Carolyn Annette Elsey

Carolyn Annette Elsey

4.4
Rating: 8.5

Licensed for 31 years

Family Lawyer at Tacoma, WA
Practice Areas: Family, Personal Injury, Guardianship

917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 413, Tacoma, WA

About Carolyn

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 300-300 per hour

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 31 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 1994

Active

Lawyer disciplined by state licensing authority in 2002

Location

Law Offices of Carolyn Annette Elsey

917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 413, Tacoma, WA, 98402

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Carolyn Annette Elsey's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.4 /5.0

35 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (35) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 8 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by Alicia | April 05, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Still working with her

Ms. Elsey is helping me with a very difficult custody and divorce case. She's been able to help me and advise me many times outside of court. She's very knowledgeable and was recommended. She took my case at a very difficult time for me as I became a sudden single mom to 4 boys.

Posted by Jennifer | March 03, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Very thankful for an amazing attorney that helped our daughter and our family! She is very honest and committed. Jennifer R.

If you want an attorney that will work hard for you and is very commited, then Carolyn is the one to work with. She was amazing. We had a very difficult custody case because of my ex, but Carolyn never wavered. Our daughter is 23 and going to college now to become an RN, and we couldn't be more pr...oud of her. I believe that it was around 1995 that we started working with Carolyn for a custody dispute. She kept in touch with us and when we had went into the court room, she had fought for what was best for our daughter. Carolyn has passion about her job and helping others and I can say that I truly appreciate everything that she did for our family. Thank you so much Carolynn!!!! - Jennifer R.

Posted by Sally | May 13, 2015 | Child Custody

Third party custody

We hired Carolyn in August 2014 to help us obtain 3rd party custody of our Grandson. She was super great, very informative and was readily available during the process . If we had to do this over again we would hire Carolyn to be our attorney. Final court was today and we got what we set out to ach...ieve. Custody of our Grandson. We owe it all the Carolyn Elsey.

Posted by Stefanie | October 08, 2012 | Family

Could not have asked for a better attorney!!!!

Ms. Elsey represented my husband and me in a family law matter regarding a child. Ms. Elsey went above and beyond while representing us and was able to answer all of our questions, took all of our calls (or returned them promptly) and actually talked to us like we were friends and not just clients. M...s. Elsey's knowledge of the law and how it pertained to our case was on point. We could not have asked for a better lawyer to represent us and will ONLY be using Ms. Elsey in the future when the need arise again! No other lawyer compares and we've had past, unpleasant dealings with a number of them in the greater Tacoma area.

Posted by D. Fernandez | March 28, 2012 | Family

Excellent Attorney

Carolyn was truly a blessing for me. As a servicemember stationed in a different state I had to research lawyers over the internet, which can be extremely difficult and costly. After speaking to a few attorneys I had found on other websites, I was so happy to have found Carolyn. I saw another soldi...er had written a great review for her and that really caught my attention. I emailed Carolyn and immediately got a response. Her reply was very honest, and she advised me on how she could help me with my case. I appreciated her honesty about a realistic outcome. She gave me her contact information to contact her anytime I needed, which was something I truly appreciated. After one email I knew this was the attorney to go with. I am more than extremely pleased with all her hard work. She gets the job done and will not waste your time. She works directly with you as a client to make sure that you are fully informed and ready for your court hearings. Although, we are not in the same state I never once felt as if my case was not being handled well. She has not let me down and continues to help me as we approach different stages of my case. Carolyn will work hard for you and is truly on your side. As a soldier I recommend Carolyn to any other servicemembers needing help with such sensitive difficult matters. She has worked with many military personal and understands the importance of your military service. If you are looking for a family law attorney in the Pierce County area look no further than Carolyn. Most importantly, Carolyn is not only a great attorney she is truly a honest and genuine person.

See All Client Reviews

Carolyn Annette Elsey's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Carolyn
Margaret Barton Lund headshot
Margaret Lund

Unknown lawyer | Jun 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Kevin Michael Boyle headshot
Kevin Boyle

Family lawyer | Dec 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Jacqueline McMahon headshot
Jacqueline McMahon

Family lawyer | Apr 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. I have had the pleasure of working with Carolyn as a mediator and also as an attorney opposite me on a case. I am very impressed by Carolyn's work ethic, integrity and her knowledge of complex family law issues. I find her highly qualified as a lawyer."

Jonathan A Baner headshot
Jonathan Baner

Family lawyer | Feb 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Ms. Elsey's professionalism and sincerity demonstrates what all lawyers should strive for. Her presence makes our State Bar better."

Jennifer Durcan Andrews headshot
Jennifer Andrews

Family lawyer | Feb 17

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I recently worked with Carolyn and was impressed by her knowledge of the law as well as her ability to work out practical matters for her clients."

Hal Jay Geiersbach headshot
Hal Geiersbach

Family lawyer | Jan 31

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer because she is a little bulldog. She digs into a case and will fight fight fight for her client."

Jon Christopher Iverson headshot
Jon Iverson

Family lawyer | Oct 26

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Carolyn is one of the hardest-working and dedicated lawyers in Pierce County. She also cares a lot about her clients and earns their trust every day."

Wendy Ellen Zicht headshot
Wendy Zicht

Family lawyer | Aug 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known Carolyn both personally and professionally for many years. She is a zealous advocate for and compassionate with her clients. Carolyn is hardworking and keeps current on the frequent changes in family law."

Csilla Muhl headshot
Csilla Muhl

Family lawyer | Nov 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Over the past 5 years, I have personally known Ms. Elsey to be a professional and ethical advocate for her clients. She is compassionate, fair and balanced. At the same time, she is assertive and a zealous advocate for her client's best interest. I have also observed Ms. Elsey speak at a professional family law seminar. She was extremely knowledgeable about her practice area and the law in general. I would definitely refer clients to her."

John William Fuhrman headshot
John Fuhrman

Family lawyer | Jun 20

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer's work."

Anna K. Woods headshot
Anna Woods

Family lawyer | Jun 09

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer's work."

Michael Gregory Malaier headshot
Michael Malaier

Family lawyer | Jun 06

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have witnessed Ms. Elsey represent clients aggressivly and with exceptional competence. I have sent, and will continue to send, clients her way with confidence."

Shannon M.W. Kraft headshot
Shannon Kraft

Family lawyer | Jun 06

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have observed Carolyn's work in this community for more than ten years, have referred many clients to her office, and have had numerous opportunities to see her contributions to the legal field and to the community. I strongly endorse her, personally and professionally. Attorney Shannon Kraft"

View All Endorsements
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Jennifer Andrews

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Hillary Holmes

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Kimberly April

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Experience

Rating:  8.5 (Excellent)

Professional misconduct

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2002.

Reprimand issued in WA, 2002

updated on 01/28/2010

This means the attorney did something wrong, but the Bar did not suspend the lawyer. Typically in this case the lawyer's poor behavior is exposed to the public in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior.

Carolyn’s comment:

“The event Avvo refers to actually occurred in 1996, not 2002. As a brand-new lawyer, I accidentally misfiled a document and thus gave a court inaccurate information. The person who filed the grievance waited 3 years to do so and the disciplinary process took another 4 years. I believe Avvo's system is misleading as different states' disciplinary systems take differing lengths of time.”

Work Experience

2016 - Present

Attorney, Law Offices Of Carolyn A. Elsey

2012 - 2016

Attorney, The Kraft Law Group, P.S.

1994 - 2011

Attorney, Law Offices of Carolyn A. Elsey

Associations

1994 - Present

Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Knox vs. DSHS

Verdict in Plaintiff's favor

See More Legal Cases

Education

1993

Seattle University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1990

Western Washington University

MA - Masters

1988

Montana State University, Bozeman

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2007

Family Law Section

Dealing with Juvenile and Mental Health Courts

2004

Family Law Section

Defending Child Support Contempt Actions

2004

Bar Convention

Child Support Contempt

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
    This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2002
    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