Terry Law Firm

PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE AND PROTECT YOUR LEGACY

Call Us Today WA: (253) 299-6800 UT: (435) 922-7100

Personal Injury, Estate Planning, and Probate Attorney in Lakewood, Washington

When Lakewood, Washington residents need a lawyer who can fight for fair compensation after an injury, draft an estate plan that actually works, or guide a grieving family through probate, they turn to Terry Law Firm, P.S. From our Main Street office in Sumner – just 21 miles southwest of Lakewood – attorney Scott J. Terry delivers more than 35 years of courtroom experience, plain-English advice, and the kind of personal attention big-box law firms cannot match. 

Call (253) 299-6800 today for a free 30-minute consultation with a Lakewood attorney who will treat your family the way we would treat our own. 

Why Lakewood Residents Choose Terry Law Firm

Lakewood is a proud military-heavy community, anchored by its proximity to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. JBLM service members, veterans, and their families have unique estate planning needs – survivor benefits, SBP coordination, guardianship nominations during deployment – and we handle them regularly. 

Terry Law Firm, P.S. is a focused practice. We handle three things, and we handle them well: personal injury, estate planning, and probate. We do not juggle dozens of practice areas, and your case is never handed off to a paralegal. Scott J. Terry personally handles every matter. 

What sets us apart for Lakewood clients

  • 35+ years of courtroom experience. Scott Terry has tried over 100 cases in Municipal, District, and Superior Courts across King and Pierce Counties. 
  • Contingency-fee personal injury representation. Lakewood injury clients pay nothing unless we recover for them. 
  • Flat-fee estate planning. Know the cost before we begin – no surprise bills. 
  • Free 30-minute consultations. Every Lakewood client gets a no-cost, no-pressure case review. 
  • Local, accessible, and responsive. Our Main Street Sumner office is roughly a 28-minute drive from Lakewood, with free parking and same-week appointments in most cases. 
  • Pro Tem Judge experience. Attorney Terry has served as a Pro Tem Judge in King County, giving him an insider’s view of how judges think and rule. 

Active-duty military, retired servicemembers, and their dependents face estate planning issues that civilian attorneys often miss. We coordinate military benefits, Survivor Benefit Plans, and deployment-specific powers of attorney for Lakewood clients. 

Our Lakewood Practice Areas

Terry Law Firm serves Lakewood, Washington in three focused practice areas. Each one is handled with the same care, attention, and aggressive advocacy that has defined our firm for over three decades. 

Lakewood Personal Injury Representation

If you have been injured in Lakewood because of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to full compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and long-term care needs. Insurance companies are not on your side – they are in business to minimize payouts. We are in business to maximize yours. 

Common Lakewood personal injury cases we handle include: 

  • Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents 
  • Rideshare (Uber and Lyft) crashes 
  • Pedestrian and bicycle accidents 
  • Slip-and-fall and premises liability claims 
  • Dog bite and animal attack injuries 
  • Wrongful death claims 
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claims 
  • Workplace and industrial injuries 

Local risk factors matter. In Lakewood, recurring injury patterns include I-5 and SR-512 crashes, motorcycle accidents, JBLM gate-area collisions, and uninsured-motorist claims. We know the roads, the intersections, and the insurance adjusters – and we use that knowledge to build stronger cases for our clients. 

Washington statute of limitations. In most Lakewood personal injury cases, you have three years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit under RCW 4.16.080. Wrongful death claims also generally carry a three-year limit. Missing this deadline almost always ends your case. Call us early. 

Lakewood Estate Planning Services

A well-drafted estate plan protects your family, preserves your wealth, and keeps your affairs out of court. For Lakewood residents, a good plan is not just a will – it is a coordinated set of documents that handle life, incapacity, and death. 

For Lakewood families, we prepare: 

  • Revocable Living Trusts – the cornerstone of most complete estate plans 
  • Simple and complex wills, including pour-over wills 
  • Durable Powers of Attorney (financial) 
  • Health Care Directives (living wills) and health care powers of attorney 
  • Community Property Agreements for Washington married couples 
  • Irrevocable trusts for tax, asset protection, and Medicaid planning 
  • Special Needs Trusts 
  • Charitable gifting strategies and family limited partnerships 

Washington is a community property state, which creates unique estate planning opportunities for Lakewood married couples. A properly executed Community Property Agreement can eliminate probate for first-to-die spouses entirely. We build it into our married-couple plans whenever appropriate. 

Lakewood Probate and Trust Administration

When a Lakewood loved one passes away, grief and legal deadlines collide. Washington probate is not optional when the estate includes real property or more than $100,000 in personal property. As the personal representative, you have legal duties – and liabilities – that you should not navigate alone. 

We guide Lakewood personal representatives through: 

  • Filing the petition for probate and admission of the will 
  • Obtaining Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration 
  • Publishing and mailing notice to creditors under RCW 11.40 
  • Preparing the inventory and appraisement of assets 
  • Paying valid claims and final taxes 
  • Distributing the estate and closing the probate 
  • Nonintervention powers (TEDRA) and streamlined administration 

For Lakewood estates that do not require full probate, Washington offers a Small Estate Affidavit procedure under RCW 11.62 for estates of $100,000 or less in personal property with no real estate. We will tell you honestly whether your situation qualifies. 

Where Lakewood probate is filed. Lakewood probate matters are filed in Pierce County Superior Court, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402. 

How the Probate Process Works for Lakewood Estates

Washington probate is primarily governed by Title 11 of the Revised Code of Washington. For Lakewood personal representatives, here is how the process generally unfolds. 

1. Determine whether probate is required. 

Under Washington law, probate is typically required if the deceased owned real property in their name alone, or personal property exceeding $100,000. Assets held in a funded revocable trust, joint tenancy property, and accounts with beneficiary designations normally pass outside probate. 

2. File the petition in Superior Court. 

The petition is filed in the county where the decedent lived. For most Lakewood residents, that means Pierce County Superior Court, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402. The original will, if any, must be filed with the court. 

3. Obtain Letters from the court. 

Once appointed, the personal representative receives Letters Testamentary (if there is a will) or Letters of Administration (if there is no will), which are the legal credentials needed to act on behalf of the estate. 

4. Notice creditors and inventory assets. 

Washington law requires publishing notice to creditors and mailing notice to known creditors. Creditors then typically have four months to file claims. During this window, the personal representative inventories and values the estate’s assets. 

5. Pay claims, file taxes, and distribute. 

After valid claims and taxes are paid, the personal representative distributes the remaining estate according to the will or, if there is no will, under Washington’s intestate succession statute (RCW 11.04.015). 

6. Close the estate. 

The personal representative files a declaration of completion or petition for decree of distribution, and the probate is closed. For uncontested Lakewood probates, this typically takes 6 to 12 months. 

Serving Lakewood, Washington - Local Knowledge That Matters

Lakewood is part of Pierce County, with a population of approximately 63,612. The community is known for Lakewold Gardens, Fort Steilacoom Park, American Lake, Gravelly Lake, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (adjacent), and Pierce College. Established neighborhoods include Gravelly Lake, Lake Steilacoom, Tillicum, Oakbrook, Lakewood Heights, and Custer. 

We regularly assist clients from Lakewood and the surrounding communities of University Place, Tacoma, DuPont, Steilacoom, and Parkland. Our Main Street office at 15306 Main St E, Ste B, Sumner, WA 98390 is centrally located for the entire South Sound and South King County region. 

Frequently Asked Questions - Lakewood, WA

How much does it cost to hire a Lakewood personal injury attorney?

Terry Law Firm handles Lakewood personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless and until we recover money for you. Your initial consultation is free, and we advance case costs. 

Washington’s general personal injury statute of limitations is three years from the date of injury (RCW 4.16.080). Claims against government entities have a much shorter notice period. We recommend that Lakewood injury victims contact an attorney as soon as possible to preserve evidence and meet all deadlines. 

Yes. Even modest estates benefit from a basic plan that includes a will, durable power of attorney, and health care directive. Without these documents, Lakewood families face court-supervised guardianship for incapacity and intestate succession at death – both of which are slower, more expensive, and more public than proper planning. 

Terry Law Firm offers flat-fee estate planning. The exact cost depends on whether your plan is will-based or trust-based and how complex your estate is. Every Lakewood client receives a written quote before any drafting begins – no billable-hour surprises. 

Uncontested Lakewood probate in Pierce County Superior Court typically takes 6 to 12 months, with most of that time driven by the four-month creditor notice period. Contested probates can take significantly longer. A funded revocable trust is often the most effective way for Lakewood families to avoid probate entirely. 

Most Lakewood probate matters are filed at Pierce County Superior Court, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402. We handle all filings, hearings, and correspondence on behalf of our personal representative clients. 

Under Washington’s intestate succession statute (RCW 11.04.015), the estate passes to the closest relatives in a specific order – surviving spouse, children, parents, siblings, and so on. For Lakewood blended families, unmarried partners, and stepchildren, the results are frequently not what the deceased would have wanted. 

Yes. Washington is a community property state, which changes how assets are owned and taxed at death. We build Community Property Agreements into Lakewood married-couple estate plans where appropriate to simplify administration for the surviving spouse. 

You can, but statistics consistently show that represented claimants recover significantly more than unrepresented claimants, even after attorney fees. Insurance companies use trained adjusters and defense lawyers from day one. Leveling the playing field matters. 

Terry Law Firm — Sumner, WA
Schedule Your Free Lakewood Consultation Today.
We're ready to help.
Whether you were injured on a Lakewood road last night, need an estate plan before an upcoming surgery, or just lost a loved one and do not know where to begin with probate, Terry Law Firm, P.S. is ready to help. Call (253) 299-6800 for a free 30-minute consultation, or visit us at 15306 Main St E, Ste B, Sumner, WA 98390. We represent Lakewood clients throughout Pierce County, Washington.
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Call: (253) 299-6800
15306 Main St E, Ste B, Sumner, WA 98390
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