Casazza, Mark F.

Monica Cary has been practicing law for about a decade. She was selected by the Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2011 and 2012. The Rising Stars designation is given to only 2.5% of the lawyers in the state of Washington. Prior to attending law school, Monica volunteered with VISTA (the domestic Peace Corps). As a VISTA, Monica took a one year "vow of poverty". She was assigned to work in Seattle with Family Works, a family resource center and food bank in the Fremont/Wallingford area. As a VISTA, Monica helped create an Employment Resource Center for customers of the Fremont Food Bank. She recruited workshop volunteers for the family resource center where they offered free workshops for adults and children on topics ranging from bookbinding, photography and cooking to intercultural parenting classes.

During law school, Monica volunteered in a Senior Center and was a "buddy" to an elderly woman who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. After graduating from law school and joining the Oregon Bar, Monica was a judicial clerk to the Honorable Elizabeth Welch, Presiding Family Court Judge in Portland, Oregon. Judge Welch's docket consisted of strictly family law, juvenile law, and probate cases. Monica observed adult guardianship proceedings, will contests, and custody cases (to name a few). Returning to Seattle in 2002, Monica volunteered with the King County Prosecutor's office in their truancy department. Later, she worked as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County, Washington. Through these experiences, Monica gained specific insight into the plight of families in the courtroom. After a few years in the trenches, she decided to return her focus to working directly with families.

In 2004, Monica began working in private practice. Monica's practice focuses on family law, estate planning, and probate. Some highlights of her family law career include the successful return of a child who had been kidnapped overseas, obtaining a phased-in 50/50 parenting plan for the father of an infant at trial, and assisting several elderly couples resolve their divorces quickly and without court intervention. Highlights of Monica's estate planning and probate career include her volunteer efforts with the Washington First Responder's Clinic (a free clinic that provides free will packages to police officers), assisting new parents with their estate plan, and making it easier for busy adults to safely maximize the independence of their elderly parents.

In her free time, Monica enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and staying fit. In addition, Monica is in the process of getting licensed to be a fitness instructor to seniors so she can teach a class at her local YMCA.