Law Office of Donna Person Smith

What Law Office of Donna Person Smith does

The Law Office of Donna Person Smith, operating under the DBA Sterling Law, is a privately held, founder-owned law firm based in Puyallup, Washington, with a second office in Tacoma and a staff of approximately seven people. Founded when Donna Person Smith entered private practice in Washington in 1994 and operating under the Sterling Law brand since roughly 2006, the firm delivers three core legal service lines: Family Law (divorce, child support, custody, parental modifications), Criminal Defense (DUI, drug offenses, felonies, misdemeanors), and Wills and Estate Planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives), with a specialization in Veterans estate planning. Clients are exclusively individuals rather than enterprises, drawn from the greater Puget Sound region spanning Pierce County and Thurston County (including Tacoma, Auburn, Federal Way, Olympia, Lacey, and Gig Harbor). The firm has represented hundreds of family law clients and the owner-attorney has personally handled thousands of criminal cases over a 20+ year career that included a seven-year tenure as Auburn Public Defender (1999-2005) and admission to argue before the Washington State Court of Appeals.

Business model is professional services billable-hour/case-fee based, with no publicly disclosed fee schedule; testimonials characterize fees as 'very reasonable' and note multi-year engagements of 2-3+ years. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via phone (Puyallup 253-840-0288, Tacoma 253-212-3924), website contact forms with promised 24-hour response, in-person consultations at the South Hill Puyallup office, and Skype consultations as a remote alternative. Go-to-market relies on the firm's website and blog (covering estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, family law, and healthcare topics), organic social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, and Avvo, client referrals, and bar association referral networks (Washington State Bar, Tacoma-Pierce County Bar, Washington Defender Association, WACDL, ABA). There are no intermediaries, marketplaces, or channel partners; no funding rounds, investors, or external capital; no proprietary technology platform; and no AI/ML capabilities of note. The firm is wholly owner-operated by Donna Person Smith with no subsidiaries, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Law Office of Donna Person Smith

Legal name

Sterling Law

Website

https://donnapersonsmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Law Office of Donna Person Smith (Sterling Law) is a 7-employee, owner-operated law firm in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington, delivering Family Law, Criminal Defense, and Wills/Estate Planning services to individuals across Pierce and Thurston Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAAAK

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

SECONDARYHSABAIAJ

Guardianship, POA & Legal/Advance Care Planning Coordination

Home & Personal Services/Elder Care & In-Home Care Services/Care Coordination & Geriatric Care Management

Keywords

• Family law services
• Criminal defense attorney
• Estate planning law
• Divorce custody support
• DUI felony defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Puyallup

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue through billable legal services including family law representation (divorce, custody, child support, parental modifications), criminal defense (DUI, drug offenses, felonies, misdemeanors), and estate planning/wills and probate. Fees are charged for attorney consultations and ongoing legal representation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Law Office of Donna Person Smith (Sterling Law) is a Puyallup, WA-based law firm providing personal legal representation across three practice areas: Family Law (divorce, child support, custody, parental modifications), Criminal Defense (DUI, drug offenses, felonies, misdemeanors), and Wills & Estate Planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives). Engagements are delivered via direct attorney consultations and ongoing legal representation billed on a professional fee basis, serving individual clients across the greater Puget Sound, Pierce County, and Thurston County areas.

Product overview

The Law Office of Donna Person Smith (operating as Sterling Law) is a legal services firm offering a unified portfolio of practice areas rather than a modular software product. The firm provides three core legal service lines: Family Law (divorce, child support, custody, parental modifications), Criminal Defense (DUI, drug offenses, felonies, misdemeanors), and Wills & Estate Planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives). These services are offered through the Sterling Law brand and are delivered via in-person consultations at their Puyallup and Tacoma offices, telephonic consultations, and Skype meetings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Family Law Services Comprehensive family law representation covering divorce, child support, custody disputes, and parental modifications for men and women in Pierce County and Thurston County. The firm has represented hundreds of clients in family law matters.
• Criminal Defense Services Criminal defense representation for DUI cases, drug offenses, felonies, and misdemeanors across Washington State Superior Courts, District Courts, and Municipal Courts. Includes argument before the Washington State Court of Appeals.
• Wills and Estate Planning Estate planning services including creation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and comprehensive customized plans, plus estate administration and probate services following a loved one's passing. Includes specialized veterans' estate planning that coordinates with VA benefits, SGLI, TRICARE, and military survivor benefits.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Avvo: Legal directory and Q&A platform where Sterling Law maintains an active profile. Functions as a client acquisition channel and review surface for consumer-facing law firms in this market segment.
• Nolo: Legal information, self-help books, and do-it-yourself legal forms publisher that competes with attorney services for uncontested divorces, simple wills, and basic estate planning — directly addressing parts of Sterling's addressable market.
• Clio: Leading cloud-based legal practice management software for solo and small law firms. Adjacent to Sterling's operations rather than a competitor, but defines the technology ecosystem this firm could adopt to scale beyond its current standard-website setup.
• Martindale-Hubbell: Long-standing legal directory and peer-review rating service used by consumer-facing law firms for credibility signaling and client referrals. Sterling's bar association credentials parallel the kind of professional recognition Martindale-Hubbell surfaces.
• Rocket Lawyer: Subscription-based online legal services platform offering document preparation and on-call attorney consultations. An alternative channel that competes for Sterling's family law and estate planning prospects seeking lower-cost self-service options.
• FindLaw: Thomson Reuters-owned legal marketing and directory platform serving small and mid-size law firms. Comparable as the same vendor/lead-gen ecosystem Sterling relies on for online visibility.
• MyCase: Legal practice management platform with client portal, billing, and document automation aimed at small consumer-facing firms. Adjacent enabling technology for the same solo/small law firm segment Sterling operates in.
• LegalZoom: Online legal services platform providing automated wills, trusts, and basic estate planning documents. Competes with Sterling's estate planning service line for cost-conscious clients seeking transactional (non-litigation) legal work.

Direct peers

• McKinley Irvin: Seattle-based family law firm with multiple Washington offices practicing divorce, custody, and family-related matters across the same Puget Sound geography as Sterling Law. Closest comparable regional peer given overlapping practice mix, geography, and target clientele.
• Cordell & Cordell: National family law firm specializing in divorce, custody, and family law representation, with a Washington State footprint. Directly comparable on the family law service line Sterling offers, though operating at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/law-office-of-donna-person-smith

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Law Office of Donna Person Smith