Judge Michelle Adams
Department No. 2
Judge Adams graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics
and Government, and a minor in Public Administration, from the University of
Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. She earned
her Juris Doctorate from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. She was admitted to the Washington State Bar
in 1995.
Judge Adams was appointed to the Superior Court Bench by
Governor Jay Inslee, effective June 1, 2018.
Prior to this appointment, she served as the full-time Court
Commissioner in the Kitsap County Superior Court for two years, beginning in March
2016, where she regularly presided over family law, juvenile dependency,
adoption, civil contempt and parentage/paternity calendars. She began her legal career in 1996, initially
as an Associate in the Law Office of Crawford, McGilliard, Peterson, Yelish and
Dixon, and eventually achieving Partner in 2003. During this time, her areas of practice
included criminal defense in both felonies and misdemeanors, including
representation in the felony diversion program; family law, including civil
contempt, parentage/paternity, and adoption matters; and representation in
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Protection Order cases. Judge Adams established the Law Office of
Michelle Adams, PLLC, in 2011, where she continued to focus on many of the same
areas of practice. Beginning in 2009,
and in addition to her regular legal practice, she also served as an on-call, judge
pro tempore in the Port Orchard Municipal Court, the Gig Harbor Municipal Court,
and the Kitsap County Superior Court.
As a practicing attorney, and until the time of
her Commissioner appointment, Judge Adams has provided countless hours as a Pro
Bono Volunteer in the Kitsap County legal community. She also previously served as a Trustee on
the Kitsap County Bar Association. In
this capacity, she participated on the 2015 Public Defense Supervisor
Appointment Committee. Judge Adams has
also been active as a Troup Assistant with the Boy Scouts of America since
2014.
Judge Adams' Law Clerk:
