Our Attorneys

KAREN MARIE THOMPSON is a 1977 graduate of the University of Washington School of Law.  She has been in private practice since 1980 and is a partner in the law firm of Thompson & Howle.  Her practice focuses on elder law:  representing individuals and professionals in complex guardianships, probates, long-term care planning and drafting and administering special needs trusts.

She was designated one of 92 “Top Lawyers” by the publication Seattle magazine in 2001, 2003 and again in 2005 based upon a peer survey.  She is a frequent speaker at seminars, law school classes and conferences on guardianships, ethical issues in elder law and special needs trusts.

SUZANNE C. HOWLE was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1980 and the Washington Bar in 1982. Since 1984, Suzanne Howle's practice has emphasized guardianship, probate, estate planning, and representation of fiduciaries in various roles. She co-authored the guardianship section of the King County Probate and Guardianship Manual, published in 1995, and edited the updated manual in 2002. She has been lead co-author and editor of "Chapter 10: Probate and Guardianship" of the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual for many years.

She is past Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Washington Bar Association and was a founding Director and past President of the Washington Chapter of NAELA. In addition to recognition on the Super Lawyers list, she has been honored as one of the top lawyers in Seattle in peer surveys by Seattle Magazine. When Seattle Business Monthly sent surveys to more than 5,000 attorneys in the Puget Sound area, asking them to name those lawyers they would choose or recommend to a loved one, she was chosen as a Top Lawyer.

She is also a member of the Idaho State Bar. She has been in private practice since 1988. She has spoken at legal seminars on the areas of her practice.
 

KAREN I. TREIGER is a graduate of Barnard College and New York University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.  Earlier in her career, Karen served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Slade Gorton in Washington D.C., specializing in health policy and worked at Davis Wright Tremaine in the area of business law.

Karen’s current practice focuses on elder law issues, such as estate planning, long term care planning, guardianships, will contests, probates and special needs trusts.  She is a member of the KCBA Guardianship and Elder Law Section and the WSBA Elder Law Section and has four children.

CAROL VAUGHN practices in the areas of guardianship, trusts and probate litigation. She is a graduate of Smith College (1983; magna cum laude) and Harvard Law School (1986).

Carol was a legal aid attorney with Evergreen Legal Services from 1986 - 1995 and with Northwest Justice Project from 1998 - 2004. In 2003 she was awarded a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellowship from Harvard Law School. She is admitted to practice in the Western and Eastern Districts of Washington and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Brent Pattison is a graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A. 1993) and University of Minnesota Law School (1999, Magna Cum Laude).

Brent began his legal career as a Soros Justice Fellow (1999-2001). Prior to joining Thompson & Howle in 2008, he was a staff attorney at TeamChild from 1999-2008. As a lawyer at TeamChild, he represented low income children and their families in a wide variety of civil legal matters, including cases related to education law, public benefits law, and housing law. Brent’s current practice focuses on guardianship, trust, and probate litigation. He is admitted to practice in the Western District of Washington.

Brent’s current law review publications include:

“Can What You Don’t Know Hurt You?: Substantive Due Process, Zero Tolerance, and Weapon Possession on School Property,” 23 Children’s Legal Rights Journal 2 (2003-2004).

“Questioning School Discipline: Due Process, Confrontation, and School Discipline Hearings,” 18 Temple Pol. & Civ. Rts. L. R. 49 (2008).