Megaen Kathleen Childress

Megaen Kathleen Childress

also known as Megaen K Paladin Childress, Megaen K Paladin

4.9
Rating: 9.4

Licensed for 12 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Spokane, WA
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Probate, Trusts ... +2 more

717 W Sprague Ste 1500, Spokane, WA

About Megaen

Biography

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in Washington for 12 years

State: Washington

Acquired: 2013

Inactive

No misconduct found

Location

Douglas Eden, PS

717 W Sprague Ste 1500, Spokane, WA, 99201

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Megaen Kathleen Childress's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

7 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (7) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 7 reviews

Posted by Ari | May 19, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Professional, responsive, trusted advisor

I was introduced to Megaen through a colleague who had hired her for estate planning purposes and who'd highly recommended her. Because estate planning involves very personal and emotional decisions, I wanted to make sure that my attorney wasn't just competent, but also empathetic and flexible t...o my and my family's specific needs. On my first call with Megaen, it was clear that I'd found someone who met all of my requirements and more. Throughout the planning process, 3 things distinguished Megaen: 1. Megan clearly understands all the intricacies of estate law, but just as importantly, she explains things in a way that laypeople can understand. This is a huge help, particularly with something as important and nuanced as estate planning. As a husband and a parent, I want to make sure I understand all my options and exactly what I'm signing - Megaen always responded quickly to my requests and questions, and took all the time needed to explain everything in a way that gave me confidence in my decisions. 2. Megaen has what I consider to be a pretty remarkable memory. Throughout the planning process, each time we'd chat, it was as though no time had passed. Megaen remembered all the details of everything we'd discussed in prior meetings, even when I'd already forgotten some of them. Again, this gave me confidence in working with Megaen. 3. Megaen not only exudes great professionalism in all her interactions, but she's also very personable. This distinguishes her from other attorneys I've worked with over the years, and I believe it's one of the most important characteristics to look for in an estate planning attorney. In all my interactions, I felt as though Megaen was approaching the planning process with the same level of empathy and care that I'd get from a family member or close friend. In combination with the points above, this established Megaen as a trusted advisor to me and my family, and I'm very grateful for that. Just as Megaen came highly recommended to me, I highly recommend her to anyone interested in planning for their estate.

Posted by Amy | December 20, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Probate

Megaen is BEYOND Excellent! If I could give her more than 5 stars I would! VERY highly recommend!

I came to Megaen for help handling my late aunt’s estate/probate. Megaen was willing to take on my case when others wouldn’t. I didn’t have the resources to pay up front so others refused to help me. For this reason, messy family issues I was dealing with regarding the estate, and the fact that I liv...ed in southwest Idaho and my aunt’s estate was in Spokane, I was extremely stressed and overwhelmed when I came to Megaen. Megaen helped ease that and guide me through the messiness. In addition to the standard probate process she had to deal with senior abuse, financial abuse, family issues, theft & fraud, major financial mistakes made by a bank and their, etc, etc, etc. She handled all of this smoothly, efficiently, and very professionally. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her. No words can truly capture how thankful I am for her and all that she did. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. If you need someone that can handle a probate case, and all of the various issues that may come with it, professionally, effectively, smoothly and with compassion, Megaen is the person for you. I VERY highly recommend her to anyone needing help like this!

Posted by anonymous | May 05, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Limited Liability Company (LLC)

GREAT REPRESENTATION

We retained Megaen Childress to assist us in separating from a family owned LLC without losing what legally belonged to us. The legal system is very complicated for a lay person and Megaen was able to answer a million questions and represent us through mediation and litigation successfully. She was... very responsive to us and occasionally called back even on the week-ends when we were in need of immediate advice. Our situation was both contentious and complicated and not once did Megaen lose her cool, even in the face of threats. We were very satisfied with Megaen's representation and would use her services again if there was a need.

Posted by Kathleen | October 05, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Megaen is the BEST!

Megaen has helped my parents organize their estate and in a most dire situation of assisted my elderly mother obtain care for my father who has Alzheimer's. They are 86 and 80 years old and I live several states away. Megaen even checked on my mother when she was on her days off. She is extremely p...rofessional, knowledgeable and kind. The best attorney you will ever find!

Posted by Mike | October 05, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Estate Planning

Hire an Attorney!

Megaen has helped me with several estate documents and two probates. It was very helpful that I could rely on her advice to make sure as the Personal Representative I would be in compliance with my legal responsibilities. She explained everything clearly and made my job easier.

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Megaen Kathleen Childress's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Megaen
Susan C Nelson headshot
Susan Nelson

Estate planning lawyer | Dec 22

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Megaen in all aspects of her practice."

Dianne K Rudman headshot
Dianne Rudman

Estate planning lawyer | Dec 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I am pleased to endorse Megaen. She is bright and extremely competent, while super compassionate and caring. This is a wonderful, if not rare, combination. I refer my existing clients and my own referral calls to Megaen on a regular basis and invariably the feedback is super positive, over the top even. There is no better confirmation of your own belief and trust in an attorney. I will continue to endorse and refer business to Megaen, and would trust her with my own matters."

Lisa Jill Dickinson headshot
Lisa Dickinson

Estate planning lawyer | Apr 08

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I am a fellow attorney who worked with Megaen on a few projects as a contract attorney when my own office became too busy. I could rely on Megaen to come up with great ideas, debate issues of law and to do great work. I would highly recommend her to do your estate planning or probate work as she is a pleasure to work with, knows the area of law, and can give you personal service that is not cookie-cutter information. I would not hesitate to refer her clients, or to hire her. She is a highly skilled attorney."

Whitny Leann Cunningham headshot
Whitny Cunningham

Probate lawyer | Jan 03

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Bil Childress headshot
Bil Childress

Litigation lawyer | Dec 30

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements
Whitny Leann Cunningham headshot
Whitny Cunningham

Real estate lawyer

Diane Kiepe headshot
Diane Kiepe

Unknown lawyer

Bil Childress headshot
Bil Childress

Litigation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.4 (Superb)

Honors

2018

Top 14 Estate Planners in Spokane, Expertise

2018

Top Lawyers: Estate Planning, Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living Magazine

2017

Top 16 Estate Planner Spokane, Expertise

Work Experience

2014 - Present

Attorney, Paladin Childress Law Office, PLLC

2013 - 2014

Attorney, Rudman Law Office, PS

2011 - 2012

Legal Extern, Spokane County Public Defender Office

2011 - 2012

Rule 9 Legal Intern, Court Of Appeals, State Of Washington

2010 - 2012

Legal Intern, Lee Law Office PS

Associations

2018 - Present

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Member

2018 - Present

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (Washington chapter)

Member

2016 - Present

South Hill Senior and Community Center

Board Member

2015 - Present

Spokane Estate Planning Council

Member

2015 - Present

National Association of Estate Planners and Councils

Member

2014 - Present

Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section

Member

2014 - Present

Inland Northwest Business Associations

Member

2013 - Present

Washington State Bar Association

Member

2013 - Present

Business Law Section

Member

2013 - Present

Elder Law Section

Member

2013 - Present

Spokane County Bar Association

Member

2017 - 2018

South Hill Senior and Community Center

Vice President

Sample of Legal Cases

In re Estate of Kane Spokane County Superior Court No. 16-4-01640-7

Court granted the petition on client's behalf resulting in preservation of her SSI/Medicaid benefits while also allowing her to receive beneficial support of her inheritance

See More Legal Cases

Education

2012

Gonzaga University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2007

University of Washington

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2017

The Probate Process From Start to Finish Tax and Creditors in Estate Administration

2016

Revocable Living Trusts Spendthrift Trusts

2015

Estate Planning Seminar Estate Planning Myths and Truths

2014

Same Sex Marriage; Estate Planning for Same Sex Couples

Modern Family

Publications

2018

Retirement Base Camp: Mapping Out the Right Financial Future Estate Law

2017

National Business Institute Seminar Distribution and Closing of the Estate

2017

National Business Institute Seminar Handling Creditors Claims and Debt

2016

Revocable Living Trusts From Start to Finish Spendthrift and Discretionary Trusts

2016

National Business Institute Seminar Special Needs Trusts

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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