Washington State · Child Custody & Support
Child Custody and Support Lawyers in Washington State
View Ridge Law represents parents in child custody and child support disputes from our Seattle office, serving families across King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. Whether you are fighting over where your child lives, who makes the big decisions, or what the support number should be, our team works to protect your relationship with your child and get the dispute resolved.
Custody and support are two halves of the same fight
If you are searching for a child custody lawyer in Washington State, here is exactly what we do and how we do it. Washington handles these issues differently than most people expect. There is no standalone “custody order” here. Custody formally lives inside the parenting plan, the court document that sets your child’s residential schedule and divides decision-making authority between parents. Child support is calculated separately, using the state’s support schedule, which starts from both parents’ incomes and adjusts from there.
In practice, the two are tangled together. The residential schedule affects the support calculation. A parent pushing for more overnights is often also pushing to change the support number. That is why View Ridge Law handles custody and child support together rather than treating them as separate cases. One team, one strategy, both issues.
This page is about the dispute itself: contested custody, contested support, and modifications when circumstances change.
Parenting plans
If your question is about drafting or revising the parenting plan document, start with our parenting plans page.
Family law services
Both matters sit within our broader family law services in Seattle.
Our attorney team
You can meet the full team on our attorney team page.
How we handle custody and support disputes
Every custody dispute at View Ridge Law starts with a Case Evaluation. A Client Services Director reviews your situation, explains how our legal team works, and if you decide to move forward, coordinates a meeting with an attorney. From there, the work is structured:
We establish the facts that matter. Washington courts decide residential schedules based on the child’s best interests. That standard turns on specifics: who has handled the day-to-day parenting, the stability of each home, each parent’s ability to cooperate, and any history of neglect, abuse, or substance issues. We build your case around the factors the court actually weighs, not the grievances that feel loudest.
We run the support numbers correctly. Washington’s child support schedule is a formula, but the inputs are contested constantly: real income versus claimed income, imputed income for a parent who is underemployed, daycare and medical costs, and deviations for high earners or shared schedules. As a child support attorney in Washington will tell you, most support fights are really fights about the inputs. We document them.
We pursue resolution before trial, and prepare for trial anyway. Many Washington custody disputes settle through negotiation or mediation, which is usually faster and easier on the child. But settlements come out better when the other side knows you are prepared to litigate. We prepare every case as if it is going in front of a judge.
We handle modifications. A custody modification or support adjustment is available when circumstances have substantially changed since the original order. Washington sets a real legal threshold for modifying a residential schedule, and support adjustments follow their own rules. We tell you honestly whether your situation clears the bar before you spend money on a petition.
Why Seattle parents choose View Ridge Law
View Ridge Law was founded in 2014 by Mackenzie Sorich and has grown to a team of 13 attorneys serving King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties.
A 4.5 star average from clients
Clients have left 179 Google reviews with a 4.5 star average.
A team of 13 attorneys
Founded in 2014 by Mackenzie Sorich, View Ridge Law has grown to a team of 13 attorneys. Meet the full team on our attorney team page.
King, Snohomish & Pierce Counties
Serving families across King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties from our Seattle office.
One credential matters more than the rest for custody cases. Our founder served as a Title 26 Guardian ad Litem in King and Snohomish Counties. A Guardian ad Litem is the person the court appoints to investigate a custody dispute and report on the child’s best interests. She sat in that seat, in these counties, in exactly these disputes. That means View Ridge Law knows how custody evaluations are actually conducted and read, and prepares clients accordingly.
Recognized for our work
Seattle Times, Expertise.com & Avvo recognition
The firm’s recognition includes Seattle Times Best in the PNW 2024/2025, Expertise.com Best Divorce Lawyers in Seattle, and Avvo.
About Elena M. Trebaol
Elena M. Trebaol
Senior Associate Attorney, View Ridge Law
Custody work is personal for Elena M. Trebaol, Senior Associate Attorney. She came to the law after a career in health care, earned her J.D. at Seattle University School of Law, and trained in the Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic representing parents in dependency cases — the hardest corner of Washington custody law. She has first-hand experience with the difficult, confusing, and emotionally draining proceedings that involve the care and custody of children.
Elena is passionate about keeping parents involved in their children’s lives after the dust of litigation has settled. She is a dedicated advocate for victims of domestic violence and for unmarried fathers — the clients who often face the steepest uphill battles to a happy resolution in custody cases.
Credentials: Senior Associate Attorney · J.D., Seattle University School of Law · Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic, dependency cases · Advocate for domestic violence survivors and unmarried fathers · Read Elena’s full bio →
Child custody and support questions we hear from Washington parents
How is child custody decided in Washington State?
Washington courts decide custody through a parenting plan based on the child’s best interests, weighing factors like each parent’s relationship with the child, past parenting performance, and each home’s stability. There is no automatic preference for mothers or fathers. The plan sets the residential schedule and allocates decision-making for schooling, health care, and religion.
Can I get a custody modification in Washington if my ex moves or circumstances change?
Yes, but only if you can show a substantial change in circumstances since the current order, and Washington courts apply that threshold strictly for changes to the residential schedule. A parent’s relocation, a significant change in the child’s needs, or an unsafe home environment can qualify. Minor adjustments face a lower bar than a full change of the child’s primary home.
How is child support calculated in Washington State?
Washington calculates child support using the state’s economic table, which starts from both parents’ combined net income and the number and ages of the children. Courts then add proportionate shares of daycare, medical, and education costs, and can deviate up or down for reasons like a shared residential schedule or a very high combined income.
What is a residential schedule in a Washington parenting plan?
The residential schedule is the part of the parenting plan that says where the child lives on which days, including school nights, weekends, holidays, and summer. It is what most people mean when they say custody. If you need that document drafted or revised, our parenting plans page covers it in detail.
Do I need a lawyer for a custody dispute in Seattle if we are going to mediation?
You are not required to have a lawyer in mediation, but going in without one means negotiating a binding parenting plan without knowing what a King County court would likely order. An attorney tells you which points are worth fighting for, checks the support math, and makes sure the agreement is written so it holds up later. Most parents get one mediation. It pays to get it right.
Talk to a Seattle custody and support team today
If you are in a custody or child support dispute anywhere in King, Snohomish, or Pierce County, do not wait until the other side has framed the story. Call 206-966-4020 or fill out our form to schedule a Case Evaluation. A Client Services Director will review your legal needs, share information about our legal team, and coordinate a meeting with an attorney if you decide to move forward.
View Ridge Law
3418 NE 65th St, Suite A
Seattle, WA 98115
Phone: 206-966-4020
By appointment.
