Attorney | Yakima
“Everyone has a story that matters, whether you agree or not.”
Todd Swensen has spent much of his legal career hearing people tell very different versions of the same events. He has represented people accused of serious crimes, prosecuted others, and handled disputes in which the consequences could change a person’s life.
Through those experiences, he has developed a particular appreciation for the difference between understanding someone’s point of view and agreeing with it.
Todd explains:
“In representing people as a lawyer, it’s so important to be empathetic about a client’s circumstances and to put yourself in their shoes to see it from their perspective.”
Today, as a family-law attorney with Pacific Northwest Family Law in Yakima, that perspective is particularly valuable. Divorce and parenting disputes often involve people who have shared years of their lives but have profoundly different ideas about what happened, what is fair, and what should happen next.
Todd understands that the emotions can be intense, the stakes substantial, and the legal questions complicated. He also knows that an attorney must be able to listen carefully without losing sight of the facts.
He brings substantial litigation experience to his family-law practice, along with practical knowledge of the Yakima domestic court. He is comfortable handling difficult personalities and contentious proceedings, but he doesn’t believe that every disagreement needs to become a courtroom battle.
For clients facing disputes over children, property, or their financial future, Todd offers a steady presence, careful judgment, and a willingness to fight when the circumstances require it.
From Eastern Washington to the World—and Back
Todd grew up near Moses Lake, Washington. After the Soviet Union collapsed, he traveled to Eastern Europe as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He encountered families living through enormous changes in their communities and institutions. The experience broadened his perspective on the relationship between law, government, and ordinary people’s lives.
He went on to study International Relations at Brigham Young University before earning his law degree from Gonzaga University.
His legal career subsequently took him far beyond Eastern Washington, with work in the United States and overseas. He gained experience representing defendants, handling appeals, and later prosecuting serious federal crimes as an Assistant United States Attorney in Yakima.
His documented work includes murder, assault, firearms, and drug-trafficking prosecutions, as well as appellate cases addressing criminal-law questions.
Todd eventually made his home and civilian legal practice in Yakima, not far from where he grew up.
Today, his colleagues value the breadth of his experience, particularly when family-law matters intersect with military service or criminal-law issues.
For Todd, good representation begins with understanding the client as a person rather than merely as a collection of legal problems. What does the client fear losing? What does a reasonable future look like? Which disagreements are worth taking to court, and which might be resolved without making an already difficult situation worse?
He believes that even painful family disputes can sometimes be resolved in ways that leave everyone better positioned to move forward.
“Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding divorce or child custody matters, resolution can be done in ways where everyone benefits—and is done in a peaceful manner.”
Of course, that isn’t always possible. Todd has spent too much time in court to mistake a preference for peaceful resolutions for an inability to litigate.
He understands both the value of a reasonable agreement and the importance of being prepared when one cannot be reached.
Beyond the Courtroom
Todd and his wife have raised five children. His family and faith remain central to his life.
He enjoys history, cooking, gardening, and exploring Eastern Washington. He has also taken up beekeeping, a pursuit that offers its own opportunities to observe complicated social behavior.
After years of practicing law in different places and circumstances, Todd is once again living and working in the part of Washington where his own story began.
Professional Background
Education
- Gonzaga University School of Law, J.D., 2006
- Brigham Young University, B.A., International Relations
Bar Admissions
- Washington, 2007
Professional Experience
- Attorney, Pacific Northwest Family Law, Yakima
- Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of Washington
- Trial, appellate, and civil litigation experience in prior government service
Military Service
- Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force Reserve
Selected Federal Litigation
- United States v. Tahsheena Sam (2024) — Member of the federal prosecution team in a second-degree murder case resolved by a guilty plea.
- United States v. Joey Anthony Andy (2024) — Co-prosecutor in an assault case resulting in a jury conviction.
- United States v. Leo John Yallup (2024) — Co-prosecutor in a case involving assault on federal officers.
- United States v. Alexander Scott Stevens (2023) — Prosecuted a federal firearms case involving stolen weapons.
- United States v. Jesse Lee Johnson (2024) — Prosecuted a federal drug-trafficking case.
- United States v. Michael Ryan Shoemaker (2022) — Prosecuted a federal drug-distribution case.
Selected Appellate Litigation
- United States v. Mangahas (2018) — Member of the appellant’s counsel team in an appeal addressing the statute of limitations for a serious criminal charge.
- United States v. Lopez (2018) — Appellate defense counsel in a criminal appeal; findings and sentence affirmed.
- United States v. Hamilton (2019) — Argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in an appeal involving the admissibility of victim-impact evidence.
Languages
- English
- Ukrainian — Professional working proficiency
- Russian — Limited working proficiency