ABC LAW GROUP
Adam Ballout, Partner
Adam is a Seattle native and alumni of the University of Washington and the Seattle University School of Law. During law school, Adam clerked for the Chief Judge of the Suquamish tribe before joining the successful firm of Richard Okrent. Adam has been a dedicated and successful trial litigator of dependency, adoption, administrative law, and personal injury cases which have including several high profile cases garnering national media attention.
Upon Richard Okrent’s appointment by Governor Gregoire to the Snohomish County Superior Court bench, Adam Ballout joined with attorneys Taila AyAy and Sarah Crane in forming the ABC Law Group LLP.
Currently serving clients in Snohomish, King and Skagit county, the ABC Law Group is a dedicated, experienced firm with a strong professional reputation and a passion for social justice.
Adam’s commitment to advocating for system reform and the reunification of families has led to a focus on dealing with complex contested child abuse and child custody issues.
Taila Ayay, Partner
Taila is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law. She has been a parents' representation attorney since 2009, first at the Law Office of Okrent and Wogsland and then forming ABC Law Group with Adam Ballout and Sarah Crane in 2011. Her practice focuses mainly in representation of parents and children in dependency litigation, administrative law, and family law. She also has experience in tribal representation and has worked as a guardian ad litem. She has a strong passion for social justice and is proud to work at a firm that is constantly pushing for systemic change.
Currently, Taila resides in Carlsbad, California and works remote. She remains committed and involved in the Snohomish County legal community and continues to work closely with all the attorneys in her firm, staffing complex cases and advancing negotiations. In her free time, she spends every second obsessing over her dog, Dug.
Neil Weiss,
Attorney at Law
Neil Weiss grew up in Snohomish County in Bothell, Edmonds, and Everett. He attended school at Edmonds Community College and earned an associates from Antelope Valley College in 2006. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Washington State University and his Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. During his time in law school, he worked as a Rule 9 legal intern for the City of Everett managing a variety of calendars and litigating criminal jury trials as well as externing for The Honorable Judge Kenneth L. Cowsert.
After law school, Neil began work with ABC Law Group, LLP in Everett. His initial work was representing parents and children in juvenile dependency cases, including dependency and termination trials in Superior Court. His practice quickly extended to include criminal defense, family law, protection orders, civil litigation, and administrative law. Neil Weiss is now a partner of ABC Law Group and part of a team that manages and administers the law firm.
Neil has experience as a commissioner and judge pro tem in King County Superior Court, Snohomish County District Courts, and Monroe Municipal Court. He has presented at multiple statewide training programs regarding representation in child welfare cases. He is the Treasurer of Pacific Treatment Alternatives, a Snohomish County non-profit, and was a 2020 Everett Herald Business Journal Emerging Leader.
Neil is a proud creator of the FIRST Legal Clinic, a free legal service for pregnant women and mothers of newborns at-risk of CPS-removal. He has contributed hundreds of pro bono hours in representation and administration to bring the program from inception to fully funded operations.
Neil enjoys cooking and plays ice hockey in local leagues. He lives in Lynnwood with his wife Mary and their two sons.
Melinda Drewing
Attorney at Law
Melinda L. Drewing began her legal career in child welfare cases as a Rule 9 Intern while at Seattle University School of Law. Discovering a passion for an area of law she never knew existed she worked in multiple capacities in this unique niche including child representation, serving as an Attorney Guardian ad Litem and a brief stint as an Assistant Attorney General. A defense attorney at heart, she dedicated a majority of her career to reunifying families by providing legal defense to parents in dependencies for over ten years in Snohomish County, Wa.
Dana Halbert
Attorney at Law
Dana is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law. Prior to joining ABC Law Group, Dana worked with the Innocence Project Northwest for two years. The Innocence project northwest provides legal and investigative services to individuals in Washington State seeking to prove their innocence and work to redress the causes of wrongful convictions.
In addition, Dana volunteered with Street Youth Legal Advocates O(SYLA) and served on the board as co-president.
Dana has focused on serving low-income populations, in both civil and criminal matters, and has experience in the following areas:
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Tribal public defense
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Tribal and state dependencies
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Family law: dissolution, adoption, child custody, child support
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Protection orders
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SSI/SSDI disability law
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Immigration asylum law
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Criminal and parental termination appeals
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Public defense policy and practices
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Probate matters
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Misdemeanor Criminal Defense
Claire Rynerson-Collier, Paralegal
Claire has been with ABC Law Group since February 2017. In June 2017 she graduated with an AA in paralegal studies from Edmonds Community College. She is hands on with all cases, and assists all of the firm’s attorneys in keeping things running smoothly.
In her spare time, Claire is usually spending her time on adventures with her husband, horse and their dog. She grew up with a passion for animals and a strong love and interest for the law.
Roxanne Cardon,
Legal Assistant
Roxanne was born and raised in New Mexico and graduated from New Mexico State University with her bachelors degree. She is a mother of 2 and has made Washington her home for the past 12 years. Her passions include hiking, baking, reading and photography. Roxanne is a prior PTA president and she believes strongly in family reunification and keeping parents and children together.
ZOEY
Zoey joined the office in 2012 only days after her birth. Zoey's focus on community partnerships and the involuntary sharing of bbq, hot dogs, meat products, and unattended chicken burritos has made her the life of the party for almost a decade.
Outside of the office, Zoey's interests include: food, chasing toys, hiding toys, getting to know new toys, blogging, and sleeping. In 2019 Zoey unionized with 12 other dogs in the former ABC Law Group offices to require mandatory walks and unlimited treat days for life.
Piña
Pina is an xolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a national icon in Mexico and arguably the world’s most recognizable salamander.
Pina was rescued from a "squid game" style survival situation and has thrived in the care of ABC.