Our Practice
Edwards, Sieh, Smith & Goodfriend, P.S. was founded in 1969 by our retired partner Malcolm L. Edwards, widely recognized as the "dean" of appellate practice in Washington state. The firm remains best known for appellate litigation, and its members are actively involved in the development of appeals as a recognized area of practice in the state.
Our Appellate Practice
Shareholders Catherine Smith and Howard Goodfriend restrict their practices to civil appeals and related trial court litigation, in which they are assisted by associate Valerie Villacin.
We usually have appeals pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Washington Supreme Court, and all three Divisions of the Washington Court of Appeals. Our appellate cases cover a wide range of practice areas, and we have contributed to the advancement and development of the law in many areas. The scores of published decisions in which we have appeared as counsel of record reflect the breadth of our appellate practice.
Our appellate clients are generally referred to us by other lawyers for a single appeal or lawsuit. We make it a point to limit our representation to the specific matter for which these clients are referred. As a result, although many trial attorneys and institutional clients refer their appellate work to us, the firm has no major clients who provide us with a significant percentage of our appellate practice.
Our Commercial Practice
Our transactional and litigation practice focuses on commercial and real estate matters. Shareholder Robert Sieh ably and efficiently represents a variety of corporations, real estate partnerships, limited liability companies and individuals, many of whom he has served for over 20 years.
We often represent partners, shareholders, corporate officers and others who need independent counsel due to potential conflicts of interest, such as agreements or disputes with other partners or shareholders, or transactions with the entity.
Our Domestic Relations Practice
Our most recently added shareholder Carl Edwards, assisted by associate Valerie Villacin, is widely regarded for his thoughtful and effective representation of individuals in domestic relations litigation. Their practice complements and enhances that of Ms. Smith, who has developed a state-wide reputation handling "cutting edge" family law appeals.
Our Billing Practices
Although we generally bill on an hourly basis, we are open to flat fee proposals. We are also open to contingent fees and a combined partial hourly/partial contingent fee. We provide detailed monthly billing statements to all clients identifying the legal matter handled, the attorney or paralegal who rendered the services, the date the services were performed, the amount of time billed, a description of the services rendered, itemized expenses, and a total of the fees and expenses.