Tuohy Minor Kruse PLLC - Everett, Washington

Satisfied C.

Melanie is THE lawyer you want. She saved me from a pretty big hole I dug myself by being in denial at my divorce was going to happen. She had brilliant strategies and never let me get sucked into the narrative by the other side. I ended up with a rather favorable settlement and it's 100% to Melanie's credit. She will not steer you wrong. Thank you, Melanie for all your hard work.

Ilene J.

I have worked with three of the attorneys (Melanie, Deane, and Tina) on a non parental custody case, an adoption case, estate planning, and settling an estate. This team is so professional, committed, and well-respected. It is so important to go into court with an attorney that the commissioners and judges know and trust. I’ve seen first hand the difference in how the court views your case with run of the mill counsel. I never imagined when we started working with them that their whole team would show up at court for our adoption trial. It shows personal and professional dedication that I believe is a rare commodity. I cannot recommend them enough.

Melissa G.

I had the pleasure of working with Renee as she assisted us in doing an adult adoption! I could have no asked for things to go more seamless and smooth, she communicated everything we need to do and helped us every step of the way. at the last minute the court changed it to a zoom meeting instead of an in court meeting and and she rearranged her office to fit us as a family along with our small granddaughter into her office so that my husband could finish adopting my daughter. she even sent me photos of the zoom court conference that I will always treasure, having them to remember our day! I will reach out again with any legal matters I need without hesitation!

Lee K. P.

SUMMARY

I found myself in the unenviable position of needing to hire the services of a family lawyer, and Renee DeFreece at Tuohy Minor Kruse was recommended to me by a friend. I got fantastic service from her and her support team. I would very highly recommend her.

SPECIFICS

My spouse had kicked me out of our house and would only allow me to have four hours per week with our two daughters in a "supervised" setting. This was not, strictly speaking, legal, but I was told it was not actionable without a "parenting plan" in place. Having been an at-home dad for nearly ten years, this was emotionally devastating to me. Renee handled my case with care and respect, and I got the parenting plan I asked for (primary custody of our girls).

RECOMMENDATIONS

I have a graduate-school education, which means I know enough to appreciate Renee's skill. First, she could identify and understand that I was in a lot of emotional pain, and I had only so much "bandwidth" to deal with things. I did not need to know the gory details, just what was relevant. This helped me a lot. Second, I have a little experience with written rhetoric and argumentation, and it is enough for me to see that Renee is very skilled with that. She took the information and documentation I provided her with and was able to identify the best approach. That meant she could edit the legal declaration I wrote to give it as much brevity and impact as possible within the parameters of the court filing, and identify the most important material to use (there are limits on how much you can submit in some cases).

Renee was clear that she was giving me the "driver's seat" if and when I wanted it. What I would recommend to anyone who hires her is to pay very close attention to her recommendations. She will do what you want regardless if she thinks it is in your best interest. I am confident I got the result I wanted precisely because I deferred to her expert advice, and I was humble enough not to think I might know better than her. I was able to see later why she recommended we proceed in certain ways, and it was crystal clear she knew what she was doing all along. I am so very glad I listened to her advice and followed it.

To have my girls restored to me means more than words can express.

CONCLUSION

I can't recommend Renee highly enough. Listen to her expert advice and do it.

Debbie S.

Renee made my divorce as easy and painless as possible. Much easier than I could imagine and she took the time to listen to my concerns and explained everything so I could understand but also professional enough that I fully trusted working with her. Renee took care of everything so I didn't have to. I would highly recommend using Renee.

Anna &. D. S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Renee DeFreece has been an invaluable source of support and guidance for our family over the past year. Her expertise and dedication in handling our complex family affairs have been nothing short of exceptional.

Renee's guidance has been instrumental for our family. Her proactive approach, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills made the entire process as smooth as possible. She genuinely cares about her clients' well-being and is always there to address any concerns or questions.

If you are in need of a lawyer who will go above and beyond to ensure the best outcome for your family, look no further than Renee DeFreece. We are incredibly fortunate to have had her on our side. Thank you, Renee, for your outstanding service!

Pat C.

I met Renee a few years back as I started my divorce. From the first minute I knew she was the right lawyer for me. She listened, was caring, compassionate, diligent, knowledgeable and I knew she would be a strong advocate for me. At times when I wanted to give up, she was there to support me and guide me through this difficult process. Quitting is not in her vocabulary and Renee made sure that my outcome was fair and equitable. When I used Renee to set up my Will, I received her great attention to detail to ensure my financial planning was complete. Renee was always there for me with my best interest a priority.

Kayti C.

We hired Renee to represent us in a parenting plan case and there was a lot involved ex with this case - a lot to digest. We had a special needs child, a 50/50 verbal custody arrangement and a parent who was gone for about seven months and then couch surfing when time for parenting came. That is a very summed up version. Renne was great in person. Easy to talk to, listened, friendly. We had pages and pages of decorations from caregivers, school representative, information on his special needs etc. when it came time for our first time to appear before the judge, Renee was late - she rushed in at the last minute and was chaotically thumbing through papers before we were called up. She started saying things to the judge that were ... Just flat out not true. It was like she was trying to remember things she read but she put so little effort in she was flat out lying (in a way that wasn't even in our favor) to the judge. The judge was berating us for pulling my stepson out of school and moving schools to where we lived (there were multiple reasons we had to do this - his school was an hour away from us where no one loved except his mother who was gone for the next eight months, his school did not have the special needs program to assist and they were sending him home a few times a week because they didn't know what to do with him, etc) and she did nothing to explain or defend this decision while the judge made it out to be a decision to make it easier on us for convenience when that was not the case at all. Afterwards she blamed it on Skagit judges not liking her because she was from Snohomish county. Fast forward she reccomends a guardian ad litem for our case who doesn't respond to any of our emails, calls and who was not ever in office (as in doors locked can't even enter) but she had no problem receiving our retainer check. I can't speak to the other attorneys in this office but Renee was honestly terrible. We spent thousands of dollars to feel like she didn't even read anything we submitted or take any notes or put any effort in. I actually put off leaving a review for a long time but she just sent us a notice withdrawing as our attorney (although she hasn't spoken to us in literal years) which reminded me. Luckily, mom has since gotten her ducks in a row and now everything is going great but it reminded me to share this info.