$ 150-350 per hour
My law practice has changed over the years. Since late 2017, I stopped taking contested, court-based, family law matters. I am still taking uncontested cases and coaching people to do it themselves. I still believe mediation is the best method for a private, less expensive,and healthier outcome most of the time. My practice is now half juvenile dependency, representing parents as a court appointed attorney in matters where CPS has removed children from the home, with the balance being estate planning and uncontested cases in probate, family law, and adoption, along with mediation. I encourage peaceful resolution whenever possible and believe that settling is better than going to trial in 90% of cases. Studies have shown that people are more likely to follow court orders when the orders were the result of agreement, rather than a judge's decision. I believe it is important to support my clients' right to settle their cases in the way that works for each one of them.
In 1983, I did my first training in basic and advanced mediation. I am now a certified mediator with Washington Mediation Association (WMA) and . I have been serving on the WMA Board as Certification Committe Chair since 2017, with a year stint as Board Secretary. I believe a bad settlement is better than a good trial. Trial drives people apart and it is hard to come back to a middle place to work together. I like mediating in family, elder, and juvenile matters. I would love to mediate to help people stay married, rather than get divorced!
My husband, Gene Graff, joined me as partner on March 1, 2011, fulfilling our goal of having a law practice together that we made in 1994 when we decided to both change careers and go to law school. Gene practices mostly juvenile dependency as a parents' attorney with a little mediation and transactional (document preparation) on the side.
Tracy, our Front Office Guru, keeps the front office organized and provides a very friendly voice and face to new clients. We no longer have an "office dog," as Fiona passed away in 2019 at 13.5 years. Now, JazPurr, our long haired, green-eyed kitty boy is waiting for us when we get home at night.
Besides practicing law and running the law firm, I am a Reiki Master, a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant, and Ordained Minister. These hobbies will become my next career when I retire from the law. I learned from my dad to have a "Next" plan prepared, and always be learning new things.
I am honored to be able to assist clients to make the best agreements, settle their cases, resolve their conflicts, and prepare for life's unknown inevitabilities. When people have a choice of which attorney or mediator to shepherd them through their legal issues, I am humbled and happy when they choose our law firm.
4
Practice Areas
9 years | 175 cases
27 years | 615 cases
27 years | 2,000 cases
43 years | 500 cases
$ 150-350 per hour
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Chat withState: Washington
Acquired: 2002
No misconduct found
State: Utah
Acquired: 1999
No misconduct found
10818 NE Coxley Drive, Ste. J, Vancouver, WA, 98662
17 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 17 reviews
Posted by Gwen | October 10, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Family
Fantastic!
I was lost in the sea of legal family law paperwork, thinking I could do it on my own. I needed help. Meredith took the time to listen to me, understand what was going on, where I was at in the process and what I wanted to accomplish. She offered several options, everything from; here is your recomme...
Posted by anonymous | June 16, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation
Legal Separation
I would NOT recommend this lawyer. My documents were full of errors that I had to point out and have her correct and then get charged for fixing the mistakes that she made. My name was spelled incorrectly on the final separation paperwork that was recorded with the courts. When I asked her to chan...
We are sorry you feel had a bad experience with our firm. We have reviewed our records and this matter does not sound familiar to us. It is our mission to provide personal attention to every client and strive for the utmost client satisfaction in every case. Please contact me directly to discuss your specific concerns.
Posted by Roger | June 05, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation
I Would Highly Recommend Meredith!
Dissolution of Marriage has to be one of the more difficult challenges for an attorney to handle these days. Mrs Graff was excellent. She fully explained the process and time line of events. Handled all the paperwork correctly which created an outcome that met everyone’s expectations. At this point I...
Posted by Melinda | December 22, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning
Estate Planning
My husband and I needed to do Estate planning and to appoint guardians for our minor child. From the minute I walked in to the office of Meredith McKell Graff. I knew I was in the right place. Meredith gave my husband and I the most comprehensive and informative consultation on Estate planning that b...
Posted by Mark | October 19, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Litigation
Failed
Failed on many accounts. Finally just had to terminate them and move the business to another firm. An example: emails that were lacking in any advise or information. Which lead to you asking questions, for which you receive billing. Invoices which do not tend to match the level of work being perf...
This case did not ring a bell for me. After some investigation, I learned this person was the client of our former associate attorney. He never communicated with me about his unhappiness with his attorney and as a result, we did not know he was unhappy. Had he talked to me, I could have offered to represent him myself, or referred him to another competent law firm and helped make the transition easier for him. He complained about the emails sent to him by his attorney. I can't speak for her, because I was not involved in his case, but when I send an email response to a long email from a client, I often write, "See below" because I am taking the time to respond in line with every comment and concern of the client. This kind of response often takes up to a half an hour to complete. It makes me wonder if this person bothered to read beyond the "See below" that his attorney sent to him. It sounds like he did not. The philosophy of McKELL GRAFF, PLLC, which I founded almost fourteen years ago, is to provide personal attention to each client to greatest possible extent. It is truly a family law firm since my husband, Eugene M. Graff, joined me as partner. Gene and I go out of our way to meet our clients' needs. We spent a weekend in September in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island in 2015 to visit with and say goodbye to my long time pro bono client who was dying of cancer. He died two weeks later. I offer free Reiki services to all of my clients. We believe in being there for our clients. I am baffled at why this person would complain about his attorney on my Avvo.com page. I have had some discussions with him since he posted this review and he admits I was not his attorney and he admits he never talked to me about his unhappiness with his attorney. He admits he never gave me a chance to help him. I run all the invoices in the law office. He never talked about his invoices with me. We do not charge to discuss billing questions. We offer payment plans. We work with our clients. We have been offering sliding scale rates with our own Modest Means Program ever since the Clark County Bar terminated its Modest Means Program 8 years ago. I am very sorry this person had an unpleasant experience with our firm. I wish he had talked to me. I wish he had posted his complaints on the page of the attorney about whom he has complaints. Our door is always open to discuss client concerns, no matter if we, the partners, are their legal counsel, or one of our associate attorneys.
"Meredith and I worked on a complex probate/trust matter together that had facts spanning many years. Meredith was great to work with. I endorse this lawyer."
"Meredith is knowledgable, thorough and a consummate professional. I have had the good fortune to learn from her by litigating cases against her and leaned on her as a resource when facing a novel legal question, in my practice. I endorse Meredith without hesitation."
"I am not exaggerating when I state that every single time I have called Meredith for advice on a tricky issue, she knows just how to handle it. Smart, thoughtful, ethical, and a real mensch."
"If I were faced with a divorce or family law issue in Washington State, Meredith McKell Graff is the first attorney I would think of, and the first call I would make! I cannot think of a better way to validate my endorsement of this lawyer!"
"I endorse this lawyer's work. Meredith is very professional and looks after the best interest of her clients. When I have had a conflict I have referred some clients on to Meredith. She is both a combination of being aggressive when necessary but always wishes to mediate, if appropriate and desired by her client."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. Meredith is very ethical while at the same time, a strong advocate for her clients. She is a problem solver which is extremely important in the area of family law. I find her to be extremely professional."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. She is honest, hard working and always available for questions. She volunteers in the community and mentors young lawyers. She is someone that is ethical, honest, and dependable."
"Meredith is tough when she needs to be, always empathic and very knowledgeable in her chosen field. When I closed down my practice, I did not hesitate to send cases her way. I knew that any client I sent her way would be well cared-for and satisfied with her service."
"I endorse this lawyer's work. I have known Meredith for several years as a fellow member of the George & Donald Simpson Inns of Court. Meredith strikes me as a person of great competence, caring, and integrity. She is also a leader in the area of collaborative divorce. I recommend her without reservation."
Criminal defense lawyer
Trusts lawyer
Divorce and separation lawyer
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Elder law lawyer
Land use and zoning lawyer
Juvenile law lawyer
2009
Certified Mediator/Family Law, Washington Mediation Association
2008
Professional of the Year, Cambridge Who's Who
2007
CV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2006
Pro Bono Publico Service Commendation, Washington State Bar Association
2005
Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program
2003 - Present
Attorney/Mediator, McKell Graff, PLLC
2002 - 2003
Attorney/Mediator, Walstead Mertsching Attorneys at Law
1999 - 2002
Mediator/JD Paralegal, Steven Allen Smith, PC
2009 - Present
Clark County Superior CourtGuardian ad Litem
2003 - Present
Clark County Bar AssociationMember
2002 - Present
Washington State Bar AssociationMember
1999 - Present
Utah State BarMember
1998 - Present
Association for Conflict ResolutionAdvanced Practitioner
2009 - 2011
Clark County Association of MediatorsMember
2007 - 2008
Clark County Bar Association/Family Law SectionBoard member
2006 - 2010
International Academy of Collaborative ProfessionalsMember
2004 - 2009
American Inns of CourtMember
2003 - 2009
Washington Women LawyersBoard member
2002 - 2005
Cowlitz County Bar AssociationMember
2002 - 2004
Cowlitz County Bar AssociationBoard member
1995 - 2006
American Bar AssociationMember
Successful--Client Got His Day in Court!
Completed estate planning for client before he died of terminal cancer
Client attained all her goals in the case.
Success so far and more to come!
The non-parental custodian retained custody without visitation for the mother.
1998
Juris Doctor
1990
MA - Masters
1984
BA - Bachelor of Arts
1974
AA-Associate of Arts
2011
Cultural Competency for Guardians ad Litem
2011
2009
2008
2006
2005
2005
Avoiding Conflict and Ethical Traps
2010
2010
2007
1999
Spanish
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