Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Though I was born in Spokane, Washington and presently reside in Clark County, Washington, I have spent a good portion of my life residing in the Portland-metropolitan area. As a result, one of my objectives as a lawyer has always been to represent people in both Oregon & Washington.

I enrolled at Gonzaga University School of Law in 1996. That summer following my first year at Gonzaga, I was elected as an associate editor for the Gonzaga Law Review. and was also hired as a legal intern for Columbia Legal Services. This is where my exposure and love for family law began. As a Rule 9 intern for Columbia Legal Services, I counseled and represented clients in the areas of divorce, custody, vidsitation, child / spousal support, and domestic violence. My article entitled, "Providing Equal Justice for the Domestic Violence Victim: Due Process and the Victim's Right to Counsel" would later be published in the Gonzaga Law Review. In 1999, I graduated from law school in the top 1/3 of my class and passed the Washington State Bar Exam. I subsequently passed the Oregon State Bar exam in 2004.

Following law school, I was an associate attorney for three years in a prominent, AV-rated law firm in Longview, Washington. There too my practice focused on family law. While practicing law in Longview, I was active in the legal community serving as a board member for the Cowlitz County CASA, Cowlitz-Wahkiakum County Legal Aid Program, and served as the vice president/president-elect for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum County Bar Association.

I am an active family law practitioner in Clark County, Washington as well as Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Columbia County, Oregon. I have represented clients and appeared in court on behalf of clients in other counties in both states. Prior to establishing my own firm, I practiced law in Portland for four years and represented both Oregon and Washington clients in high-asset divorce cases and other family law matters while employed by a Portland family law firm. In 2008, I co-founded Martin & Veley, P.C., with offices in downtown Portland, Oregon and Camas, Washington. In addition to providing a full-service family law practice, our firm also practices in the areas of real estate and construction law, collections, contracts, and general and business civil litigation.

Paula Lawrence has 19 years experience in criminal law. She is a former prosecutor and assistant attorney general. She specializes in all criminal cases and appeals.