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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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Pina was rescued from a "squid game" style survival situation and has thrived in the care of ABC.
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