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Brad Allan Lancaster

Probate Attorney at Shoreline, WA

5.0   8 reviews
  • Licensed for 25 years
    State WA
    Acquired 1997
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Brad

Learn Brad’s areas of practice.

4
Practice areas
  1. Probate
    60%
    When a loved one has died, I help survivors wind up the decedent's affairs. I also help siblings collaborate disputes about deceased parents' estates.

    26 years

  2. Elder law
    15%
    As age steals a client's powers, I help them and their family navigate the difficulties of the end of life. When family members are unable to serve, I occasionally become a client's attorney-in-fact, making their financial and medical decisions.

    26 years

  3. Estate planning
    15%
    I help people with moderate estate (less than $4 million) create Wills that transmit wealth to their families, and address end of life issues with durable powers of attorney, funeral instructions, and directives to physicians (living wills).

    26 years

  4. Family
    10%
    I help partners construct a new relationship in the wake of marriage. I mediate (face-to-face only), or work as a member of collaborative teams, to help marital partners change their lives without needlessly damaging their children or one another.

    26 years

WE OFFER CARING SUPPORT TO FAMILIES FACING ELDER CHALLENGES, END OF LIFE PLANNING, OR DIVORCE.

     Brad and Kim care about people.  Brad uses his intelligence to make peace.  Brad can be confrontational when necessary when he thinks someone (even a client) needs redirection.  Kim manages many details around the office and provides litigation support.  She is a warm conversationalist and a person of quiet courage.  Sofie, our miniature pinscher, keeps things lively around office and home.

     Litigation benefits no one except attorneys.  Courts exist to end intractable conflicts and should be the forum of last resort.  The bulk of a competent attorney’s labor consists in negotiating workable compromises and drafting conflict-avoiding language.  When litigation cannot be avoided, courtesy, candor, and reason must temper vigorous advocacy.  Ethical probity and personal trustworthiness are the essence of practicing law.  Litigation winners lose; losers are inconsolable.  Human conflict needs a better, a collaborative, means of resolution.  America's litigation culture serves no one's fundamental interests.

     Brad teaches philosophical ethics Saturday mornings for The Witless Protection Society at Third Place Books.  He writes on ethical topics for local newspapers, some of which are available on the Lancaster Law Office website.

Photos and videos

Contact Brad

Brad Allan Lancaster
17503 10th Ave Ne
Shoreline, WA, 98155-3701

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  8 customer reviews
5 Star
 
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Posted by Wendy | May 21, 2010
THE BEST AND MOST HELPFUL LAWYER ONE COULD HOPE TO HAVE.
I think Brad is not only an excellent lawyer but also a very decent and honest human being. From the very first time I met Brad and his wife, Kim, I felt welcomed and cared about. That feeling continued throughout the entire year I worked with them. Even though our business relationship ended, our friendship continues to this day! I was well served by this very capable and friendly team.
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Posted by Jane | May 28, 2012
Intelligent, informative, and nice to boot!
My husband and I went to Brad for two reasons. The first was to get assistance with the estate of my late mother-in-law. The estate is in the form of shared titled to her house between siblings. The problem is that the estate is not being settled and the house is falling apart. There are a lot of intricacies in the situation. Brad did his absolute best to mediate and generate action, unfortunately unsucessfully as the other sibs are non-responsive. Brad was upfront and honest with us that trying to continue action to get the estate settled, would be vastly costly and wouldn't happen in our lifetime (I'm terminally ill). He could have continued just to collect his fee. But no, he told us what we didn't particularly want to hear, but what we needed to. We also saw Brad to get our end of life documents (DPOAs, Directives to Physicians, and wills) prepared. He made sure that we understood all the in and outs of each document and made sure we knew what we wanted before committing it all to legal documents. In both instances, one of the main goals of Brad's was to make sure we understood everything. Kim, Brad's wife and paralegal, is wonderful too. And they have a treasure named Sophia, their dog, who will make you smile in spite of yourself. My only bit of dismay was in being charged for two telephone calls - one to cancel an appt as I was ill, and the second to double-check the time of an appt. I figure that's part of 'doing business' but then again, I can understand the practice in order to avoid people calling and taking up other-wise productive time. I also very much liked the professional but at the same time, laid back atmosphere of the office. Brad didn't wear a suit and so I didn't feel I had to dress up to visit. I appreciate both facts very much. It felt very 'human.'
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Posted by anonymous | June 17, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Legal Advice and Representation
I am so glad I hired Brad Lancaster and his firm to handle a probate matter for me which had some unusual issues. I couldn't have found better legal advice and representation. I highly recommend Mr. Lancaster and his staff.
Posted by anonymous | January 9, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional, insightful and would recommend to anyone!
I am so thankful to Brad Lancaster and everyone in his office. I could not have gone through all the necessary tasks associated with my parents death all by myself. It was a great relief to have someone understand and walk me through this complicated process. Their expertise and wonderful compassion made everything go so much smoother than I could have anticipated. I was especially thankful for their extremely organized system that they set-up for me to follow. It helped me get my focus and feel as if I had everything under control. I would recommend this firm to anybody without hesitation.
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Posted by Judy | November 29, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great listeners, excellent professional help
Fantastic, professional experience with Brad and Kim. I'm surprised to see any negative reviews here. They are outstanding listeners and very realistic in their legal advice on what was possible. I've had other attorneys take a ton of money and tell me what I wanted to hear yet in the end they couldn't help me. I appreciate a lot office that sets realistic expectations. Lancaster Law Offices has helped me on numerous issues and I have been extremely happy with their honesty and their professionalism. They also helped a friend of mine and their document was so we'll written and legally tight that when problems arose 10 years later that document was used and she won her case.
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Posted by J. Grace | January 5, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent family law attorney
We first worked with Mr. Lancaster and had an excellent experience updating our wills when we moved here in 2013. When my husband suddenly died in 2015, I came to greatly appreciate Mr. Lancaster's skill and expertise that had ensured all of our affairs were in order and hugely simplified managing the estate. Mr. Lancaster has handled all of our affairs with professional skill and sincere personal concern. I have felt completely safe and confident relying on his knowledge and competence to guide and help us through this very difficult time. Mr. Lancaster shows he truly cares about my families' welfare and my well being. I recently brought my 81 year old Mother to Mr. Lancaster to update her will. He treated her with dignity, respect, and care. He was careful to ensure she truly understood every aspect of her most important documents. Having worked with other personal attorneys, I can attest that Mr. Lancaster is completely transparent about his billing and charges. His prices are very reasonable for the outstanding, caring, professional service he provides.
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Posted by Joshua | January 10, 2013
Probate
Was very helpful with my situation. he was able to help get things organized and also helped me understand what was going to happen with my case.
Posted by Katarina | May 4, 2012
Business Owner
Retaining Brad Lancaster as our business attorney was one of the best decisions we made when we opened our small business over ten years ago. Brad's genuine concern over our success and his commitment to us has been incredibly important over the years. Brad's advise and guidance has played a critical role in not only building a smart business structure but whenever we've faced challenging decisions along the way. Brad is always looking out for us and works effectively to minimize our potential liability.
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Cost

Rates
  • Hourly Rates $ 400-400 per hour
Payment methods
Cash, Check

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Solo Attorney
  • Lancaster Law Office
  • 1997 - Present
  • Fraud Intern
  • King County Prosecuting Attorney
  • 2006 - 2007
  • General Contractor
  • The Lancaster Company
  • 1985 - 1998

Education

  • University of Washington -Seattle
  • Juris Doctor
  • 1997
  • Fuller Theological Seminary
  • MA
  • 1980
  • University of Washington
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • 1976

Legal Cases

  • Husband v. Wife
  • Good to great
  • Sibling v. Sibling
  • Okay - Great
  • Elder v. the Universe
  • Excellent

Associations

  • International Association of Collaborative Practitioners
  • Member
  • 2007 - Present
  • King County Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1997 - Present
  • Snohomish County Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1997 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Featured in "Profiles in Professionalism" article
  • WSBA News
  • 2011
  • Random Acts of Professionalism Award
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • 2010
  • Excellence in Ethics Business Award
  • Rotary
  • 2006
  • Order of the Coif
  • University of Washington School of Law
  • 1997
View all awards

Publications

  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Frank"
  • 2009
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Childless"
  • 2009
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Suicide"
  • 2009
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Thicket"
  • 2009
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Regret"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Kidist"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Decaffeination"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Loss"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Guns"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Work"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Friends"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Drug Diversion Court"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Blunt"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Forbearance"
  • 2008
  • Seattle Times
  • Open-meetings act tarnished by those who abuse its intent (co-author)
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Death"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Civility"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Truly Selfish"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "News"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Truth-Speaking"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Peace in Our House"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "A Tale of One City"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Ox Mountain"
  • 2007
  • Shoreline Enterprise
  • "Pacifist Assassin"
  • 2007
View all publications

Speaking Engagements

  • Family Law/Elder Law Joint Mid-Year
  • Litigation and neurology
  • 2009
  • Shoreline Rotary
  • "Aristotle on the Good Life"
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Kiwanis
  • Elder Law and Aging Issues
  • 2008
  • Shoreline Rotary
  • "Cicero on Aging"
  • 2007
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (7)
Given (10)
Endorse Brad
Estate planning Attorney | Oct 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Brad is a true gentleman and a fantastic attorney. I've engaged his services as a mediator and recommended him to others in that capacity. He also is my go to when I need advice in estate planning, family law, probate and guardianship and other matters."
Estate planning Attorney | Jul 12
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Brad reformed a trust for the sole remaining beneficiary, ensuring her father's estate can be administered inexpensively. Brad acted with compassion as he applied his legal acumen as an experienced estate planner. I endorse this lawyer."
Family Attorney | Mar 30
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I find Brad's office accommodations to be excellent. He sets the stage for a peaceful legal experience. He has been dedicated to assisting clients take a peaceful path through the legal process. His commitment to a collaborative approach has remained strong since I met and worked with him a decade ago. He is a strong leader for couples to reach an amicable divorce outcome."
Family Attorney | May 26
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse Brad. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."
Family Attorney | Aug 29
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Brad is an ethical attorney who cares deeply about his clients and the practice of law. He is careful about working for his clients' best interests and is very concerned about not only the quality of his work but the impact his work has on a long-term basis for his clients."
Family Attorney | Apr 26
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Brad Lancaster is a first class person and one of the best attorneys I have had the pleasure to have dealings with. I have worked with Brad on several matters and on each one I was struck by his knowledge of the law and the care that he carried for his client. I have never experienced a situation with Brad where he was not prepared. We are lucky to have an attorney of Brad’s professional and personal character in the Everett to Seattle area."
Family Attorney | Jul 19
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Brad Lancaster is a committed, ethical and very hard-working attorney. He is focused on his clients' well-being and brings enormous compassion to his work. I refer clients to Brad without the slightest hesitation."
View more endorsements