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Address
820 "A" Street, Suite 600, P.O. Box 1533
Tacoma, Washington 98401-1533 (Pierce Co.)
Phone
253-627-8131; Toll Free: 1-888-423-4083
Average Client Review Rating
Rating not available
Average Peer Review Rating
4.5
out of 5
 Accepts Credit Cards (Main Office) For over 70 years, the firm has provided a wide range of legal services throughout Western Washington. It emphasizes the prevention of legal problems by anticipating potential disputes and moving quickly to avoid or resolve them. The firm's dedication to its clients, the profession and the community is demonstrated by its attorneys' active participation in professional associations and local civic affairs. Statement of PracticeGeneral Civil and Appellate Litigation, Business Law, Business Planning and Formation, Business Litigation, Buying and Selling of Businesses, Closely Held Business Law, Family Business Law, Joint Ventures, Limited Liability Company Law, Partnership Law, Small Business Law, Strategic Alliances, Corporation Law, Software Licensing, Mergers and Acquisitions, Bankruptcy, Commercial Bankruptcy, Foreclosures, Construction Law, Construction Accidents, Construction Defects, Mechanics Liens, Negligence, Environmental Law, Elder Law, Trusts and Estates, Probate, Estate Planning, Estate Litigation, Asset Protection, Charitable Giving, Guardianship and Conservatorship, Family Law, Adoptions, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce, Domestic Relations, Domestic Violence, Premarital Agreements, Spousal Support, Visitation Rights, Labor and Employment, Americans with Disabilities Act, Discrimination, Family and Medical Leave Act, Sexual Harassment, Wrongful Termination, Contracts, Breach of Contract, Employment Contracts, Personnel Policies, Employee Benefits, ERISA, Pension and Profit Sharing Plans, Insurance Law, Insurance Defense, Automobile Insurance, Commercial Insurance, Insurance Bad Faith, Life and Health Insurance, Property Insurance, Taxation, Estate and Gift Taxation, Income Tax, IRS Audits, Property Tax, Tax Planning, Antitrust, Securities, Admiralty Law, Real Estate, Condominium Law, Home Owners Association Law, Commercial Real Estate, Residential Real Estate, Landlord and Tenant Law, Mortgages, Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents and Injuries, Dog Bites, Railroad Accidents, Sexual Abuse, Slip and Fall, Wrongful Death, Products Liability, Automotive Products Liability, Drug and Medical Device Litigation, Medical Malpractice, Lemon Law, Warranty Law, Zoning, Planning and Land Use. Year Established: 1920
Firm Size: 11
Representative Clients:Cablecraft, Inc.
Sound Credit Union
Swanson-McGoldrick, Inc. (Realtor)
Brandrud Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Tacoma Cemeteries and Funeral Home
Tacoma Moving & Storage
Narrows Marina
Columbia Sheet Metal, Inc. of Wa.
Gilchrist Buick, Inc.
Gilchrist Chevrolet, Inc.
Cheney Capital Investments, Inc.
Puglia Engineering, Inc.
Gensco
The Franke Tobey Jones Home
Minterbrook Oyster Co.
Johnson-Postman
Associated Petroleum Products, Inc.
Dimmer Foundation
Russell Foundation
Hogan Enterprises
Bennett Industries, Inc.
NW Investment Properties, Inc.
Merit Company
Dreamcraft Homes
Cornforth-Campbell Motors, Inc.
Grenley-Stewart Resources, Inc.
ID Micro, Inc.
The Humane Society for Tacoma-Pierce County
The Threshold Group, LLC (Wealth Management)
Stellar Industrial Supply.
References:Bank of America
Key Bank of Washington
Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc.
Smith Barney.
Rate InformationFixed Hourly Rates
Fixed Fees Available
Accepts Major Credit Cards
Address820 "A" Street, Suite 600 P.O. Box 1533
Tacoma, WA 98401-1533, (Pierce Co.)
PhonePhone: 253-627-8131; Toll Free: 1-888-423-4083
Facsimile: 253-272-4338
Website
http://www.bvmm.com
Office HoursMonday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Tuesday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Wednesday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Thursday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Friday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
James H. Morton (Managing Partner) born St. Charles, Illinois, October 6, 1942; admitted to bar, 1968, Washington. Education: University of Oregon (B.S., 1964; J.D., 1967). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Corporations Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Commercial Real Estate Law; Estate Planning.Email: James H. Morton
David McGoldrick (Shareholder) born Tacoma, Washington, January 3, 1943; admitted to bar, 1968, Washington. Education: Washington State University (B.A., 1965); University of Washington (J.D., 1968). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Omicron Delta Kappa; Phi Eta Sigma; Phi Alpha Delta. Member and Former President of Tacoma Estate Planning Council. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Corporate; Partnership; Limited Liability Company Law; Estate Planning Law; Business Successions; Probate Law; Commercial Litigation; Probate Litigation.Email: David McGoldrick
Charles F. Schmit, Jr. (Shareholder) born Plainfield, New Jersey, September 6, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Pennsylvania and U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 1977, Washington. Education: Grove City College (B.A., cum laude, 1970); Dickinson School of Law (J.D., 1973). Omicron Delta Kappa; Pi Gamma Mu. Author: "Mortgage Foreclosures," Washington Practice Series, 1988; "Government Funding of Defense Investigations," The Advocate, published by Army Defense Appellate Division, Vol. 10, No. 2, March-April, 1978. Speaker: Family Law Topics, Seattle-King County and Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Associations. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. [Lt. Col., JAGC, U.S. Army Reserves, Retired]. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Real Estate Law; Domestic Relations Law; Personal Injury Litigation.Email: Charles F. Schmit, Jr.
James V. Handmacher (Shareholder) born Dayton, Ohio, July 30, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Washington; 1979, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: Centre College of Kentucky and The Ohio State University (B.A., 1974); University of Michigan (J.D., 1978). Member, Trial Practice Section, Environmental Law Section, Board of Governors, 1993-1995 and Treasurer, 1994-1995, Washington State Bar Association. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County and American Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Federal Signal vs. Safety Factors, 125 Wn 2d 413, 886 P 2d 172 (1994); In Re Estate of Davidson, 37 Wn App 886, 683 P 2d 620 (1984). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Land Use Law; Real Estate Law; Environmental Law.Email: James V. Handmacher
Kathleen Ebert Pierce (Shareholder) born Tacoma, Washington, November 13, 1956; admitted to bar, 1982, Washington and U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; 1991, U.S. Supreme Court; 1999, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington. Education: University of Puget Sound (B.A., summa cum laude, 1979); University of Washington (J.D., with honors, 1982). Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Alpha Delta. Professor of Legal Writing, University of Puget Sound, 1986-1987. Author: Purchase Options," Washington Practice Series, 1988. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Commercial Litigation; Employment Law.Email: Kathleen Ebert Pierce
Marc H. Cochran (Shareholder) born Tacoma, Washington, September 24, 1953; admitted to bar, 1979, Washington and U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; 1982, U.S. Tax Court. Education: University of Washington (B.A., 1976); University of Santa Clara (J.D., 1979); Boston University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1982). Research Editor, Santa Clara Law Review, Vol. 19, 1978-1979. Author: "Close Corporation Securities Qualification: A Call for an Extension of Prior Intent," 19 Santa Clara Law Review 147 (1979); "The Underwriter and Attorney Estate Planning Team," July/August 1990 Puget Sound Life Underwriters Journal 23. Instructor of Federal Estate and Gift Taxation and Federal Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates, Pierce College, 1986-1995. Practice Areas: Tax Law; Estate Planning Law; Pension and Profit Sharing Law; Corporations Law; Securities Law.Email: Marc H. Cochran
Mark E. Holcomb (Shareholder) born Gary, Indiana, March 19, 1962; admitted to bar, 1988, Washington and U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. Education: Wabash College (B.A., 1984); Indiana University (J.D., 1987). Member, National Moot Court Trial Competition Team. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Property Law; Corporate Law; Land Use Law; General Business; Limited Liability Company Law.Email: Mark E. Holcomb
Christopher Allen (Shareholder) born Wilmington, Delaware, March 23, 1964; admitted to bar, 1991, Washington. Education: Bowdoin College (A.B., 1986); Willamette University (J.D., 1991). Law Clerk, Hon. John Rossmeissl, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Washington, 1990. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Creditors' Rights; Bankruptcy; Business Transactions.Email: Christopher Allen
Robert E. Critchfield (Shareholder) born 1970; admitted to bar, 1997, Idaho; 1999, Washington. Education: Brigham Young University (B.S., Business Management, 1994); University of Iowa (J.D., 1997); University of Florida (LL.M., Taxation, 1998). Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Business Succession Planning; Estate and Trust Administration; Charitable Giving; Non-Profit Organizations.
Jonete Waters Rehmke (Shareholder) born Vancouver, Washington, September 25, 1950; admitted to bar, 1999, Washington; 2004, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. Education: University of Washington (B.A., 1981); Seattle University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1998). Moot Court Board. Member, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, 1999-2003. Formerly with: Law Offices of Barry M. Meyers, P.S., Bellingham, WA; Graham Lundberg & Peschel, P.S., Seattle, WA. Board Member, Widows Information and Consultation Services. Member, Alzheimer Society of Washington. Member, Health Care Providers Council of Pierce County. Advisory Board, Pierce County Human Services Aging and Long Term Care. Member: Tacoma Estate Planning Council. Practice Areas: Elder Law; Medicaid Planning; Estate Planning; Probate; Guardianship; Elder Abuse; Disabilities.Email: Jonete Waters Rehmke
OF COUNSELKenneth Fielding (Of Counsel) born Chicago, Illinois, February 18, 1948; admitted to bar, 1973, Washington; 1974, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; 1977, U.S. Tax Court; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of Washington (B.A., cum laude, 1970; J.D., with honors, 1973). Order of the Coif. Author: "Compulsory Psychiatric Examination in Civil Commitment and the Privilege Against Self-Incrimination," Gonzaga Law Review, 1974. Hearing Officer, Washington State Bar Association, 2002-2003. Member: Tacoma-Pierce County and American Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Safeco vs. Butler, 118 Wn. 2d 383, 823 P2d 499 (1992). Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Personal Injury Litigation; Commercial Litigation.Email: Kenneth Fielding
James A. Cathcart (Retired Partner) born Altadena, California, September 28, 1943; admitted to bar, 1973, Washington; 1981, Court of Military Appeals; U.S. Supreme Court; 1995, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. Education: Oregon State University (B.S., 1966); University of Washington (J.D., 1973). Order of the Coif. Former Chief Defense Counsel, USMC. [USMC, 1966-1993; Colonel USMC (Ret.)]. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; General Litigation; Family Law; Military Law.Email: James A. Cathcart
All Members and Associates are members of the Washington State Bar Association.
Ratings Methodology
The following firm members have been rated by their peersDisclaimer: No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. The testimonial or endorsement does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. Any result that the endorsed lawyer or law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate that similar results can be obtained for other clients. Past success cannot be an assurance of future success because each case must be decided on its own merits. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Martindale-Hubbell® does not undertake to develop a Client Review Rating or Peer Review Rating for all firms and/or lawyers. Therefore, the fact that a firm or lawyer has not been reviewed should not be construed as unfavorable. Martindale-Hubbell accepts no responsibility for and will not be liable for the content and accuracy of the individual Reviews and the aggregated Reviews.
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