CEO & Founding Attorney
Michelle T. Dellino is the CEO and Founding Attorney of Dellino Family Law Group. She built the firm based on her unwavering belief that there is, quite simply, a solution to every problem. Her personal practice focuses on complex family law matters, including high-conflict cases, high-asset dissolution, long-term marriage dissolution, and cases involving business owners, IT professionals, and medical personnel.
She also handles domestic violence family law matters and drafts protective agreements to help clients avoid future litigation. As a trained mediator and former criminal trial attorney, she has the skills and experience to take a case anywhere it needs to go, whether toward a creative settlement or intensive courtroom litigation.
As CEO, she sets the vision for Dellino Family Law Group, manages the firm’s strategic development, and leads its executive team.
Who I Am
I am an attorney, but I am also a human being. I have two dogs and a long-standing Sunday routine of trying to read the New York Times before they stretch out across the travel section. I have largely given up caffeine and start every day with 40 oz. of this tea. I love the Oxford comma, single spaces after periods, and loathe contractions in writing — you will not see them from me unless they are in a direct quotation. I love the sound of rain on my sliding glass doors and misty Seattle days, but I never miss a chance to escape to warmer climates.
If you are reading my biography page, it is likely because you: a) need a lawyer; b) are a current client; c) are a fellow attorney who wants to connect (reach out – let’s have coffee); d) are someone looking for information to use against me and my clients; or e) are a curious visitor. Welcome to all of you.
One defining moment of my career came early on. It wasn’t a high-stakes trial or contentious hearing, but a routine morning in a Tacoma courthouse hallway. I was walking out with a client in her early twenties and her mother, who had come along for support. My client walked ahead of us, glued to her phone. Her mother walked next to me, looking completely defeated. She shook her head and wondered aloud whether her daughter would ever get her life together, asking what she had done wrong as a parent. Then she added, “You can’t be much older than her, and I’m sure your mother is very proud of you.”
I assured her that my mom is proud of me and that I still talk to her first when I do not know what to do. But I also shared with her that when I was her daughter’s age I had already dropped out of high school, run away from home, been arrested, and let my parents down more than a few times. I failed and fell down a few more times before I chose to get back up and become a better version of myself. I told her I was not worried about her daughter. From our conversations, I knew that her daughter would be more than okay. She just needed some time to figure it out. It was the truth.
Her mother wiped away a tear and smiled for the first time that day. She then caught up to her daughter, took her hand, and hugged her. That remains one of my favorite moments as a lawyer. That client is now a first-grade teacher. She figured it all out. She was okay. I am okay. You will be okay, too. Many of our best days are still ahead.
Why I Do This Work
When we meet, I will likely tell you that I believe people are resilient and should never be defined by their worst moments or relationships. I mean that. Like many of you, I have lived through tumultuous periods. Have you been through a painful breakup? Have you gone through a divorce, or considered one? Have you been uncertain about your finances, careers, or emotional well-being? I have been through all those things. I have been through a divorce. I have faced my fear of the unknown.
When I was 25 and living 3,000 miles away from my family, I was diagnosed with cancer. A misdiagnosis resulted in my cancer recurring a few more times before a skilled team of doctors helped me beat it. After repeatedly facing my own mortality and surviving, very little scares or overwhelms me. It gave me a lasting belief that no matter what I face, I will persevere.
I have had to start over many times when I did not want to. Those experiences led me to work with people in difficult times. It made me exceptional at what I do. All those ups and downs are why I founded this firm and built a team of compassionate, relentless lawyers who will not rest until they know they have done everything they can to help those we advocate for.
If a few things in my life had gone differently, I would not be here. Maybe you can feel the same way. If so, I am glad we are both here. You may be ready to write your comeback story, or you might be in the middle of it right now. If you are ready to tell me your story and need someone to help you solve problems, I am ready to listen and help. My best day is when I can sit down with a client, hear their story, and help them get where they want to be.
My Background and Education
After foregoing traditional high school, I completed my secondary education and earned college credit at Portland Community College. After that, I worked demanding jobs before pursuing higher education. I managed a Starbucks store in downtown Seattle. I was a top sales performer for Verizon Wireless and the former US West/Qwest Communications. I had an extensive paper route covering two counties. I even sold burial plots. These jobs taught me what it takes to get the job done.
Nothing is beneath me. Everything deserves my best effort. There is nothing I cannot accomplish, and nothing you cannot accomplish either.
Eventually I decided I needed to go back to school. I immersed myself in my studies, completing undergraduate programs at New York University and Seattle University, earning degrees in Politics and Philosophy. (My favorite philosophers are Jean Paul Sartre and Immanuel Kant.) It changed my life. If I hadn’t become an attorney, I would probably be teaching philosophical approaches to the self in a classroom somewhere.
I went on to earn my law degree with honors from Seattle University School of Law, focusing on family and criminal law. While still in law school, I interned for a large public defender agency, tried cases before juries, and discovered how much I loved the courtroom. Following law school, while working I completed a Certificate in Law & Technology from the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University and a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice, also from Arizona State University. While studying in residence at ASU, I also served as a graduate teaching assistant, instructing undergraduate students on criminal justice and theory.
Before going into private practice, I served as a public defender and later as a staff attorney for Kitsap County Superior Court, supporting four trial court judges. Working for the court gave me an invaluable perspective early in my career. I learned a lot about what not to do before a judge and how to best position arguments in a courtroom. Later, I worked for local private firms before starting Dellino Family Law Group in 2013.
Having handled thousands of cases, I have appeared in courts across Washington and successfully tried both jury trials and family law bench trials. My background in criminal defense, combined with my life experience, made me a fearless family law attorney focused on effective strategy and goal setting. Family law requires compassion, details, strategy, and humanity, often all at once. No one can put those together the way I can.
I was born and raised in Seattle, the oldest of three children raised by two lifelong educators. My parents are also native Seattleites and still my heroes. Most of my immediate and large extended family live here. I care deeply about this community and believe in giving back. I serve as a volunteer attorney for the King County Bar Association’s Family Law Neighborhood Legal Clinic and Domestic Violence Family Law Clinic. I am also involved with various animal rescue groups and community organizations.
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, wrangling my dogs (a dachshund and a blind, deaf chiweenie) and two rescue cats. I’m often plotting how many more animals I can make room for, researching new technology, watching baseball (especially the Yankees), exercising at Roundbox Fitness, or traveling. I love the Arizona desert, the Big Island of Hawai’i, sports, competition of all kinds, being outside, and cooking. I dislike apathy and passive aggression.
When I need to disconnect, I make every effort to be available if you need me, or to make sure someone else is. I have been known to talk to my clients or team while I am on a boat, hiking on the side of a cliff halfway across the world, or anywhere that I can get a cell signal.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about my life. But trust me when I tell you that I am far more interested in hearing your story than telling mine.
At a Glance
Practice Focus Areas
• High asset divorce
• Business Owner, Professional Services, and IT Professional Divorce
• High conflict family law
• Divorce and Legal Separation
• Committed Intimate Relationships (CIR)
• Post-decree modifications
• Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements
• Domestic violence family law
Awards
• Super Lawyers 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
• Avvo 10.0 Rating and Avvo Client Choice Attorney
• Nation’s Premier Family Law Attorney Top 10
• Lead Counsel Top Attorney
Education
• J.D., Seattle University School of Law, Cum Laude
• M.S., Arizona State University, Criminology & Criminal Justice, with high honors
• B.A., New York University, Seattle University Magna Cum Laude
Professional Association & Affiliations
• Washington State Bar Association, Family Law Section
• King County Bar Association
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals for Family Law
• Domestic Relations Attorneys of Washington
• Association of Family Law and Conciliation Courts
• Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• American Society of Criminology
Volunteer & Community Involvement
• Volunteer Attorney, King Co. Bar Association Neighborhood Legal Clinic, SW Family Law Clinic
• Volunteer Attorney, King Co. Bar Association, Domestic Violence Family Law Clinic
• Volunteer Attorney Mediator, King Co. Superior Court Volunteer Settlement Conference Program
• Certified Mediator, Volunteers of America Western Washington
• Attorney Facilitator & Co-Host, Do’s & Don’ts of Separation and Divorce Meetup Group, Seattle/Bellevue
• Co-Host, Divorce Confidential Podcast
• Provisors Executive Committee Member
Publications
• Co-Author, Tiger Tactics CEO Edition: From Zero to Law Firm CEO (2023)
• Author, What Happens If You Get Divorced (TBD, 2024)
