Profile
A Director based in the firm’s Seattle office, Claire is licensed to practice in both Washington and California. Her primary practice consists of representing fiduciaries and beneficiaries in Washington State’s Title 11 rules and California State’s Probate Code, including trust and probate litigation, trust and probate administration and conservatorships. These actions involve complex questions surrounding competency, capacity, undue influence, fiduciary negligence, marital and quasi-marital property, and general family disputes over property and estate administration.
Claire develops personalized estate plans, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, status of property agreements and other end of life documents, for individuals and families. She optimizes estate plans for clients to avoid unnecessary state and federal estate taxes, heavy-handed guardianships, and expensive court involvement in estate administration.
In addition, Claire assists executors and trustees with a wide range of administrative issues arising from probate, guardianship, and trust proceedings, including complicated accountings and distribution plans. She has defended lay fiduciaries against breach of duty claims and mitigated provable damages.
She also has extensive experience defending professionals against malpractice claims in a variety of industries including financial and legal services.
Experience
Representative Matters
- Represented clients in guardianship and probate litigation proceedings including TEDRA actions, with some proceedings settling via out-of-court negotiations or mediation.
- Acted as registered Title 11 Guardian ad Litem in King County Superior Court with appointments on contested and uncontested guardianship and probate matters.
Affiliations
- Washington State Bar
- State Bar of California
- King County Bar Association
- Friends of Skyway Library, Board of Directors
- Bar Association of San Francisco, Trusts and Estates Section
Education
J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law
B.A., University of Washington