We met with Steven about creating our living trusts, having been told by our family attorney that we didn’t need a trust because probate is “so simple” in Washington. It turned out that his flat fee for three clearly worded trusts was significantly less expensive than probate costs for one of us (which our children would have had to pay for out of their inheritance). Steve had all the trust documents ready to sign by the end of the week and we’re quite happy with the work. He is a very easy person to work with. No hard sell or pressure, just straight answers and efficiency. We highly recommend him!
Steven was available on very short notice and was able to work with me to complete all of the necessary documents the same day that I contacted him. He was flexible under challenging circumstances and I highly recommend.
Expertise in estate planning, guardianship, probate, long term care planning, and Medicaid planning.
29 years, 1,000 cases
Steve received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Computer Applications and Systems Analysis from California State University Fresno. He received his law degree from the San Joaquin College of Law in Fresno, California, graduating in the top ten of his class. Steve has practiced law since 1994. He is licensed to practice law in Washington and California. Steve was named a Washington Rising Star (only 2.5% of Washington lawyers) by Washington Super Lawyers Magazine in 2013.
Steve's practice includes estate planning, trusts (including special needs trusts for disabled individuals), planning for incapacity/disability, probate, long-term care planning (Medicaid), and mediations.
He is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the California State Bar Association. Steve is the founder of the Bellingham Bay Marathon, and served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Race Director of its inaugural race in 2007.
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
One and done!
We met with Steven about creating our living trusts, having been told by our family attorney that we didn’t need a trust because probate is “so simple” in Washington. It turned out that his flat fee for three clearly worded trusts was significantly less expensive than probate costs for one of us (which our children would have had to pay for out of their inheritance). Steve had all the trust documents ready to sign by the end of the week and we’re quite happy with the work. He is a very easy person to work with. No hard sell or pressure, just straight answers and efficiency. We highly recommend him!
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Posted by Bill | November 1, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
There for me when I needed him
Steven was available on very short notice and was able to work with me to complete all of the necessary documents the same day that I contacted him. He was flexible under challenging circumstances and I highly recommend.
Posted by Robert | May 1, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Planning Documents
Steve created our Trust, our Durable Powers of Atty.-General and Health Care and Health Care Directives, and out Wills. He provided us a Quit Claim Deed that allowed us to name the new Trust as owner of our new refi mortgage. He was very prompt in getting us our drafts, and the drafts were very thorough. After we read through them, he answered questions we had, and helped us understand our documents. When our input and changes were finalized, he got our final documents ready quickly. He also provided us PDF’s of all our final documents. He was easy to work with, and efficient with the process. He was provided all our documents for a package price, which was helpful for our budget, and knowing we wouldn’t be billed separately for each office and phone visit. We got the entire process done much more quickly than we anticipated. We would highly recommend him for Estate Planning documents.
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Posted by anonymous | April 24, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Above and Beyond
Highly recommend Steven Avery. Steven took care of our simple legal needs the same day, and with personal care, during a very difficult time. He was thorough, kind, and made the entire process as simple as possible.
Posted by Craig | April 12, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Craig L
If you are seeking a knowledgeable professional who has your best interests in mind when it comes to elder law, look no further. Steve has helped me several times over the past few years regarding estate planning and family matters. He listens and works with you to get the results you are looking for. I can’t thank him enough.
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Posted by Bruce | April 9, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Trust/Will Lawyer - Strongly Recommend
Steve Avery proved to be an excellent resource to setup one's final wishes for wills, health directives, and financial trusts. He's personable and willing to answer any questions we asked.
Posted by Dave | February 28, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Very responsive
We solicitated the services of Steven Avery to help us draft a Living Trust. From start to finish he was very responsive, easy to work with, knowledgeable, and professional. We would highly recommend using him for similar legal services.
Posted by Ann Rushing | January 21, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Wills, Setting up Trust, Power of Attorney and Medical Directive
Steven was great in answering all our questions and was patient with us as we dragged our feet to get the paperwork done. He is thorough and well worth the cost. We feel we are in good shape financially if anything should happen to us.
Posted by anonymous | January 1, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Not just for elders
We are in our late thirties/early forties with elementary school aged children. After losing close family members who had been named guardians in earlier and less comprehensive versions of our wills, we hired Steve to ensure our wills and power of attorney were handled correctly, and give us peace of mind that our children would be cared for well in the event of losing us. Steve helped us understand our options and was efficient in producing final documents. We are very happy to have this all done and know that it has been handled by a professional!
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Posted by Muffie | October 21, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Absolutely Fabulous!!!
I contacted Steven to prepare my estate and he listened to my particular specific details with great interest. He made suggestions and reviewed my draft with me. My trust has now been completed and that weight is off my shoulders. I count him as my friend as well as my estate attorney. Steven is truly amazing and I give him my highest regards and rating for his work. Thank you again, Steve, so very, very much!!! Very best, M. Cooper
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Posted by anonymous | October 10, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Mr. Martin
Personal, professional, service driven attorney. Steven Avery was extremely responsive, prompt and accommodating for our tight time schedule. He is knowledgeable and took the time to guide us through the process with detailed explanations when needed. The documents he provided were thorough and clear which included a last will and testament, power of attorney and health care directive. This was not something we looked forward to but Steven Avery made the topics and process painless. Highly recommend his services in any capacity.
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Posted by Dawn | November 7, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Steve is an attorney for Elder law. It lets my family know what I want for many decisions regarding my life.
I asked what the purpose of Elder Law was and why it was a good thing to have. He explained it in a way that I could understand and answered all of my questions. I gave him my reasons for what I wanted and he explained what Elder Law was and it's importance for my family's to understand and we were on the same line. He listened to what I wanted and was very helpful. We talked back and fourth several times and I made the decision that I wanted Steven Avery as my lawyer. He assured me that my kids could call him If they needed help with understanding any part of the Elder Law. I was very satisfied with Steven Avery and would recomend him any time.
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Posted by John | May 26, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional and interested in clients
We are extremely pleased that we used Steve Avery's services. He was professional, caring, and offered excellent suggestions. We highly recommend him.
Posted by Craig and Pat | May 26, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Elder Law Attorney
Working with Steve was a pleasure. He took care of my/our Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, and Health Care Directive. First class all the way!!!
Posted by Terry | April 8, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Steve Avery
Steve took time out of a family outing to meet with me to discuss our needs. He brought information, clearly explained how we did or didn't fit with the rules. We agreed to have him write up our wills and other legal documents that will protect us in the future. He was most helpful, very clear, and willing to go out of his way to make sure our needs were met. He's just the best! I had met with a different attorney last year and I didn't feel supported at all by him. Steve sets the bar high for other attorneys!
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Posted by Barbara | March 19, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A One-In-A-Million Excellent Experience
With only slightly over a week's notice, my husband learned he had to undergo heart surgery. No one is ever really prepared for this sort of news, but we were woefully unprepared to face possible medical issues given that our legal needs have been neglected for 30 years. We needed to update our Wills, create a family Trust, execute health directives and all the rest but felt it would be impossible to accomplish all these goals within our extremely small time-frame. Once we contacted Steve Avery, though, we started to believe in miracles. After our first consultation with Steve, the draft documents arrived almost immediately and were tailored specifically to the needs we discussed. During our second consult with Steve, all our questions and concerns were answered in a clear, concise and friendly manner. And thanks to Steve's amazing abilities and high sense of responsibility, all our documents were signed, notarized and filed three days before my husband's scheduled surgery. We will never be able to express sufficient gratitude to Steve for accommodating our seemingly impossible demands.
I should add that Steve is amazingly intelligent and simply wonderful to work with. He has the ability to explain foreign concepts in clear and understandable language, he focuses all his time and attention on the clients in front of him, he shares relevant information easily, he listens, and he gives the assurance that he will be a resource for you if you need his counsel in the future. We are extremely grateful for this continuity of support in our legal matters.
My husband and I have dealt with a large number of high-value people over our long lives, but we've never before experienced such excellence.
We have every confidence Steve Avery provides excellent service to all his clients, and we recommend him highly.
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Posted by anonymous | March 19, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Steve's help was Great!
Steve helped my wife and I set up wills, power of attorney's and joint custody documents -- He was very friendly, very knowledgeable and patient with us. I would highly recommend his services.
Posted by Anita | March 18, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Service
My husband and I were very pleased with Mr. Avery's services. He was very nice to work with and patient when we needed extra explanations for our legal issues. I would definately recommend him.
Posted by anonymous | March 13, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great Experience!!!
Steve Avery was friendly, professional, sensitive and informative regarding what our Families needs and goals, when we retained him. He completed all necessary documents and filings, in a timely fashion. Everything was clearly 'spelled out', with nothing left, to interpretation. Whenever there was a question, Steve took time to completely address, our concerns. We are so appreciative and grateful, for his sensitivity and expediency!
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Posted by anonymous | March 10, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
clear, concise reasonable
Steven Avery handled a guardianship for us that was lost in limbo for 4 years. With Steve everything went so smoothly, we were very impressed. He is also doing wills, and a trust. I would definitely recommend his services.
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Elder law Attorney | Dec 08
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Steve is a terrific attorney specializing in Elder Law. He has outstanding knowledge of this area of law, and stays up-to-date on the latest changes in various jurisdictions. I find Steve a pleasure to work with, and I refer clients to him with great confidence."