia F Buhr headshot
Cynthia Buhr

Family lawyer | Jan 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. I have referred Yale a few clients who were seeking a mediator rather than an attorney. They have told me that Yale was professional, fair and cost effective."

Hovanes Margarian headshot
Hovanes Margarian

Unknown lawyer | Nov 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Joseph Stewart Bowman headshot
Joseph Bowman

Unknown lawyer | Sep 12

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Christian K. Lassen II headshot
Christian Lassen

Unknown lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Top-notch attorney. Highly respected in the legal community."

Michael W. Louden headshot
Michael Louden

Family lawyer | Apr 27

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Yale successfully handled a complicated appeal of a family law matter I had worked on. He brought a creative approach to a difficult issue."

Richard K. Hart headshot
Richard Hart

Divorce and separation lawyer | Mar 22

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I worked with Yale on a very difficult and hard-fought case and found him to be diligent, honest and effective and have since referred other work to him with great confidence in his ablities. A first rate guy and great lawyer to have on one's side."

Max Eric Jacobs headshot
Max Jacobs

Family lawyer | Apr 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I strongly endorse Yale Lewis, III. I have known Yale for nearly 10 years, as an appellate advocacy partner in law school, and as a professional colleague with whom I have frequently exchanged ideas. I have always been impressed by Yale’s careful analysis, deep understanding of the law, and passion for justice."

Alfred E Donohue headshot
Alfred Donohue

Wills and living wills lawyer | Apr 09

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer's work. I have worked with Yale on a successful appeal to Division One. I have also used him to prepare my family's estate plan. He is both professional and hard-working."

View All Endorsements
Edward C Chung headshot
Edward Chung

Criminal defense lawyer

Robert Charles Kaufman headshot
Robert Kaufman

Divorce and separation lawyer

Michael W. Louden headshot
Michael Louden

Family lawyer

Richard K. Hart headshot
Richard Hart

Family lawyer

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2013

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2012

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2011

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2002

First Place, Annual Writing Competition, American Indian Law Review

2001

Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, Second Place, University of Washington Moot Court

Work Experience

2003 - Present

Attorney, Law Offices, O. Yale Lewis III, LLC

2002 - 2003

Attorney, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community

Associations

2019 - Present

Port Gamble S'klallam Bar Association

Member

2017 - Present

Suquamish Tribal Court Bar Association

Member

2015 - Present

Quinault Tribal Bar Association

Member

2012 - Present

Lummi Tribal Bar Association

Member

2012 - Present

United States Supreme Court

Member

2011 - Present

Tulalip Tribal Bar Association

Member

2010 - Present

Nisqually Tribal Bar Association

Member

2009 - Present

United States District Court - Western District of Washington

Member

2009 - Present

United States Court of Appeals For the Ninth Circuit

Member

2009 - Present

Snoqualmie Tribal Bar Association

Member

2008 - Present

Puyallup Tribal Bar Association

Member

2007 - Present

United States District Court - Eastern District of Washington

Member

2006 - Present

Muckleshoot Tribal Bar Association

Member

2005 - Present

Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Bar Association

Member

2003 - Present

Washington State Bar Association

Member, family law section & solo small firm practice section

2003 - Present

King County Bar Association

Member

Nooksack Tribal Bar Association

Member

2007 - 2008

Washington Defense Trial Lawyers

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

In Re: the Custody of CCM

I handled the appeal and won.

See More Legal Cases

Education

2002

University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA

JD - Juris Doctor

1992

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York, NY

M.S. - Master of Science

1988

Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2018

Advanced Issues in Family and Divorce Law

Contempt

2017

Family Law, What to do When

Custody/ Visitation Nightmares

2015

Family Law Practice for Paralegals

Parenting Plans

2011

Teach-in, Hearing Room U.S. Senate Com. on Indian Affairs

Indian Child Welfare Act

2010

Jurisdiction in Indian Law/Introduction to Adoption Law: Breakfast Seminar/CLE

Jurisdiction in Indian Law

2010

Annual Tort Law Update

The Latest in Indian Law

2004

Tribal Environmental Regulation in Washington State -- An Overview of Environmental Law and Regulation

The Historical Growth and Development of Tribal, State, and Federal Jurisdiction over Indian Country

Publications

2013

Thomson Reuters / Aspatore The Shifting Sands of American Indian Policy

2002

American Indian Law Review Treaty Fishing Rights: A Habitat Right as Part of the Trinity of Rights Implied by the Fishing Clause of the Stevens Treaties

2002

University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal Cargo Residues and Cargo-Associated Garbage: Are They Regulated by the Ocean Dumping Act of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships

Languages

English

Activity

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