Heather was actually initially retained by my sister to pursue guardianship or our mother, an incapacitated adult. The case was complicated because our mother is married and her spouse did not want my sister to be awarded guardianship, in spite of the fact he cannot care adequately for mom and mom was being neglected. Heather worked hard to approach the situation legally and diplomatically while at the same time maintaining a strong, firm line where mom's husband was concerned. She was prompt, thorough, and organized; certainly more organized than the Commissioner who was in the court when guardianship was awarded! Now that guardianship is decided, Heather is assisting us now with divorce proceedings against the spouse of our mother. Although we have, of course, retained a separate divorce attorney, the divorce is going nowhere due to lack of action on the part of the attorneys involved and Heather has been willing to assist with moving the divorce along so that we can hopefully have resolution on the situation soon.
Heather L. Crawford has extensive experience in litigation related to will contests, vulnerable adults, guardianships, trusts and probate. In addition to private practice, Ms. Crawford’s caseload includes appointments by the court as a guardian ad litem for Title 11 matters, as an attorney for alleged incapacitated people and minors, and as an investigator for purposes of probate administration. Ms. Crawford’s reputation is that of both an aggressive, knowledgeable litigator and creative problem-solver. Ms. Crawford uses her experience to assists families in resolving disputes regarding elder care, wills and trusts. Her practice also includes Vulernable Adult protection orders as well as assisting beneficiaries to recover property. Ms. Crawford's experience also includes representing fiduciaries with litigation and management of estates.Â
Ms. Crawford obtained the status of a Washington State Certified Professional Guardian in 2009, after completing the University of Washington’s nationally-renowned pilot program on professional guardian certification. Her history also includes experience as the former chair for the Tacoma Pierce County Guardianship Committee.
Education
Seattle University School of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 1999
University of Washington, B.A. Economics, 1993
Admissions and Licenses
Washington State Bar Association: 2000
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington: 2000
RCW 11.88 Guardian ad Litem: 2007 to date
Washington Certified Professional Guardian: 2009 to date
Affiliation(s)/Membership(s)
Washington State Bar Association
Elder Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association
Washington Professional Guardian Association
Guardianship Section of the Pierce County Bar Association
Client's Choice is an Avvo award granted to attorneys with a significant number of client reviews over 4 stars in a given year.
Posted by Travis | February 7, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
On The Ball
Heather helped my wife and I with an Elder Abuse case. She was very on the ball with building a case. Very friendly and personable!
Posted by Karli | February 18, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Progressive, thorough, supportive, fast
Heather was actually initially retained by my sister to pursue guardianship or our mother, an incapacitated adult. The case was complicated because our mother is married and her spouse did not want my sister to be awarded guardianship, in spite of the fact he cannot care adequately for mom and mom was being neglected. Heather worked hard to approach the situation legally and diplomatically while at the same time maintaining a strong, firm line where mom's husband was concerned. She was prompt, thorough, and organized; certainly more organized than the Commissioner who was in the court when guardianship was awarded! Now that guardianship is decided, Heather is assisting us now with divorce proceedings against the spouse of our mother. Although we have, of course, retained a separate divorce attorney, the divorce is going nowhere due to lack of action on the part of the attorneys involved and Heather has been willing to assist with moving the divorce along so that we can hopefully have resolution on the situation soon.
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Posted by Susan | September 18, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great Probate/Contested Will Lawyer
Heather quickly agreed to take on my case, even though she had to take it over from a different lawyer due to a conflict of interest at another firm. She was an excellent communicator and was timely with all of her correspondence. I greatly appreciate how well written and thought out the documents were regarding the contested will.
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Posted by Rolf | April 10, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Regarding VAPO and Guardianship
Heather was efficient and timely in helping with our complicated case. She contacted and expedited APS and obtained a Guardian ad Lidem and coordinated meetings, court dates and contacted financial institutions to help us get control of our situation. It has been a pleasure working with Heather. We found her to be very experienced and knowledgeable regarding this type of case.
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Posted by karen baker | March 7, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Guardianship,VAPO
Heather communicated openly to resolve a difficult situation that involved my mother who has dementia. Family members prevented rational discussions, that retaining Heather as my attorney to represent me in court was the hardest decision for me to make. I can honestly say her advice, being a good listener, and acting on the concerns I expressed made the issues less stressful.
Heather is professional and understanding. Her knowledge and expertise, along with support in decision-making has been incredible. I am very
grateful in hiring Ms. Crawford as my attorney.
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Posted by David | February 23, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Guardianship of person and estate
Ms. Crawford was a great help in dealing with the issues surrounding gaining guardianship for my mother who has dementia. We could not have done it without her. Her advice and skill helped to bring peace to a stressful situation.
Posted by Marianna | February 23, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Estate Probate intestate and Special Needs Trust
Heather has been exceptional through the entire process. She is compassionate, respectful and very understanding of our family dynamics and wishes.
Heather helped us through all the special laws for a disabled heir keeping everything easy to understand. My parents estate had no money, only real property that was not to be sold, but transferred to my disabled brother that lives in the home. Heather made this happen creating a Special Needs Trust.
I am very appreciative of Heather working with me and keeping the overall cost of this process within reason.
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Posted by Jeff | February 7, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Will and Trust update
Heather and her team was able to help my wife and me update our wills, establish trusts and solve some problems we didn't know we had. I believe my estate is better protected to minimize tax exposure and provide for my family after I am gone.
Heather is a great listener, problem solver and collaborator and her fees are fair.
Posted by Charles | February 4, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Guardianship, VAPO
Retaining Heather Crawford to represent me in the court room was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. From the very start, Ms. Crawford had a compassionate ear for my situation, listened comprehensively, and expressed my positions in front of the Bench in an intelligent way that I never would have been able to match on my own. In short, Ms. Crawford represented me accurately, clearly, and with language even I could understand, and always with an intelligent strategy.
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Guardianship Attorney | Mar 28
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I worked with Heather on a complicated adult guardianship matter. With regard to the Court proceedings, I found Heather to be highly competent, well prepared, and level headed. I would highly recommend Heather to individuals who need assistance in any guardianship matter, whether simple or complex"
Estate planning Attorney | Jul 13
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I have known Heather for several years. We have worked together on the same side of matters as well as in opposing counsel roles. Heather is knowledgeable, trust worthy, and practical. She focusses on what makes sense and what is right."
Guardianship Attorney | Jul 09
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Heather and I have worked on a few guardianship cases together. Most recently she was appointed as a Guardian ad Litem in a guardianship matter. She was thorough, expedient and very professional. Heather is an excellent lawyer and performs great work."
Guardianship Attorney | Jun 30
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"I highly recommend Ms. Crawford. I have observed her a number of times in court, and have had cases with her, including a guardianship trial. Her work is always extremely well-prepared, and her presentation style is effective and straight-forward. You can be confident engaging her services."
Trusts Attorney | Jun 30
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I have had the opportunity to work with Heather Crawford on several cases and admire her work. She does a great job for her clients and is a great attorney to work with."
Guardianship Attorney | Jun 29
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I've known Heather Crawford for a number of years now. She is active in the guardianship community, promoting good practices and supporting the education of this legal practice. I've also had the pleasure of collaborating with Ms. Crawford on guardianship cases in which she has served as guardian ad litem and attorney. She is an ethical, hard-working professional whom I feel I can trust to know the law and to advocate fairly for her clients. She is a good communicator, which facilitates our work together. I highly endorse Ms. Crawford."