Jamie founded Phinney Estate Law in 2007 as a way of addressing a need she saw in the community for affordable, values-based estate planning and as a way to develop a legal practice that was consistent with her own values and legal philosophy.  Jamie works with our clients to develop their estate plans and heads our probate and dispute resolution practices.  A leader in the alternative dispute resolution community she acts a a mediator and collaborative attorney in probates, elder law disputes, and family law. 

Before founding Phinney Estate Law Jamie worked as a litigation associate at Cozen O’Connor, as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice, and as legal intern for Northwest Immigration Rights Project and Northwest Justice Project.  

Jamie began her work in estate law in 2005 as a pro bono attorney with King County Volunteer Attorneys for Persons with HIV/AIDS (VAPWA).  She found that she enjoyed the opportunity to help clients with the planning process and the chance to think creatively with these clients to address the unique needs of their situations.  She also appreciated the opportunity to work with clients to avoid conflicts.  In addition to her work with VAPWA, Jamie also did pro bono work and/or worked for non-profits providing clients with assistance with immigration petitions, naturalization, applications for public benefits, and family law cases.  She continues to devote 25% of her practice to pro bono work and free community education.  As part of that service, Jamie serves as a volunteer attorney facilitator for the ex-party probate and guardianship calendar in King County.

Since founding Phinney Estate Law, Jamie has had the opportunity to work with individuals and families in a variety of situations.  She has worked with newlyweds, young families, single business owners, blending families, the terminally ill, and unmarried couple.  It is her experience that each family, no matter how traditional or non-traditional, is truly unique and, once you get to know them, have unique needs.

Jamie is also a part time professor in the paralegal program at Edmonds Community College where she teaches classes on Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Probate.

When she is not working, Jamie volunteers her time to a number of local community groups including the Seattle Milk Fund, Phinney-Greenwoood Climate Change Action Now, and the Greenwood Arts Council and is the elected Democratic PCO for her neighborhood.  She is a practicing Quaker with the Salmon Bay Friends Circle.  She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends and loves spending a much time as possible outdoors.  She is in three book clubs and is always looking for a good book.  She also carves and prints block prints which can occasionally be seen in shops and coffee houses in the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood.

Jamie is a member of the Washington State Bar Association sections on Probate and Elder Law.  She is also a member of the King County Bar Association sections on Probate and Elder Law. She currently serves as the Treasurer of the King County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section, Chair of King County Collaborative Law Civil Practice Group and is a Steering Committee Member for the NW LGBT Senior Services Network’s Legal Working Group.

Education
University of Washington School of Law, JD 2001
University of Washington, Jackson School of International Studies, MA 2001
Oxford University, Post Graduate Certificate in International Human Rights Law, 1998
University of Washington, Jackson School of International Studies, International Studies, BA 1997

Honors & Awards
Law & Politics Rising Star Award 2010
NWIRP Amicus Award 2005
Washington State Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award 2004-2010
Cozen O’Connor Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2003-2006
Goldmark Fellowship for Public Interest Law, 1999
Henry M. Jackson Leadership Award, 1997
Phi Beta Kappa, 1997
National Merit Scholar, 1993
Washington Scholar, 1993