Thomas Eugene Lester

Thomas Eugene Lester

5.0
Rating: 9.1

Licensed for 39 years

Personal injury Lawyer at Bellingham, WA
Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Bankruptcy & Debt, Probate

119 N. Commercial Street, Suite 175, Bellingham Towers Building, Bellingham, WA

About Thomas

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Personal Injury 55%

I am a member of WSAJ and have handled many soft-tissue and more significant injury cases over the years. The insurance companies do everything they can to limit your recovery. I offer a free consult to explore your options and provide the information necessary to allow you to make good decisions.

32 years | 150 cases

55%
Bankruptcy and Debt 25%

Since 1986 I have served Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. We offer a free consult which also me to answer your questions. Our goal is to give you the information you need to make informed/good decisions.

39 years | 2,000 cases

25%
Probate 20%

Probate is the process of transferring legal title to property at the time of the property owner’s death.

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 60 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 39 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 1986

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Lester & Associates, PS Inc

119 N. Commercial Street, Suite 175, Bellingham Towers Building, Bellingham, WA, 98225-4427

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Thomas Eugene Lester's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

7 Client Reviews

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

Posted by anonymous | September 6, 2023 | Consulted Attorney

This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.

Wow! The prince after many frogs!

For the many of us out there who have had to endure unscrupulous and uncaring people in the legal profession, once you are blessed with a consult with Tom, he will redeem your faith in the legal profession. Being immersed in litigation through a variety of unscrupulous people and tragedies, I lost al...l faith in the legal profession after going through hundreds of people for help. Some had over inflated egos and could not admit their incompetency while too many others made the stereotypical used car salesman look honest! I have even been trying to help other victims of some of the same crooked attorneys, including another attorney who could not protect herself from the greed that has become too rampant at least in the last few years. I wasn't expecting much and was anticipating another brush off but got the exact opposite when I spoke to Tom. He was the absolute most caring, patient, kind and calm problem solver I have ever encountered with the initials Esq after their name. I have worked with attorneys, have many attorney friends and Tom trumps them all just after one conversation with him. I hope to be able to work with him in the future and based on this first conversation, it was clear to me that anyone who hires him will have a compassionate, conscientious and relentless warrior on your side.

Posted by Idalis | February 7, 2023 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

MVA

Tom was a very excellent, easy going and a great lawyer. I would recommend him to anyone that needs help! I couldn’t say enough great things about him and his team, highly recommend!

Posted by anonymous | April 4, 2016 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Bankruptcy

Tom Lester was most helpful to us going through this process. Him or his staff were always available to answer our questions or address our concerns.

Posted by anonymous | October 22, 2015 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent Attorney in fighting a bankruptcy claim

Mr. Lester represented our family in disputing a bankruptcy. An individual had fraudulently scammed our in-laws in an investment scheme. We had received judgments against this individual but instead of paying what he owed he filed bankruptcy. He tried to hide from his obligations by filling bankru...ptcy. Mr. Lester was able to have the funds owed to our family discharged from the bankruptcy and the individual was required to pay on our judgments.

Posted by anonymous | October 14, 2015 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

excellent

Deciding to file for bankruptcy was a hard choice but it was the right one for us. Mr. Lester and his entire team made the process much easier for us. They were all very professional and confidential.

See All Client Reviews

Thomas Eugene Lester's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Thomas
Robert A. Wolle headshot
Robert Wolle

Bankruptcy and debt lawyer | Nov 09

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Tom is always ready with the skills and knowledge needed. He is one of the attorneys that I call with questions. A very good choice."

Steven Eugene Knapp headshot
Steven Knapp

Chapter 13 bankruptcy lawyer | Jan 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I consulted with Tom regarding one of my personal injury client's Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Tom is very knowledgable regarding bankruptcy issues and he fully answered my questions in clear and easy to understand language."

Shawn B Alexander headshot
Shawn Alexander

Debt collection lawyer | Mar 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. I have known Tom for many years and refer with confidence in his skills, abilities and experience. He is the go to guy for many areas of the law."

View All Endorsements

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

Experience

Rating:  9.1 (Superb)

Honors

2023

Distinguished, Martindale-Hubbell

2019

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

2015

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

Work Experience

1993 - Present

Managing Member, Lester & Hyldahl

1995 - 2000

Public Defender, Bellingham Municipal Court

Associations

National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

Member

Washington State Trial Lawyers Association

Eagle Member

Education

1985

University of Iowa College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

N/A

Drake University

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2013

Whatcom County Bar Association

BK for the General Practitioner

2011

Financial Crisis: Helping Debtors and Creditors

Debtor Rights

2009

Red Flags from Specialty Areas

Debtor Bankruptcy section

2009

Real Estate in a Down Market

"The Issues for Creditors When the Debtor declares Bankruptcy"

2008

How to Follow a Debtor into and out of Bankruptcy

Creditor's rights and duties in bankruptcy

Publications

2021

West Legalworks IN RE Anderson v. Michael D. Klein

1992

West Legalworks IN RE Arkison v. IN RE Hickenbottom

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