360-357-8669
2401 Bristol Ct. SW, #A-101
Olympia, Washington 98502
Lawyers To Help You
Melissa Denton, founding partner and senior lawyer at Ascher & Denton.
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I started practicing family law in Thurston County in 1990.
I focus on helping people who want to resolve their cases with minimal ugly and expensive court action. While the courts are essential and necessary when people can't agree, it is much wiser to handle personal family issues privately and with minimal expense when acceptable agreements can be reached.
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This is why I created the One Lawyer process in 2004. Mentoring and helping families with One Lawyer are my main practice areas now, and I am writing a book about One Lawyer to share with the world.
One Lawyer
Since 2004, I've pioneered a new way of practicing law called One Lawyer. Please be sure to check out the description of One Lawyer on our website. It works wonderfully when both sides have the trust and respect necessary to work together for an agreed-upon—no court needed—resolution.
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​Famous Case
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I've learned a great deal from helping clients through these many years. A case that is familiar to every Washington family lawyer was hard work for me. I represented a client at the very start of the case through the ten-day divorce trial (a rare thing, I assure you), two appellate court cases, and up through the Supreme Court of Washington. This case is called Rideout v. Rideout 150 Wn.2d 337, 359, 77 P.3d 1174 (2003). The many wonderful clients I have worked for since 1990 have enriched my perspective and have given me many experiences to draw on in practicing family law.
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Personal Background
Beginning in 1980, I studied and practiced karate while earning my bachelor's degree in history with a minor in psychology. I earned my black belt right before starting law school in 1985. It helped.
It also helped that I was fortunate to study at Oxford University, England, for a summer in undergraduate school and a summer in law school. It made the law less intimidating.
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Melissa Denton's Credentials
In 1989, I was admitted to the Washington State Bar and the US Federal District Court for Western Washington. I'm active in the Thurston County Bar Association and the state and local bar's family law sections.
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Law Schools: I finished my last year of law school (doubling student loans from all of my former education) at Seattle University School of Law, which was then called UPS Law School in Tacoma. Transferring those Washington credits to my former school, I was awarded a Juris Doctorate Degree from The University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1988. Part of my law degree coursework was earned at The Queen's College, University of Oxford in England.
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Other activities: I've run for public office twice and served in leadership and supporting roles in my church and several local non-profit organizations. Travel has been a big part of life, especially to see family in Oklahoma and Malaysia and I have a wonderful son and delightful people to work with.
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Waeni's Credentials
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Waeni's first name is pronounced "​Wah-ee-nee." Her legal name is Winfred Waeni Mutisya Bacon, as it is shown on the Washington State Bar Association Website. Waeni fluently speaks and understands both of Kenya's official languages, English and Swahili.
Waeni began her legal education in 2002, completing her Bachelor of Laws and beginning work with a Kenyan law firm in 2007. She worked at that firm for nine years until 2016. During this time, she earned her postgraduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law (2011). She was then admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. Waeni earned her Master's in Business Administration (2013) at the United States International University.
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Waeni's family lives in Seattle, Washington, so she decided her future was in the United States and came here to earn her LLM Master's in Law (the next degree higher than a Juris Doctorate), which she completed in 2017. Waeni is also a board member for Path from Poverty, a nonprofit organization based in Seattle, and she serves on the board of the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center.
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Waeni's Background with Ascher & Denton and with Family Law
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Waeni became a member of the Washington State Bar Association in September 2019. Because she has a passion for family law, Waeni was looking for work in a family law firm. At the same time, we wanted to hire an associate attorney. Fortunately, we found each other, and Waeni has been helping families in Thurston County since May 2020. She married and has had two young children since then, all while becoming an excellent family law attorney.
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Waeni does terrific work helping families in Thurston County. She is glad to be in our legal community. She enjoys the intellectual and multi-faceted challenges of improving the lives of our clients as they navigate the challenges of family law issues. Waeni is very successful at settling cases and litigating when needed, including handling trials and other advanced family law skills.
Waeni Bacon, Senior Associate Attorney
Sehwa Shim, Rule 9 Intern
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Sehwa (pronounced Say—wah) speaks Korean with her family in Southern California, where she grew up. After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law, she came to work with Ascher & Denton in September 2024. Sehwa came to us after internships in disability law and education law, and she has already mastered many skills after shadowing Waeni and Melissa and receiving extensive training in legal assistant duties from Mo.
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Sehwa is a Washington State Rule 9 Licensed Legal Intern (which is how Melissa started) and is authorized to advise and represent clients under the supervision of Waeni.
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Sehwa's rapid professional growth is a testament to her dedication and aptitude. She has demonstrated:
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A level-headed approach to complex legal matters
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Compassionate emotional intelligence in client interactions
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The ability to navigate challenging cases with poise
Sehwa's fresh perspective and diligent work ethic benefit clients. Her excellent training and instincts and constant access to mentoring from Melissa and Waeni ensure that clients receive the highest-quality legal representation.
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James Ascher, Former Partner
Jim Ascher and Melissa Denton joined their previously separate law firms in 1995. At the first business meeting, Jim made a solemn announcement: "We have good news and we have bad news."
Melissa asked for the good news. He pronounced "The good news is - we qualify for food stamps."
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Fortunately, Jim was kidding and the law practice flourished and was fun to be together in until Jim retired in 2014. We remained close friends and spoke at least weekly until Jim passed away in July of 2019.
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As a law firm, we will always be grateful for Jim's wisdom and friendship. Jim was a gentleman and a scholar, and this law firm continues to bear his name because he was wonderful and - as he would hasten to add - because his name starts with an "A."
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Non-Lawyer Staff
Mo Alberda, Legal Assistant
Mo began working with Ascher & Denton in August of 2022. She has a bachelor's degree and a Masters of Science in Legal Studies. Mo previously worked for Nike Corporate in her beloved Oregon. A big sports fan, Mo is the member of our team with the most superpowers of emotional intelligence and leadership in acknowledging and celebrating successes.
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Deborah Cushman, Bookkeeping
Deborah worked for Ascher & Denton for a few years until she opened her legal bookkeeping business. Now, she is an independent contractor, helping us keep the books perfectly straight—which is the only way they should be in this business. Although Deb is also a lawyer and sometimes has done legal work with Ascher & Denton, her work as a bookkeeper is not performed in the capacity of a lawyer but as a bookkeeper.
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We mention Deborah because we want you to know that we adhere to the highest standards of professionalism in handling money and the business responsibilities of this law firm. You matter to us, and doing the right thing the right way matters to us.
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