GSJones Law Group, P.S.

Bios

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  David Jones

  Managing Partner

  FOCUS ON DIVORCE and CHILD CUSTODY 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN KITSAP COUNTY David Jones began practicing family law, including divorce and child custody cases in Kitsap County 24 years ago. In fact, all aspects of family law form the focus of his practice. For the last 16 years, he has worked exclusively in family law in Port Orchard. If you fear your family law case will go to trial, choose David Jones and his extensive trial experience and in-depth knowledge of how best to tailor his argument to the individual judges in the county. He also serves as a judge pro tem for the Kitsap County Superior Court. In this role, he puts his years of experience serving as a commissioner for settlement conferences to assist people to settle their issues. HELPS PEOPLE WORK OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES AND GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES Although David is in front of a judge an average of three days a week, in more than 90% of his cases, he helps people work out their differences and get on with their lives. He sees each case as unique and works to craft agreements that fit each distinctive situation. Whether it is necessary to litigate the case or possible to negotiate a settlement, David Jones will stand with you. He is outstanding in educating his clients on the law and coaching them through crises. As a result, he assists you in making reasoned decisions in difficult times. He has worked on some of the most difficult child custody issues in the county, including several trials on relocation of children. David’s own two children form a touchstone when helping people through the child custody process. David is an active member in the Port Orchard community. He is a member of the South Kitsap Rotary and was named Rotarian of the Year in 2013-2014, as well. David is well-regarded in the legal community. He was voted best attorney in South Kitsap in 2011 and was runner-up in 2012. He currently assists other attorneys to gain family law knowledge by teaching continuing legal education seminars in Kitsap County.

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  John Groseclose

  Partner

  21 YEARS FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE INJURED AND REPRESENTING SPOUSES AND CHILDREN John Groseclose has represented clients like you for 18 years. As a trial attorney, he has successfully obtained settlements in many family law and personal injury cases. In addition, he has extensive experience in the courtroom. As a family law attorney, he assists people in divorce, parenting plans, and child support. These include both straightforward and very complex cases, both amicable or hotly contested. As a guardian ad litem, he represents the interests of minors and has been appointed in that capacity by the courts. He also trains other attorneys in Continuing Legal Education classes through the bar association. BROAD LEGAL KNOWLEDGE, SUCCESSFUL RESULTS In personal injury work, he represents the injured party. The most common types of cases involve motor vehicle accidents and slip/trip and fall cases. John says, “If you are injured, you are almost always going to come out of the situation better with the help of an attorney. Attorneys usually make little decisions over a period of time that has a big cumulative effect.” He is an EAGLE member of the Washington State Association for Justice, an organization that connects lawyers who focus on holding powerful wrongdoers accountable. Through this organization, John Groseclose has resources and a network of other attorneys around the state who support one another in achieving justice for you and others in the courtroom. John’s strength lies in his ability to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a case and plan accordingly. As a result, his broad knowledge of the law and years of experience mean he regularly achieves successful results for his clients.

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  Norman K Short

  Partner

  BUSINESS LAW, ESTATE PLANNING LAW, TAX LAW AND IRS REPRESENTATION Norman K Short (Norm) focuses on tax, estate planning, and business law. If you need tax planning, IRS representation, tax compliance advice, or probate, Norm has the experience you are looking for. While Norm often represents individuals, he also has extensive experience with businesses in many aspects of commercial law. Especially relevant is his experience as a general corporate counsel. Also noteworthy is his experience forming new businesses. He also serves as a general accounting advisor to businesses. With this comprehensive set of skills, you can feel confident in consulting Norm about your personal and business finances. Norm is one of the few attorneys in Kitsap County with wide experience in representing clients before the IRS. He is especially skilled in using the IRS offers in compromise rules. 27 YEARS BUSINESS AND TAX LAW EXPERIENCE WITH AN ADVANCED DEGREE IN TAX LAW AND A CPA DESIGNATION Norm is admitted to practice law in the State of Washington, United States District Court, United States Tax Court, United States Bankruptcy Court, as well as the Internal Revenue Service. Norm and his family are proud Kitsap County residents. They live near the Hood Canal where he and his wife joyfully raise their three sons.

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  Megan Quirk

  Associate

  ELDER LAW: HELPING CLIENTS NAVIGATE DIFFICULT TIMES IN LIFE AND DEATH WITH COMPASSION AND ADVOCACY. Megan Quirk is an Elder Law attorney specializing in estate planning, guardianship, probate, and Medicaid planning. Clients appreciate her warmth and intelligence. Megan’s down-to-earth approach and ability to break down complex legal issues into understandable terms allows her clients to have confidence in their decisions.. When not working, Megan spends her time with her husband and two daughters, enjoying the outdoors and shuttling her kids to endless soccer.

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  Kathleen Rice

  Of Counsel

  FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY SKILLED IN NEGOTIATION, ANALYSIS, STRATEGY, AND COMMUNICATION Kathleen Rice began her career practicing law as a candidate attorney in South Africa in 1996 with a focus on family and property law. Today she lives in Kitsap County and has returned to working with clients on family law issues, such as divorce and child custody. She also advocates for tenants in landlord-tenant disputes. During her time in South Africa, she came to focus on telecommunication, broadcasting, media, and technology law both as a university lecturer and an attorney. She was admitted to the Washington State bar in 2020. She also works with Kitsap Legal Services as a volunteer helping their clients with family law issues and as a contract attorney in tenant disputes. MAKING FAMILY LAW CASES CLEARER, EASIER, AND LESS EXPENSIVE FOR HER CLIENTS That is always Kathleen Rice’s goal. Key to that, she believes, is identifying the core issues for her clients. Her strongest motivation is that each client is satisfied with the outcome of the case. She brings many skills honed in corporate suites and high-stakes litigation to her work representing people with their very personal crises - skills such as negotiation, strategy, analysis, and communication. To all those skills she adds her passion for the law and a commitment to making justice accessible to the average person. In South Africa, her clients included multinational corporations many of whom are household names. She has been recognized by international ranking agencies as outstanding in those fields of law many times and was advisor on the ITU digital finance group, a program funded by the Gates Foundation. Kathleen was a director at DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, one of South Africa’s top law firms, which was, at the time, a South African associate for DLA Piper LLP, one of the world’s largest law firms. Kathleen continues to provide South African legal advice to several South African and multinational companies, including companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange. A NATURAL FOR OUR PENINSULA LIFE Kathleen Rice enjoys dancing, cycling and hiking. She began volunteering at West Sound Wildlife Shelter in 2014 as a wildlife rehabilitator and education bird handler. Her favorite is the Turkey Vulture, Princess Remi. She is married to Chris and has two wonderful stepchildren, Hunter and Taylor. Her daughter Thandi lives in South Africa.

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  Douglas Somers

  48 Years in Civil Litigation

  You won’t find a more experienced civil law practitioner in Kitsap County than Douglas Somers. He loves working with clients. “Each case is different, bringing its own challenges and plenty of variety,” he says. While he has tried 80 cases to verdict, he strives toward a solid settlement. His experience has taught him that a good settlement puts more money in his plaintiff’s pocket more quickly. Every plaintiff dealing with an insurance company or corporation needs an attorney like Douglas. For 16 years he represented insurance companies and major businesses in injury litigation, including heading up the in-house legal arm of a major corporation. This extensive background provides the knowledge and insight that few attorneys representing injured people have. It translates into the best settlement you can expect. He has tried over 80 cases but settled many more. “I love trying cases but compromise saves the client money and time.” Put simply, Douglas knows how the adjusters think. He knows when an offer is too low and can benefit from negotiation or additional information. He also knows when the adjuster is not likely to go higher. He also knows Kitsap County courts and jurors and can provide excellent advice on your decision about proceeding to trial. With all the major clients he represented he got the most satisfaction from representing a young boy in a product liability case against a major drug manufacturer. Douglas settled the case for $4.5 million for the totally disabled boy. Perhaps, more importantly, the drug company had to take the drug off the market, saving thousands of other children. It had failed to test the drug on children or label it with the correct dosages for children.

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