Chief Operating Officer & Family Law Attorney
Zachary C Ashby is the Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Northwest Family Law and an experienced family-law attorney. Today, much of his work focuses on leading the firm, mentoring attorneys, improving systems, and helping lawyers work through difficult strategic decisions. He continues to handle selected legal matters, with experience in family law, estate planning, and probate.
Helping Lawyers and Clients Make Better Decisions
Zachary has always been drawn to teaching. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked in academia and earned a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He later found that same interest in teaching carried naturally into legal practice.
Clients often come to family law with strong opinions from friends, relatives, social media, and online forums. Zachary believes they need clear explanations of the law, the likely outcomes, and the risks of each choice. His goal is to help people understand enough to make sound decisions for themselves and their families.
That same approach now shapes much of his work with attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law. Zachary regularly helps lawyers think through case strategy, difficult client situations, workload, and professional development. He wants attorneys to become more capable and independent while still having experienced people available when a case becomes difficult.
A Practical View of Family Law
Zachary believes family law matters because it affects the parts of life people value most. Divorce, parenting disputes, and financial conflict can make people feel as if their lives have fallen apart.
He sees the lawyer’s role as helping clients regain perspective, understand their options, and build a path forward.
When possible, Zachary believes cases should be resolved by agreement if the result is as good as, or better than, what the client is likely to receive at trial. That requires careful preparation and an honest understanding of the possible outcomes. Some cases need litigation. When they do, clients should understand the risks, costs, and reasons for going forward.
In parenting cases, Zachary also believes family relationships can survive the end of a marriage. Parents may never become friends, but they often need to communicate for years. Tone, word choice, and old resentment can make that harder. Clear communication and realistic expectations can help protect the relationship between parents and children.
Building a Better Law Firm
Zachary’s experience as a lawyer has strongly influenced how he approaches the business side of Pacific Northwest Family Law.
Family-law attorneys make difficult decisions for people who are often under enormous stress. Zachary believes lawyers need good support, useful systems, experienced colleagues, and enough professional distance to think clearly.
As Chief Operating Officer, he helps lead the firm’s operations, business strategy, marketing, and finance. He also works on systems designed to help attorneys spend more of their time on legal judgment, strategy, communication, and advocacy.
Zachary sees marketing as another form of teaching. Good marketing should help people understand their problems, their options, and what they should expect from a law firm. He approaches attorney mentoring in much the same way. The goal is to explain clearly, give people useful tools, and help them make better decisions.
Legal Experience
Zachary’s legal experience includes:
- Divorce and parenting cases
- Property division and high-asset divorce
- Cases involving family-owned businesses
- Adoption
- Estate planning
- Special needs trusts
- Probate
- Trials and appeals
He was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2015 and the Idaho State Bar in 2025. He has served on the Washington State Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee and has presented continuing legal education programs on estate planning and special needs trusts.
Education, Languages, and Background
Zachary earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, his Ph.D. from Stanford University, and his law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU.
He lived in Spain for two years and has spent years studying language and culture. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, some French, and Ancient Greek. He has represented clients in both English and Spanish.
Zachary is from Quincy, Washington, and has also lived in Arizona, Utah, and California. He still considers Washington home.
Outside the Office
Outside work, Zachary enjoys running, exercise, fishing, reading, games, studying languages, and studying scripture.
His wife and children are the most important part of his life. That perspective also shapes the way he thinks about the firm. Pacific Northwest Family Law is designed to help families move through crisis, protect what matters, and build something stable on the other side.
Schedule A Consultation With Our Team Today
If you are facing a family law dispute, seek legal representation from our family law legal team as soon as possible. Let us review the details of your case and aggressively pursue the outcome you desire. Schedule a consultation by calling us today.