Avery Elder Law, PSPacific Harbor Building801 Samish Way, Ste. 202Bellingham, WA, 98229United States (360) 325-2550

Steven Avery

also known as Steve

Avvo Rating8.1

Bellingham, WA
Licensed for 27 years

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About Steven

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.

Practice areas

Elder law: 100%
Expertise in estate planning, guardianship, probate, long term care planning, and Medicaid planning.
28 years, 1,000 cases

Languages spoken

English

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Contact

Avery Elder Law, PS

Pacific Harbor Building
801 Samish Way, Ste. 202
Bellingham, WA, 98229

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Resume

License

State	Status	Acquired	Updated
WA	Active	2004	06/28/2022
CA	Inactive	1994	06/05/2022

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

Avvo Contributions

Legal answers	0
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Awards

Award name	Grantor	Date Granted
Peer Review Rated	Martindale-Hubbell	2017
Rising Star	Super Lawyers	2013

work experience

Title	Company name	Duration
Attorney	Avery Elder Law, PS	2013 - Present
Owner	Elder Law offices of Meyers & Avery	2007 - 2014
Attorney	Zender Thurson, PS	2004 - 2007
County Counsel	County of Fresno	1999 - 2004
Associate	Marderosian, Swanson, Oren & Paboojian	1994 - 1999

associations

Association name	Position name	Duration
Washington State Bar Association	Attorney Member	2004 - Present
State Bar of California	Attorney	1994 - Present
Whatcom Counsel on Aging	Secretary	2011 - 2017

education

School name	Degree	Graduated
San Joaquin College of Law	JD - Juris Doctor	1994
California State University, Fresno	BS - Bachelor of Science	1987

speaking engagements

Conference name	Title	Date
Caregivers conference	Estate planning, guardianship, Medicaid	2014

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Reviews

5.0 stars5.0 (31)

5 Star		100%
4 Star		0%
3 Star		0%
2 Star		0%
1 Star		0%

Review Steven Avery

One and done!

5.0 stars

Posted by anonymous
March 23, 2021

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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This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

There for me when I needed him

5.0 stars

Posted by Bill
November 1, 2020

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.

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Estate Planning Documents

5.0 stars

Posted by Robert
May 1, 2020

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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Hired attorney

Above and Beyond

5.0 stars

Posted by anonymous
April 24, 2019

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.

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Craig L

5.0 stars

Posted by Craig
April 12, 2019

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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This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Trust/Will Lawyer - Strongly Recommend

5.0 stars

Posted by Bruce
April 9, 2019

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.

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Very responsive

5.0 stars

Posted by Dave
February 28, 2019

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.

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Wills, Setting up Trust, Power of Attorney and Medical Directive

5.0 stars

Posted by Ann Rushing
January 21, 2019

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.

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Not just for elders

5.0 stars

Posted by anonymous
January 1, 2019

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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This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Hired attorney

Absolutely Fabulous!!!

5.0 stars

Posted by Muffie
October 21, 2018

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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Attorney endorsements

(5)

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Emily Mowrey, Probate Attorney on Feb 1, 2020
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I appreciate Steve for his knowledge of probate law and his providing quality representation to families in our community.

W. Railton, Elder law Attorney on Dec 8, 2014
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.

Edward Wurtz, Elder law Attorney on Dec 4, 2014
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

I endorse this lawyer.

Frank Nunes, Litigation Attorney on Nov 9, 2013
Relationship: Supervised lawyer

I endorse this lawyer.

Peter Visser, Unknown Attorney on Dec 9, 2011
Relationship: Co-worker

I endorse this lawyer.

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W. Railton
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Resume

Reviews

One and done!

5.0 stars

There for me when I needed him

5.0 stars

Estate Planning Documents

5.0 stars

Above and Beyond

5.0 stars

Craig L

5.0 stars

Trust/Will Lawyer - Strongly Recommend

5.0 stars

Very responsive

5.0 stars

Wills, Setting up Trust, Power of Attorney and Medical Directive

5.0 stars

Not just for elders

5.0 stars

Absolutely Fabulous!!!

5.0 stars

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