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We are very pleased to welcome two attorneys to our office. Theresa Lorella came to us from the law firm of Stella L. Pitts & Associates, while Nathan Cliber formerly worked at The Law Offices of Michael W. Bugni & Associates.

Theresa chose to come to Seattle Divorce Services because she shared our desire to reduce conflict in divorce while helping clients achieve the best possible outcome. Like us, she believes in the old saying “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”, meaning that you can achieve better results by treating people with respect than by attacking them. When you attack, the other side becomes less inclined to give you what you want, not more. At the same time, Theresa has a great deal of experience litigating difficult cases in court and is prepared to do so when it is called for.

Theresa sees her role as giving her clients a voice – making sure their concerns are heard and addressed. This involves spending the time to get to know her clients well, listening to their hopes and fears, and then working closely with her clients to develop creative solutions. Part of her focus is also keeping the children at the forefront, realizing that too often the parenting relationships that come out of divorces do not truly serve the best interests of the children. You can read more about Theresa on her profile.

Nathan sees himself as a client’s guide, advisor, and advocate helping them get from they are to where they want to be. In divorces, Nathan keeps an eye on the long term – it is not enough to reach a settlement, the settlement needs to be sustainable, it needs to as much as possible address the new life the client is venturing forth into. Nathan also works with families in their early stages, helping them make plans for a sustainable family unit. Nathan particularly enjoys working with people creating non-traditional family structures, where there may be less history, tradition, or social conventions to guide the way. Such work challenges both his creativity as well as his problem solving skills.

As Nathan says, “Change is hard. You don’t have to do it alone.” You can read more about Nathan on his profile.