Robin H. Balsam
Robin Balsam
Tacoma
Washington (WA)
Estate & Trust Litigation
Elder Law
Estate Planning & Probate
Profile
Robin Balsam has been in private practice since 1984. She is an assertive litigator with extensive experience in highly contested probates, will contests, uncovering and pursuing perpetrators of fiduciary fraud and elder abuse, complicated guardianships and estates, and other related matters. Her practice has emphasized guardianship, trust, probate and representing families with special needs since 1993. Ms. Balsam has chaired and spoken at legal seminars on various aspects of these practice areas as well as related ethical issues since 1998.
As Director of Commencement Bay Guardianship Services, a certified professional guardian agency, she is the major decision-maker on investments, medical procedures, living arrangements and purchases for incapacitated people and trust beneficiaries. She also directs the day-to-day operations of the guardianship agency employing three professional guardians and support staff along with a two-attorney law firm.
Ms. Balsam has several professional affiliations, and frequently acts as associate counsel to other attorneys who are not experienced in representing the elderly, incapacitated and disabled in legal matters such as personal injury, contract and domestic litigation. Ms. Balsam's firm provides a uniquely collaborative and resourceful approach to the legal issues that confront elders and the disabled by providing a range of solutions from negotiated out-of-court agreements to traditional legal advocacy.
Selected To
Washington Super Lawyers 2011
About Robin Balsam
Admitted: 1984, Washington
Professional Webpage: www.balsamlaw.com
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- Licensed to practice in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, 1984
- Licensed to practice in U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1984
- Admitted to the Washington State Bar, 1984
- Provisionally Certified Professional Guardian, 1999
- Washington Certified Professional Guardian, 2001
- Collaboratively trained, 2008
- Currently pursuing an LL.M Masters in Elder Law at Stetson University School of Law - expected completion, 2012
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Certified Professional Guardian Board, WSBA Representative, appointed by Chief Justice Alexander, reappointed by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, October 2003 to date; current and former member of Standards of Practice committee; former member and chair of Applications/Certification committee; former member of Ethics committee
- Adjunct Investigative Counsel Panel member, Board of Governors, Washington State Bar Association, October 2004-September 2009 and October 2010-September 2015
- Chairperson, web site for Pierce County Bar Association, 1999-2000
- Chairperson, Bench/Bar Liaison Committee, Pierce County, 1996 and 1997
- Tacoma/Pierce County Guardianship Committee, 1993-1996 and 1998 to date; chair of committee 2004 and 2010
- Special District Counsel for Washington State Bar Association, 1990-1993 and 1999-2004
- Special Prosecutor for City of Pacific, 1990-1999
- Pierce County Settlement Guardian ad Litem for injury victims, 1989-1998
- Pierce County Guardian ad Litem for guardianship, domestic and probate cases, 1989-1998
- Client security program, Washington State Bar Association, 1990-1996
- Arbitration Panel member, Pierce County court, 1991 to 2004
- Master Barrister (emeritus status 2009), Inns of Court, 2000 to date
- Commissioner Pro Tem, Pierce County Superior Court, appointed 1992-2006 (could not participate due to guardian ad litem appointments 1996-1998)
- Judge Pro Tem, Pierce County Superior Court, 1999 - 2008 (program discontinued in 2009 due to lack of funds)
- Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association ad hoc committee on case management, 1996
- Member of Advisory Committee to the Washington Department of Social and Health Services to treview training program for Title 11 guardianship guardians ad litem, 2010
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- How to Start a Practice: Technological Solutions to Business Practice, CLE speaker, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, 1997
- Less Restrictive Alternatives to Guardianships and Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, "Who is Your Client?", CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Guardianship Committee, 1998
- Community Property Agreements, Durable Powers of Attorney and Changing Wills, CLE speaker, Washington State Bar Association, 1998
- Taking Stock or Stocking Up, Y2K, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Convention, 1999
- Computer Seminar, CLE speaker, Tacoma Young Lawyers, 1999
- What Happens After a Guardianship is Entered, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Guardianship Committee, 1999
- Civil Discovery, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 1999
- Real Life Issues and Cases, Panel Discussion, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Guardianship Committee, 2000
- Guardianship and Related Issues, Code Versus No Code Issues: How Does One Determine What Code to Establish for a Client?, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2001
- Real Estate Sales and Ethics Panel, CLE speaker, Washington Association Of Professional Guardians, 2002
- Vulnerable Adults, Civil Perspective, CLE speaker, Washington State Bar Association, 2003
- Personal Injury Settlements, Trusts, and Ethics, Moderator/CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2003
- Representing Incapacitated Persons in a Dissolution Action, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2003
- Competency, Capacity, and Insanity, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2004
- Moderator on various guardianship issues, CLE speaker, Third Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2004
- Panel speaker on Establishing, Managing and Terminating a Special Needs Trust, CLE speaker, Washington State Bar Association, 2004
- Moderator on various guardianship issues., CLE speaker, Fourth Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2005
- Real Estate Sales in Guardianships, CLE speaker, Fifth Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2006
- Death and Dying Issues, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2006
- Thorny Issues, CLE Speaker, Sixth Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2007
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Probate, Trust, and Guardianship Pitfalls, Practice Tips and Ethics, CLE Speaker, Annual Convention, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2007
- Challenges of Applying Substituted Judgment Versus the Best Interest Standard in a Guardianship, CLE speaker, Elder Law Essentials: The Annual Elder Law Conference, National Academy Of Elder Law Attorneys - Washington State Chapter, 2007
- Special Issues in Representing Professional Guardians and Trustees, CLE speaker, The Guardianship Institute, Washington State Bar Association, 2007
- Washington State Professional Guardian Seminar, CLE speaker, 2007
- What Steps to Take When You Have an Incapacitated Client, CLE speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association Family Law Section, 2007
- Moderator of Critical Issues and Warning Flags; speaker on Collaborative Law: Attorneys and Guardians as Healers of Conflict; presenter on Do Ethics or Morals Guide Your Decisions as Guardian in Complicated Situations?, CLE Speaker, Seventh Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2008
- Ethics in Guardianship, Probate and Trust, CLE Speaker, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2009
- Ethics in Guardianships, Panel Speaker, Eighth Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2009
- Various "Food for Thought" topics; Point/Counterpoint, Moderator/CLE Speaker, Ninth Annual Guardianship Seminar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, 2010
- Speaker on Changes to Standards of Practice for Certified Professional Guardians., Annual Certified Professional Guardian Fall Training, Washington Association Of Professional Guardians, 2011
- Changes to Standards of Practice for Certified Professional Guardians; Ethical Issues Involving Trusts, Guardianships, and Probates, CLE Speaker, Eighth Annual CPG Continuing Education Seminar, Bridge Builders, 2011
- Off the Wall Estate Problems (and Their Solutions); Changes to Standards of Practice for Certified Professional Guardians, CLE Speaker, Ninth Annual CPG Continuing Education Seminar, Bridge Builders, 2012
Educational Background:
- Expected completion of LL.M Masters in Elder Law, Stetson University School of Law, 2013
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