Affordable legal help

in family law cases

Are you feeling lost and don’t know where to begin concerning your family law case?
Are you overwhelmed trying to represent yourself?
Have you been served with family law papers and don’t know where to turn?
Can’t afford an attorney?

Reliable, sound, legal advice and assistance is available. Our hope is to help you have peace of mind as you navigate the family law system. We are ready to assist you with integrity, compassion and experience.

Click on the CONTACT US form below to schedule a FREE initial phone consultation. We will respond to you as soon as possible.

CONTACT US

Services Provided

Family law matters we can help you with

Divorce

File or respond to a petition for divorce (with or without children), obtain temporary orders, discovery, settlement conference preparation, trial preparation and draft final orders to complete your divorce.

Legal Separation

This is a court action to legally separate the parties, which is different than a divorce . This is not common (usually where there is a specific reason not to divorce i.e. religious beliefs, Social Security benefits, insurance coverage, etc.) File or respond to a petition for legal separation, obtain temporary orders and draft final orders.

Parenting and Support Actions for Unmarried Parties

For parents who were never married but have children together, we can establish parentage (paternity) and obtain a parenting plan, residential schedule and/or child support order.

Child Support Matters

Obtain a child support order, enforce a child support order (contempt for nonpayment) and adjustments and modifications (changes) to your child support order.

Parenting Plan

Create a parenting plan which says who the children will live with, when visitation will occur with the other parent, set forth any restrictions or limitations that are needed to protect the children and provide for dispute resolution and decision making. When your current parenting plan is no longer working or your circumstances have changed and the parenting plan needs to be changed, we can also handle “minor” parenting plan modifications, and “major” parenting plan modifications* (*only through the adequate cause hearing, as well as entry of the final parenting plan in the event of default or agreement of the parties.)

Spousal Support

Give legal advice regarding spousal support (spousal support or maintenance is known as alimony in other states). File or respond to a motion for temporary spousal support.

Contempt

File or respond to a motion for contempt for a party’s failure to comply with a court order, such as a parenting plan, child support order, temporary order (including spousal support).

Restraining Orders

File or respond to a restraining order in an existing family law case. A restraining order puts protections in place for people or for property, either on an emergency basis or in a scheduled court hearing.

Domestic Violence and Other Protection Orders

File or respond to a Domestic Violence Protection Order, or other protection or restraining orders arising from a domestic relations case, such as a Stalking Protection Order with the ex-spouse or other parent. These are protection orders that can be filed without a family law case.

Relocations

Give advice regarding the statutory requirements, time frames and process for the custodial parent to move with the children, prepare the Notice of Intent to Move with Children, and final revised parenting plans only in the event of default or where the terms have been agreed to by the parties. (LLLTs are not permitted to handle other Relocation issues at this time, per APR 28 ).

Committed Intimate Relationship (CIR) Issues

Give advice to parties who lived together in a marital-like relationship (known as a CIR), only as they pertain to Parenting and Support matters.

Ways we can help you with these matters

Give you legal advice regarding your specific fact situation, to either start the case yourself, or file a response if you have been served.
Draft pleadings for you to file with the Court as a pro se party (either as the petitioner starting the action, or as the respondent) both for commencing an action (e.g. filing a petition) and for motions for temporary orders and other hearings.
Filing and serving pleadings.
Review and explain to you the forms and pleadings you have received from another person, as well as the time frame and procedure for responding to ensure you comply with the Court rules.
Appear in court with you at motion and protection order hearings* in a limited capacity, i.e. to assist and confer with you and to answer direct questions from the Court regarding factual or procedural matters. (*as set forth in APR 28 but not including trials)
Present default orders, uncontested orders or agreed orders on your behalf for entry (signing by the Court) on the ex parte calendar.
Prepare discovery or review and respond to discovery in a case. (Interrogatories, Requests for Production, Requests for Admission). We can also prepare Subpoenas (for people) and Subpoena Duces Tecums (for documents and records) on your behalf with a motion for the court to issue the subpoena as LLLTs cannot “issue” them at this time.
Accompany, assist and confer with you at depositions.
Prepare you for your settlement conference or mediation, including the documents you will need.
Accompany and assist you in dispute resolution proceedings including mediation, arbitration, and settlement conferences.
Prepare you to represent yourself at trial.
Provide you with self-help materials.
Assist you with obtaining copies of documents, including birth, death, marriage certificates etc.
Develop a case plan from start to finish on handling your case. If matters become contested or you decide you do not want to appear in court as a pro se party (speaking for yourself), you always have the option to engage an attorney for “unbundled” legal services, i.e. just for that hearing and we can work with the attorney to bring them up to speed if you give consent for me to speak with them.

Our Legal Technician

Olympic Legal Technician Services, PLLC provides Limited License Legal Technician services in the area of Family Law. We now serve clients who need affordable legal help on both sides of the water in the following counties: King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson, and other counties on a case by case basis. Services are provided remotely and convenient appointments are available by phone and video conferences, with no requirement to meet in person.

Limited License Legal Technicians (LLLTs) are not lawyers but a new kind of legal practitioner in Washington state (and the first of its kind in both the United States and worldwide). Legal Technicians are only licensed in family law at this time under APR 28.

Vanessa Ridgway, WSBA LLLT #119, has been licensed by the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) as a Limited Licensed Legal Technician in the practice area of family law since December 2016. She is also a former NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) and former Title 26 Guardian ad Litem (GAL)*. She has 21 years’ prior experience as a paralegal and draws from this experience in serving her clients.

*NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) and Title 26 Guardian ad Litem are separate from and not a requirement for the LLLT license; the Washington Supreme Court does not recognize certification of specialties in the practice of law.

In family law cases I can advise and assist you in initiating new actions or responding to actions (if you are served with pleadings), as well as motions, discovery, settlement conference preparation, trial preparation, temporary and final orders, and modification of orders.

Over 28 years of legal experience
Integrity, Compassion, Trustworthy

Vanessa E. Ridgway

Limited License Legal Technician

It often feels as if there is nothing more important in this world when dealing with a divorce, separation, child custody or child support matter but often there is not enough money to fund the legal assistance needed. I bring both compassion and real-world experience to my clients’ cases at affordable rates. I will help you to navigate your way through the family court system when you choose not to (or cannot afford to) hire an attorney.”
Vanessa

Testimonials

I highly recommend Vanessa as your legal technician. She helped me with the difficult and unusual case of parentage/divorce. I needed to modify my 11-year-old divorce, and neither I nor the other party lives in WA state, which complicated things. Vanessa knew in detail the law regarding my case, advised me on how to proceed, and drafted and filed court forms for me. Vanessa’s deep understanding of family law and the court system, as well as her attention to detail, made my divorce modification accepted and approved by the court without any issues. Vanessa also helped serve the respondent party which was hard to find. Even the judge during the hearing was impressed by how we’ll Vanessa has prepared the case for the court. With her help, the WA court was able to modify the 11-year-old divorce order. I am grateful for Vanessa’s help! Without her, I would have spent thousands of dollars on a lawyer. – Grateful mother
Ridgway at all times provided excellent service, pointed out the best course of action and always made it clear that it was the client that leads the case.

Former client
I cannot speak highly enough of the exceptional service I received from Vanessa Ridgway. Navigating the complexities of divorce is never easy, but her professionalism, compassion, and unwavering attention to detail made an otherwise difficult experience far more manageable. From our very first interaction, she demonstrated not only a deep and thorough understanding of the legal process, but also a remarkable ability to approach sensitive matters with genuine empathy and care. Her knowledge of the law was evident in every document prepared and every step taken – executed with precision, accuracy, and integrity. What truly set her apart was the grace and kindness with which she handled my case. At no point did I feel like just another client; I felt heard, supported, and respected. It is rare to find someone who embodies both technical excellence and heartfelt compassion so completely. I am profoundly grateful for the guidance and expertise I received. I would not hesitate to recommend Vanessa Ridgway to anyone in need of trustworthy, competent, and compassionate legal support. – Grateful mother

Mother dealing with challenging divorce

I highly recommend Vanessa’s services to anyone in need of aid navigating court procedures. She is worth every penny.

Father served with Domestic Violence Protection Order and family law case with children
Vanessa is a very intelligent legal technician with a large amount of knowledge in the family court system. She did a much better job getting me results in my family law case than my previous family law attorney at a more affordable rate. I highly recommend Vanessa if you need a new parenting plan, help with modification in child support, assistance with the discovery process before trial, or preparation for trial.

Father modifying (changing) parenting plan
Going into my legal situation I felt overwhelmed and so unprepared for what I was facing. Ms. Ridgway was very professional and thorough with my case as well as empathetic. She put me at ease right away. She listened to my needs and was very organized. I was in a financial position to where I could not afford an attorney. Ms. Ridgway was referred to me. I am truly thankful for her services. She prepared me well for my court date. I would highly recommend Ms. Ridgway L.L.L.T. for anyone needing Legal family counsel.

Mother dealing with family law case
Working with you is awesome. You have been so helpful and easy to work with. I was going to pay an attorney $4,000 and that was just a retaining fee. Even though standing up for yourself against an attorney in court is not easy, I do not regret taking the path of using a LLLT. You educated me and gave me the tools to stand up and fight for my children.

Father in family law case
Vanessa Ridgway provides a service as an LLLT that has been of paramount importance to me during the ongoing civil court* proceedings I have been involved in during 2017. I was unable to afford a lawyer to represent me, and pro-bono representation was unavailable. Had it not been for Ridgway — who provided excellent, professional service at an affordable price based on my income — I would have had to navigate the confounding legal procedures on my own and filled out books of legal documents without a guide. That is no small task. (*I provide services in family law only per APR 28. Family law is one area of civil law.)

Former client
I am relieved. Thank you so much for sorting that out. You really went the extra mile for me and I appreciate it.

Former client