Our commitment:

There are a number of non-adversarial divorce options available in Washington State designed to help you protect and preserve your family without traditional litigation.

Credentials & Background:

Storch Law PLLC was founded in 2002 to promote all aspects of Collaborative Family Law in the Puget Sound area of Western Washington including Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah and the greater Seattle area.

The firm was founded by Melissa Shields Storch who received her J.D. from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She began practicing law in Washington state in 2002, and started her own practice in June of 2002. Since then, she has practiced family law, estate planning and probate, and guardianship law.

Melissa began practicing collaborative family law in 2006. She continues to train and expand her practice in this emerging area of the law through her work with a variety of local, regional and national societies dedicated to collaborative law.

In practicing law, Melissa draws upon her years studying and working abroad in Germany, France, Switzerland, Syria, and Vietnam in facilitating effective communication and listening for solutions that work for everyone involved. Melissa believes that taking a holistic approach to resolving disputes is the only way to help create lasting solutions. She has led educational seminars in personal development and empowerment in the Pacific Northwest for nearly a decade.

My Collaborative Commitment:

I take a fluid, philosophical approach to my commitment to providing thoughtful legal advice for my clients, to ensure that I am able to facilitate the best possible solution for your family.

Looking at the specifics of your family, your needs, and your desires in obtaining a divorce, I will recommend a tailor-made approach that's best for you.

My practice's central philosophy is ensuring my clients are fully informed so that they can make decisions that work for them and their families. I will do everything in my power to give you the tools you need to navigate this emotional, often tumultuous, transitional period in your life by making sure you are fully informed of your options. I will work to empower you, and I am committed to respecting and enacting your decisions first and foremost.

What this means for you

If a non-adversarial approach is right for you, I will utilize elements of collaboration, cooperation, and mediation to support you in creating the best possible resolution.

And if the situation becomes high-conflict, I will get you the litigation team you need.

Benefits of Collaborative Law

• Private: Separate from the courts, from initial discussions to mediation and resolution, giving spouses control over the solution that works best for them—not a judge or by third-party mandate
• Voluntary & Participatory: Both parties come to the table voluntarily, ready and willing to work together to reach a long-term conflict solution, giving the choice back to you
• Open, Honest, & Transparent: When a couple enters into a collaborative process, they agree to an open, straight-forward dialogue in order to reach a mutually agreeable settlement including providing all data and documentation necessary to make thoughtful decisions.
• Fast: A collaborative divorce typically reaches settlement in 4 to 8 months, while standard family law litigation can drag on for anywhere from 12 to 24 months
• Cost Effective: On average, the cost of a collaborative divorce is less than 40% of the cost of traditional divorce litigation