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Can both my spouse and I really use the same lawyer?

 

Yes, you have the right to share a lawyer. Most people are surprised to learn this because it's so different from what they've seen on television or heard from friends who went through traditional divorce. One Lawyer is built entirely on this premise — one attorney, both of you, at the same time. It requires a signed waiver acknowledging the arrangement, which we handle at the outset. Melissa has been doing this work successfully in Washington State since 2004.

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What about same-sex couples or unmarried partners with shared property?

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We are a welcoming law firm and are happy to help folks with all kinds of different circumstances. Married people are married; gender does not change that. Yes, we provide One Lawyer family law services for both (or all) parties, whether they are married or not. We can handle almost any family law issue. Those can be property issues, child-related issues, or both.

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What about domestic violence or power imbalances?

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Most couples have power imbalances, to one extent or another. In extreme cases, we can't do One Lawyer. Most of the time, Melissa works with both parties to openly name, acknowledge, and mitigate the effects of power imbalances. Domestic violence in family law cases can be a spectrum of circumstances and must be evaluated, case by case. It is unusual for people with these issues to participate in One Lawyer, but we've successfully handled divorces in which such allegations arose. If safety is a concern, please call the Washington State DV hotline at 1-800-562-6025 before reaching out to us.

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Isn't that a conflict of interest?

 

It would be if Melissa were representing one of you against the other. That's not happening. Melissa represents both of you by helping you reach the best possible agreement you can both live with, an agreement that helps each of you move forward. She never communicates with either of you separately, never advocates for one side, and never files anything in court that both of you haven't already reviewed and agreed to. That's not a conflict. That's the whole design.

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How much does One Lawyer cost compared to traditional divorce?

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The initial consultation is $900 for two hours with both of you together. If you decide to proceed, the flat fee for full One Lawyer representation is $5,000 to $12,000, which covers up to one year of legal work, all document preparation, and everything needed to finalize your divorce by agreement. By comparison, a traditional two-attorney divorce in Washington State typically costs each party $7,000 to $15,000 for a standard litigation case, and far more if it goes to trial. One Lawyer covers both of you for what one attorney in an ordinary case would charge for only one person.

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Why shouldn't we just do our own divorce paperwork, especially if we agree?

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You don't know what you don't know — and in divorce, what you don't know can follow you for decades. Washington's DIY divorce forms are better than they used to be, but they're still complicated, easy to misread, and can't flag the issues your situation raises that the forms don't cover. Retirement accounts can be divided incorrectly. Property agreements suddenly create problems five years later. Parenting plans fail due to problems that could have been avoided. One Lawyer includes both practical and legal advice. A two-hour consultation with both of you is often all it takes to understand exactly what you're dealing with.

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How long does a One Lawyer divorce take?

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Most cases resolve in four to seven months (the law requires a 90-day waiting period after we've signed all the documents). The timeline depends largely on how quickly both of you can gather financial documentation and make decisions together. There is no opposing counsel creating delays, no discovery battles, no scheduling conflicts between two law offices. When both parties are engaged and honest, this process moves at the speed of cooperation rather than the frequently delayed pace of litigation.

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Do we have to agree on everything before we call you?

 

No. You don't have to arrive with a settlement in hand. You can come in knowing only two things: that you want a divorce, and that you'd rather not destroy each other in the process. Part of what the $900 consultation does is help you both understand what the law says, what your practical options are, and what a fair resolution might look like. You'll leave that meeting knowing far more than you came in with. You decide whether further One Lawyer services are right for you.

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What if we don't get along very well right now?

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You don't have to like each other. You don't have to be friendly. You do have to be able to participate in the same video chat meeting and behave responsibly, even when it's uncomfortable. This is a lot better than spending the next year in litigation. What One Lawyer cannot work with is active dishonesty, like hiding assets, lying about income, or using financial information as a weapon. Basic civil behavior and basic financial honesty are the two requirements. Everything else we can work with.

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What is The Judge Rule?

 

The Judge Rule is Melissa's term for the transparency protocol that makes One Lawyer possible. Every single communication to or from this office about the issues in your case must include both of you at the same time. This means every email, every phone call, and every meeting. No separate conversations. No private advice to one party. No exceptions. If something accidentally comes in from just one of you, we copy the other immediately. This rule protects both of you equally and is the foundation of everything that makes this process trustworthy. One practical note: if you agree, either of you can call to schedule a meeting with Melissa for both of you. That's fine.

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Will this hold up in court?

 

Yes, completely. Every agreement reached through One Lawyer is filed with the court and signed by a judge, just like any divorce. By the time documents reach the court, both of you have already agreed to everything in them, which also means there is nothing to appeal. Agreed orders are final in a way that contested rulings simply are not. Melissa has practiced family law since 1990, substituted as a judicial officer, and represented a case before the Washington State Supreme Court. She does not prepare orders she would not sign as a judge, meaning every agreement meets the standard a court would actually approve.

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What happens to our private information?

 

One Lawyer keeps your divorce out of public court records to the maximum extent possible. In a traditional contested divorce, financial details, parenting disputes, and personal history become part of a public file that anyone can access. In One Lawyer, the details of your situation stay between the three of us; the public record shows only what is legally required for filing. This matters especially for people with professional reputations, family businesses, or children who may someday search for their parents' names in court records.

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We have children. Is One Lawyer still appropriate?

 

One Lawyer is particularly well-suited for families with children. The research on what children absorb during high-conflict divorces is sobering — the damage is real and lasting. One Lawyer removes the environment of conflict, the warring attorneys, the uncertainty, and the public battle. Kids are tuning forks; they sense when their parents are at war. They sense when they aren't, too. One Lawyer cannot make divorce painless for children, but it can make it something they eventually recover from rather than something they carry forever.

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Can you handle our divorce if we don't live near Olympia?

 

Yes. Melissa works over video and email for the entire process — consultations, meetings, document review, everything. As long as your divorce can be filed in Washington State, geography is not an obstacle. At least one party has to be a resident of Washington or a military member living here. This is called jurisdiction, and we'll help you figure it out.

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What if one of us changes our mind partway through?

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It happens, and it doesn't have to end the process. Sometimes one person gets scared, or angry, or feels the agreement isn't fair — and that's exactly what the meetings are for. Melissa works through those moments directly with both of you. What cannot continue is if one party becomes actively deceptive or decides they want a fight rather than a resolution. At that point, One Lawyer ends, and both of you would need to seek separate representation. That outcome is rare, but it does happen, and Melissa will tell you clearly when she sees it coming.

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Is One Lawyer the same as mediation or collaborative divorce?

 

No, and the differences matter. In mediation, a neutral third party helps you negotiate but gives no legal advice and prepares no documents — you typically still need separate attorneys to review and finalize the agreement. In collaborative divorce, each party has their own attorney plus (sometimes) a team of financial and mental health professionals, which means multiple professionals and multiple bills. In One Lawyer, Melissa is your attorney for both of you, providing full legal advice, preparing all documents, and guiding the entire process. One flat fee. One professional. Full legal representation for both of you.

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Why haven't I heard of this before?

 

Melissa created One Lawyer in 2004 and has continuously refined it since then. It is genuinely unusual. It is not yet taught in law school and is often misunderstood by the legal establishment, partly because lawyers tend to be very conservative about new ways to offer services. If you're hearing about it for the first time, that's not because it's unproven; it is just new news to many people. One Lawyer has been successful for over 20 years. Numerous judges at all state court levels have expressed enthusiasm about One Lawyer. Melissa is writing a book about One Lawyer to make this option more widely known and available to people everywhere. It is your right to share a lawyer and do things by agreement.

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How do I know if we qualify?

 

Call or send us a message. We will be happy to have a brief conversation before you commit to a consultation. The main questions are whether both of you are willing to participate and whether there is enough basic trust between you to share financial information honestly. If you're not sure whether you qualify, that uncertainty itself is worth a conversation.

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