Ellery Archer Johannessen

Ellery Johannessen is the owner of Johannessen Law, PLLC. His practice focuses on all manner of domestic relations and general civil litigation from pleading through trial. Ellery attended the University of Baltimore School of Law where he honed his advocacy skills by participating in moot court for all three years, interning for an associate judge on Maryland’s highest court, and participating in the school’s appellate advocacy clinic by representing the state in a criminal appeal. Ellery graduated magna cum laude in 2013 after earning an array of advocacy awards and leading the University of Baltimore to a nationwide 5th place finish in the National Moot Court Competition in New York City.

After law school, Ellery represented national banking institutions in foreclosure, collection, and related collateral litigation at both the state and federal level. The work further honed Ellery’s litigation abilities with court appearances three to four days per week, every week. Ellery also managed the firm’s FDCPA compliance and evictions department. He then shifted to a general civil litigation firm in the busy suburbs of Washington DC, practicing primarily family and foreclosure defense law. His practice ranged from amicable divorces of parents who get along to high conflict parties who were prepared to walk away from large property settlements over an emotional attachment to a small piece of personal property, and from basic products liability cases involving a malfunctioning electric car to bizarre intellectual property theft claims running on parallel tracks in both state and federal court. Ellery successfully defended homeowners against flawed foreclosures and helped them to modify their mortgages and keep them in their homes. He obtained protection orders against domestic abusers, as well as defended against frivolous cases brought by disaffected former partners and family members. Ellery has obtained sizeable settlements against national lending institutions for violations of federal banking statutes and equal credit opportunity laws. He has also successfully resolved disputes, real property disputes, construction defect claims, and cases across host of other disciplines. Since relocating to Washington from Maryland, Ellery has focused exclusively on family law.

Ellery is an east coast native and transplant to the PNW. He comes from a large, blended family. He is the oldest of four, with a younger sister who is close in age and twin half-brothers who are 23 years his junior. Ellery took an unusual route to the practice of law, jumping straight into the work force after high school. But after losing his “dream” job as a police officer in 2009, Ellery shifted his focus back to academics and completed his undergraduate degree in psychology and entered law school, where he excelled.

After marrying his far better half, they resolved to make a big move west. Ellery had always been drawn to this part of the country, having spent his childhood visiting his extended family on Vashon Island. Ellery’s wife is an Idaho native who also had a strong urge to return to the west. Ellery and his wife made the move in the summer of 2019 and welcomed their first child in December of that year.