• Jennifer J. Payseno
• David Starks
• Elizabeth Hershman-Greven
• Sharon L. Friedrich
• Justin Sedell
• Jessica T. Moore
• Elizabeth Bianchi
• Laura Carlsen
• Rita Herrera Irvin
• Sands McKinley

David Starks

Partner

• Divorce
• Complex Divorce
• International Divorce and Child Custody
• Hague Convention Cases
• Relocation
• International Relocation
• Child Support Modifications
• Parenting Plan Modifications

Download and print this profile: Wa_Divorce_Attorney_DAVID_STARKS

David Starks is a strategic thinker, a gifted advocate, and a warm "people person"--qualities that serve his clients well. A McKinley Irvin partner, David focuses his practice on divorce cases involving the protection, valuation, and distribution of significant assets or business interests, as well as other family law matters, including international divorce and family law.

"Practicing family law is emotionally satisfying for me," says the honors law graduate who has been named a Seattle Rising Star by Washington Law & Politics Magazine. "I much prefer the personal connection that comes with protecting the rights of my clients and their families to the impersonal process of representing corporations. People rely on me to guide them and safeguard their interests during one of the most challenging times of their lives, and that is exactly what I do."

David knows what he is talking about. Although he began his family law career as a student intern with McKinley Irvin, he practiced maritime and securities law in federal court following graduation from law school in 1998, gaining significant negotiation and litigation experience in the process. It wasn't long, however, before he began to miss the human interaction he experienced as a family law attorney.

"My clients are real people leading active lives with so much riding on the outcome of their cases. I don't forget that," David insists. “Their concerns are my concerns. Their stress is my stress. Their worries are my worries."

"Whether I am at the negotiating table or in the courtroom, I am always ready to resolve the case in the best interest of the person I represent."

"You wake up a little earlier than the other guy. You work a little later. And you make sure you've done everything you can. That's what family law is all about."

--Partner David Starks

While he focuses largely on complex divorce and family law cases, David is also one of a select few family law attorneys whose practice emphasizes international law and treaties, including the Hague Conventions on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the Recovery of Child Support.

"These cases move fast and the stakes are very high," David notes. "You have to come out prepared and you have to do it right."

EDUCATION

• J.D., cum laude, Seattle University School of Law
• B.A., English, Cum Laude Southern Indiana University
• First Place and Best Brief, Seattle University Intellectual Property Competition.
• Regional Finalist, J. Giles Sutherland Intellectual Property Competition.
• Regional Finalist, American Trial Lawyers Association Moot Court Competition.
• Awarded National Membership in The Order of Barristers

IN THE MEDIA

• David Starks on Legal Line with Bob Pittman on KTTH
• In Any Tongue, It’s Still 'Goodbye', Washington Law & Politics, Winter, 2009.

IN THE COMMUNITY

• WSBA Professionalism Committee '04-'06
• Tacoma YMCA Board of Governors '00-'01

RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

• David Starks, International Family Law - The Hague Convention CLE
• David Starks, Equal Custody: As published in the King County Bar Association Bulletin
• David Starks, The Globalization of Family Law: as published in the King County Bar Association Bulletin
• David Starks, "Shared" Custody is Now Shared
• David Starks, The Globalization of Family Law
• David Starks, The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
• David Starks, International Travel with Children: Identification Requirements
• David Starks, Faculty, WSBA Family Law Bootcamp, Fall 2009
• David Starks, Moderator, NBI Domestic Violence: A View from the Bench, Winter 2009

McKinley Irvin proudly serves Washington State with offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Puyallup and Gig Harbor.

For more information about McKinley Irvin, or to contact us about your case, click here.