Elise Buie Family Law, PLLC

Edit: Since Elise decided to respond to my review by shifting blame to the court, despite her highly biased report being the only and sole catalyst to said ‘court’ decision, despite the judge admitting the decision being a tragedy but out of their hands due to said highly biased report, if you want ‘deeply painful’ outcomes for you and your children, while being bled dry financially, hire Elise. She clearly has learned nothing from her destruction. When I say I have met and bonded with multiple women who have had their lives destroyed by Elise I am not exaggerating. They are too afraid to leave honest reviews but I’m not any more. I’m leaving this review on behalf of all the lives ruined by Elise.

Elise destroyed my family and my children’s and my life. Don’t walk away, run! As fast as you possibly can!! She manipulated, ignored and omitted information to fit her preferred narrative and in the end she realized her mistakes but refused to own them in court in order to save her own face. Please, I’m begging you to stay away from anything even remotely associated to her. The people who have been severely and negatively impacted by her (I’ve spoken to several) are too afraid to write reviews.

After a bad experience with a previous attorney, I hired Elise Buie Law Firm in July 2025, hoping the steep cost would guarantee a seamless, high-quality experience. Unfortunately, it did not.

I was charged heavily for the firm to reorganize documents I had already organized, yet they refused to explain their formatting requirements. Communication was incredibly poor; I was denied periodic updates under the claim that my billing structure didn't cover them. Worse, just three months before my January 2026 trial date, the firm moved the trial out an additional six months without consulting me. When I questioned this, I was told that because I hadn't yet paid a $30k trial retainer, I had "no say" in keeping the date. On top of this, I was billed for "review time" before every single meeting for material they should have already been familiar with.

My case was straightforward—I simply wanted to get to arbitration—but the firm dragged it out until I was forced to switch counsel. Despite their marketing, I never received the "boutique" experience I signed up for. I felt entirely uncared for, seemingly because my net worth didn't match their typical clientele. I highly recommend looking elsewhere.

I am really happy working with Zoey and my legal team. They were professional, caring, and made a stressful process much more manageable. I would absolutely recommend Elise Buie Family Law Group to anyone in need of family law support.

I retained this firm for a King County CIR dissolution involving significant assets. Over 18 months and approximately $130,000 in fees I worked with two attorneys — Colleen Clay as my primary counsel and Elise as the firm owner after I escalated due to concerns. I ultimately terminated both and changed firms. Here is what you need to know about each.

Colleen Clay — Primary Attorney
Sent a resignation letter because I sought a second opinion. During mediation I was uncomfortable with a proposed settlement and consulted other attorneys. She found this so offensive she sent a formal resignation letter. A client exercising basic due diligence should never trigger a resignation threat.

Unprepared at mediation. Our private mediator asked her directly: "Did you calculate the income? Did you consider the passive income? Why not?" She had no answer. Additionally, assets that should have been excluded from community property were listed at incorrect values — a significant miss that reflected no diligent review of documents before the session.

Argued with her own client, not opposing counsel. She pushed back on my well-reasoned positions while forwarding opposing counsel's demands without scrutiny. A mathematical discrepancy in the asset split went unresolved because she refused to call opposing counsel. I resolved it myself by calling the other party directly. He agreed immediately.

No strategy. Despite repeated requests, no case strategy or trial preparation plan was ever produced. We were wholly unprepared for trial, leaving settlement as the only option regardless of terms.

Elise — Firm Owner
Unavailable. Scheduling any appointment required over a week. On one occasion she called me, I missed it by seconds, called back immediately, and received a voicemail saying she had other matters and was moving on.

Two hours of advice that amounted to a book recommendation. I requested substantive guidance on the GAL process underway in my case. The entire call focused on co-parenting philosophy and concluded with a recommendation to read The Co-Parenting Handbook. I was sent into a high-stakes GAL evaluation completely unprepared.

Wrong on the law — and I proved it. She refused to pursue a child support deviation despite three case-law-supported arguments, claiming a judge might make me pay more. I terminated the firm, hired new counsel, pursued the deviation in arbitration, and won.
Risk aversion dressed up as legal advice. Neither attorney could articulate the specific weaknesses in my legal arguments. Their consistent position was to settle. Elise justified this partly by observing that my salary and assets exceeded those of most King County judges and I should expect little sympathy. That is not legal strategy.

Firm-wide pattern. Both attorneys told me I should feel proud to be taking care of my children — while I had transferred more than half my assets to the other party and was paying $130,000 in fees. When I told them to practice law and not act as family therapists, they took offense. This firm prioritizes settlements it finds philosophically appropriate over zealous representation of client interests.

If your case involves financial complexity or requires genuine advocacy, look elsewhere. And to the firm - please don't post your comment about wanting to chat - you failed and also know how to contact me.

Great experience working with my lawyer. They really listened, stayed focused, and helped me stay grounded and clear throughout the process. I felt heard, supported, and well guided every step of the way.