H. Michael Finesilver – Retired

Mr. Finesilver has practiced Family Law exclusively for 43 years in King and Snohomish County. He has argued numerous appeals before the Washington State Court of Appeals and has also argued before the Washington State Supreme Court. He was authorized to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1994. He co-authored amicus briefs filed on behalf of the Washington State chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (“AAML”) helping to obtain parenting rights for de facto parents in In re Parentage of L.B., 155 Wash.2d 679, 122 P.3d 161 (2005) and In re Custody of A.F.J., 179 Wash.2d 179, 314 P.3d 373 (2013). He was chairperson of the National Amicus Committee of the AAML, which participated and approved an amicus brief filed by the AAML opposing the Defense of Marriage Act on behalf of Edith Windsor (United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. ___ (2013) in the U.S. Supreme Court. He was co-chair of that same committee that also provided oversight and approval of an AAML amicus brief that supported protection of same sex marriages in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (2015). Additionally, he also is a board member of the Washington State Chapter of Association of Family Conciliation Courts (AFCC). He served as a Judge Pro Tem in King County since the 1980s before the county budget no longer provided for such services. He served as a King County Family Law Commissioner pro tem for over a decade. He has been an author and lecturer at numerous continuing legal education seminars in Washington State and is a co-author of a Judge's Deskbook for King County. He has co-authored with Mr. Anderson a book for layperson, Divorce in Washington generally detailing the law on various subjects from property division, custody, child support, maintenance, what the proceeding is all about, etc. He co-authored an article published in the Washington State Bar Bulletin on Spousal Disparity. He has been formally trained to perform mediation services and has an active practice as a private mediator in family law matters. His charge for mediation is $325 per hour. Mr. Finesilver was the Representative for the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers on its National Board of Governors, until his term expired in 2014. Mr. Finesilver has an AV rating in Martindale Hubbel, meaning that he has reached the height of professional excellence and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity, and has been named a SuperLawyer in 2009 and every year since.