Mediating Conflict,
Embracing Peace
Ululani “Lani” Akiona
Contact Me:
Practice Areas:
- Family Law
- Divorce
- Collaborative Law
- Divorce Mediation
- The Divorce Process
- Asset Division
- Property Division
- Community and Separate Property
Biography
I am a compassionate and empathetic individual, and I founded Akiona Law, PLLC to fully realize my passion for helping people in this turbulent and uncertain economic climate and to ensure people are being treated fairly and are not being taken advantage of.
I support and encourage parties to work together to resolve their issues, especially when children are involved. The fact of the matter is when you have children, you are going to have to deal with your former spouse for the rest of your life, like it or not. Thus, I encourage you to put aside whatever feelings you may have toward your spouse early on and focus solely on what is in your children's best interests. This is the Court's main focus as well.
I know cooperation is not always possible or desirable in certain situations. If that is your situation, rest assured as a former prosecutor, I have tried to verdict dozens of criminal jury and non-jury trials. My extensive trial and courtroom experience means I will not shy away from high conflict situations, and I will fight for your rights when needed.
However, if you are looking for an attorney to be aggressive just for the sake of being aggressive, then I suggest you look for another attorney. My personal thoughts on the matter are that overly-aggressive attorneys actually do a disservice to their clients as unnecessary and lengthy litigation increases the client's costs, not to mention the emotional and mental stress it places on all parties. I believe it is better to "pick and choose your battles."
I understand looking for an attorney can be overwhelming. I want to emphasize it is important to find someone you like and feel comfortable with since you are sharing personal and intimate details about yourself and your life, perhaps details you have never told anyone before.
To help you in your decision, let me tell you a little about myself. I am originally from Hawaii but moved to Washington to be closer to family. For one reason or the other, my family and my husband's family relocated from Hawaii to Washington, and now we all live within 1-5 miles of each other. I have two young boys, and it is a huge blessing to have our families nearby for their support and for those family get-togethers. I live in Snohomish County, and I enjoy practicing in Everett because, oddly enough, it reminds me of Hawaii since it has that same friendly, small town feeling.
My week-ends are usually spent running around, trying to keep up with my sons and keeping them entertained. My family and I enjoy being outdoors exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, which means camping and surfing in the summer and snowboarding and taking the kids sledding in the winter.
Education
- University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law, Honolulu, Hawaii
- J.D.
- University of Hawaii
- B.A.
- Major: English
Bar Admissions
- Hawaii, 2002
- Washington, 2005
Professional Associations
- Collaborative Professionals of Washington, Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Member
- Hawaii State Bar Association, Member
- Washington State Bar Association Solo and Small Practice Section, Member
- Washington State Bar Association, Family Law Section, Member
- Domestic Relations Attorneys of Washington, Member
- Snohomish County Bar Association, Member
- Snohomish County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Member
- King County Bar Association, Member
- King County Bar Association Family Law Section, Member
- King County Collaborative Law
- International Academy Of Collaborative Professionals
- King County Bar Association Collaborative Law, Vice Chair
- King County Collaborative Law/Collaborative Professionals of Washington, Website Committee
- King County Collaborative Law/Collaborative Professionals of Washington, Social Media/Public Outreach
Certified Legal Specialties
- 2014, 2017, 2022 Collaborative Divorce Training
- 2022, 2023 Bill Eddy New Ways for Mediation Training in Mediating High Conflict Dispute
- 2023 Mosten Guthrie 40-hour Family and Divorce Mediation Training
- Trained Mediator, New Ways for Mediation
- Snohomish County Dispute Resolution Center, Volunteers of America Western Washington 40-hour Basic Mediation Training
- Snohomish County Dispute Resolution Center, Volunteers of America Western Washington 27-hour Family Law Mediation Training
- Mosten Guthrie Co-Parenting Specialist Training Program
- IACP The Role of the Neutral Child and Family Specialist, 8 hours
Current Employment Position
- Founder