University Place Lawyers

Jordan Couch is a dedicated advocate for those in need. His commitment to helping people both in and out of the courtroom is what brought him to Palace Law.

Jordan grew up in the prairie land of eastern Montana. After high school he moved to Maryland where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. From there he travelled to Indiana and graduated from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law where he was awarded membership in the Order of Barristers. While in law school Jordan worked for NASA and clerked for judges in the Maryland Court of...

Kenneth Gorton is a litigation attorney in Washington. He has dedicated his career to advocating for injured and disabled people. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, and represented hundreds of clients in personal injury, consumer protection, and other types of cases. Mr. Gorton received the highest possible rating by AVVO, one of the best-known ranking services for lawyers, which rates him as 10 out of 10 (superb). He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which only admits trial attorneys who have demonstrated “superior results in...

PATRICK A. PALACE is the owner of Palace Law, a firm of workers' compensation and personal injury attorneys. Patrick was the President of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) 2013-2014. He is a member of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (2014-present) that prepares and trains Bar leadership nationwide. Currently serving on the NCBP Executive Counsel. He is currently the co-chair of the 21st Century Lawyer NCBP committee. He chaired the WSBA Future of the Profession Committee 2013-2015. Additionally, he served on the WSBA Board of Governors from 2008 – 2011, the Washington Association of Justice Board...

JAMES F. CHRISTNACHT was admitted to practice law in the state of Washington in 1984 after having attended the University Of Puget Sound School Of Law. Mr. Christnacht has engaged in the general practice of law since his admission to the bar. He is admitted to practice before the Washington State Courts, Federal District Court and the Puyallup Tribal Court. His practice has included personal injury, probate, guardianship, wills and estate planning, will contests and estate litigation, misdemeanor criminal defense and traffic matters, real estate, and business law. Mr. Christnacht is a second generation lawyer. Having grown up with...

I aggressively pursue legal remedies on behalf of my clients to the fullest extent of the law by providing forceful, commanding, and bold attorney representation; as a result, I GET results! At the end of the day, I hope to make meaningful connections with honest hard-working people. Ultimately, my goal is to form lifelong relationships with my clients--I'll work on your case as if I were a member of your family; I invite you to consider becoming a member of ours. My practice areas include the following: (1) Employment Discrimination; (2) Disparate Treatment; (3) Disparate Impact;...

Immigration attorney Noelle Sharp grew up in China, built aqueducts in the Dominican Republic and marched for farmworker rights. She taught English in Vietnamese refugee camps, wrote grant applications to provide migrant farmworker children more educational opportunities, and taught Economic Rights and Human Migration at Evergreen State College. She began working in immigration law in 2004, while in law school, for an immigration law clinic where she helped immigrants with VAWA and asylum applications.

After graduation, she has focused her practice solely in immigration law-filing applications, waivers, and representing clients in deportation proceedings before immigration court.

Today, her immigration law...

Sandy Van is a personal injury attorney licensed to practice in Nevada state and federal courts as well as Washington state courts. In 2012, she founded Van Law Firm, a personal injury and mass tort firm. In the years since its inception, the firm has expanded to two locations and a combined staff of over 100. Currently, Ms. Van focuses her practice on auto accidents, slip and falls, premises liability and other personal injury matters. The growth and development of both Van Law Firm and Ms.Van’s personal career have not gone unnoticed. Nevada Business Magazine named her one of the...

Sonny Nguyen is a Vietnamese American, the first generation of South Vietnamese immigrants in the United States. His father, Thu-Ba Nguyen, was one of the early refugees known as "boat people", who served and was loyal to South Vietnam. After many years of political imprisonment, Thu-Ba took his two-year-old son and fled from their beloved homeland.

Sonny is bilingual, he speaks and writes Vietnamese and English fluently. He earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2015 and continued to Willamette University where he received his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with Mediation and Arbitration.

Growing up in Seattle, Sonny...

“Mr. Kesling has handled several of my legal matters over the past near decade. He is passionate and knowledgeable on legal matters and really cares about his clients and the outcome of their legal issue. I have recommended him to several friends and they too have been impressed with his services.” ~Bill, former client Peter Kesling was born for litigation. He is smart and tenacious. He also has supreme communication skills. Peter is known as a lawyer who will get things done, and his clients know they are in good hands. As Bill noted in his kind review, Peter really cares about...

Ashton Dennis is a litigation and trial attorney focusing on representation individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injury or wrongful death. Ashton handles a wide range of cases often holding corporations, the government and individuals accountable for their actions. Ashton has litigated cases across the United States in both State and Federal Courts.

Ashton earned a dual degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science from Washington State University. He went on to obtain his law degree from Seattle University.

In 2014 and 2015, Ashton was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in Washington State, which is reserved for just...

Originally from the Boston area, Ken Levey has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1980. He received his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1983 and received his law degree from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law) in 1991. That same year Ken was sworn in as a member of the Washington State Bar. He opened his law practice in Tacoma in 1992.

Unlike many attorneys, Ken also is trained in collaborative law, represents families in CPS investigations and dependency actions, and has a great deal of experience and a high level...

Nicholas "Cole" Douglas is a passionate and energetic attorney who always advocates for his client’s best needs. His practice focuses on the litigation and trial of complex personal injury, wrongful death and sex abuse claims. Cole works closely with his clients and is constantly inspired by their tenacity and determination to progress forward. Cole, a Tacoma, Washington native, earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Cole played football, basketball and threw hammer at Willamette, all while pursuing an accelerated M.B.A. program at WU’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management. After completing his M.B.A. studies, Cole returned to...

Roger Schweinler has over 25 years of experience in handling family law matters in Pierce County.

Roger is dependable and reliable, and provides a comforting atmosphere for his clients. He is experienced in litigating complex dissolution cases, as well as highly conflicted custody cases. He is also aware that dispute resolution can be a beneficial tool in reaching amicable settlements.

He is extremely well qualified in the mediation of family law issues. Mr. Schweinler's overall goal is to provide competent and reliable representation in order to obtain the best possible results for his clients.

Kelsey Morfitt is a former United States Air Force attorney and hails from Enumclaw, Washington.

Kelsey graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and majored in Spanish and Political Science. She graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington while serving as a member of Gonzaga Law Review and interning for the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, Washington State Attorney General’s Office Social and Health Services Division, Washington State Senate Committee Services, and the Chambers of Judge Robert Whaley in federal district court. Kelsey also completed service projects in Honduras with...

Andy Kralios is a medical malpractice and personal injury attorney at Washington Law Center PLLC. Andy previously worked in a large insurance defense law firm advising hospital risk management departments. He then ran his own successful practice in the Northeast where he led trials on behalf of injured hospital patients. More recently, Andy worked at the General Counsel’s Office of MultiCare Health System.

Aaron VanderPol is a workers’ compensation (L&I) attorney that works at our Tukwila location. Aaron has a passion for labor rights. He works diligently to make certain that people who suffer workplace injuries get what they are rightfully owed. Aaron was raised in Washington. He studied political science at Washington State University and graduated with a law degree from Gonzaga in 2016. After graduation, Aaron interned for a criminal defense attorney and served on Spokane’s Police Ombudsman Commission.

In his free time, Aaron enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling to experience new adventures!

David Oliver has been practicing disability law since 1992 and since that time he has helped more than 8,000 people get their disability benefits. David taught Social Security Disability Law Practice at Harvard Law School’s Legal Services Center for four years and has spent more than 15 years using his experience on behalf of the disabled in Seattle, Tacoma and throughout the Puget Sound Region. David entered the field of disability law because he is committed to improving the lives of the ill and injured. That commitment continues and grows stronger with every disabled man, woman or child...

Liandra Marchan is an attorney with nearly 10 years of experience. She is admitted to practice in Georgia and is currently awaiting her license in Washington.

Liandra received her undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 2003 with a B.S. in Psychology. After graduation, Liandra began her career as an insurance adjuster. During this period, she had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of attorneys specializing in personal injury and insurance defense. This interaction sparked an interest in the law and motivated her to attend law school. Liandra graduated from Emory University School of Law in 2007.

During her legal career, Liandra...

Daniel Swinford is a personal injury attorney in our Tacoma office. He is passionate about law and is committed to securing the proper justice our clients deserve. Daniel has worked as a researcher for the City of Kent prosecutor’s office and as an intern at the Washington Law Center.

Daniel is a graduate of Washington State University and the Seattle University School of Law where he graduated cum laude and given the prestigious CALI award for Negotiation, which is given to the student with the highest grade in the class.

In his free time, Daniel prefers to spend his time outdoors. He...

Alden Byrd is a litigation attorney focusing on worker’s compensation claims for individuals that have suffered workplace injuries. Alden diligently pursues injured worker’s claims when the Department or Employers attempt to deny those workers the benefits to which they are entitled. Alden previously clerked for United States District Court Judge Thomas S. Zilly in the Western District of Washington.

Alden obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in photography from The Ohio State University and graduated cum laude from the Seattle University School of Law.

Alden grew up in Ohio, but moved to Seattle in 2009 to attend law school.

Chuck practices in both State and Federal Courts, as well as many Tribal Courts. Chuck is a semi-retired Tribal Court Judge, having acted for 16 years as a judge on specific cases for 32 different Indian Tribes located in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Chuck has also been appointed as a Special Master Judge for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut. On occasion Chuck is still appointed by Tribes to act as a trial or appellate judge.

In addition to Indian law, Chuck has an...

Labor & Industries Attorney with 13 Years Experience Litigating Workers' Compensation, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice And Wrongful Death Cases. Co-Founder of Washington Law Center. Recognized As A Leading Washington Attorney In The Fight To Protect Injured Workers And Their Families.

Examples of Large Entities Litigated Against: Boeing; Costco; Walmart; McDonalds; Labor Ready; Exon Mobile; School Districts; Large Hotels; Counties; Virtually Every Insurance Company With A Name, And The State of Washington. No Opponent is Too Big (The Bigger Their Size, The Bigger Their Wallet).

Successes Include: Thousands of Clients Served. Tens of...