Chief Executive Officer | Pacific Northwest Family Law
Scott Ashby was visiting Disneyland with his daughters when a man approached him. Scott didn’t recognize him at first, but the man introduced himself as a former client.
He wanted to say thank you.
Because of Scott’s work, the man explained, he was now able to bring his own children to Disneyland. That hadn’t been possible before.
Scott had spent much of his legal career representing major corporations in disputes involving millions of dollars. He had won significant motions, handled complicated litigation, and helped businesses resolve costly disputes. A successful result might earn a polite thank-you from a corporate executive before everyone returned to business.
But here was a father, standing in Disneyland with his children, thanking him for something that had changed his family life.
The dollar amounts in family law might be smaller, but the stakes are higher.
Today, Scott is Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Northwest Family Law, where he oversees the firm’s legal practice, guides attorneys and case strategy, and brings decades of litigation experience to the problems families face.
A Long Way from the Farm
Scott grew up on a farm near Quincy, Washington. At Central Washington University, he found an important mentor in economics professor Wolfgang Franz, whose work examined how courts measure financial damages.
Franz recognized Scott’s abilities as a writer, and the two collaborated on an article concerning the calculation of future employment benefits in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Their work appeared in the Journal of Forensic Economics in 1991.
Scott went on to Cornell Law School, where he became managing editor of the Cornell Law Review.
After graduating in 1993, he hoped to return to the Pacific Northwest, but opportunities led him to Phoenix. There, he built a career in commercial litigation, working for major national and international law firms.
His work included representing Bridgestone Corporation, the Japanese parent company, in major tire-related litigation involving questions of corporate responsibility and jurisdiction. Other cases involved international commercial contracts, environmental liability, bankruptcy, and substantial financial disputes.
Scott appeared in federal and appellate courts, developed complex legal arguments, worked with expert witnesses, and negotiated under pressure. He also learned how large law firms operated, including practices he had no desire to reproduce in a firm of his own.
When circumstances eventually brought him back to Washington, he brought experience acquired through years of demanding litigation.
The Twelve-Dollar Lamp
During a divorce mediation, Scott’s client and the opposing party spent the day dividing houses, vehicles, retirement accounts, and investments. By the end, they had agreed on everything except one item.
A lamp.
Neither party would give it up. Scott finally asked his client why it mattered so much.
It didn’t. The lamp had cost about twelve dollars at Target.
Then why insist on keeping it?
Because the client couldn’t bear to let the other spouse win the last argument.
Scott spoke with the opposing attorney, and they found a solution: donate the lamp to Goodwill. Neither party would get it. The settlement was complete.
The problem had never been the lamp.
Years of litigation had taught Scott to look beyond what people claimed to be fighting about. Sometimes resolving a dispute requires an unexpected compromise. Sometimes it means preparing for trial. And sometimes it means challenging an unfavorable court ruling.
Scott was among the relatively small number of attorneys trained in collaborative divorce in Eastern Washington during the practice’s early development in the region. He later trained other Pacific Northwest Family Law attorneys in the collaborative process.
His appellate work reflects another side of his approach. In Cromer v. Thorn, he represented a mother defending a substantial child-support judgment after the trial court set it aside. The Washington Court of Appeals reversed the trial court and reinstated the judgment.
Scott doesn’t believe every dispute should be settled at any cost, or that every disagreement deserves a courtroom battle.
The challenge is knowing the difference.
Building a Different Kind of Law Firm
Scott founded Ashby Law in 2012, bringing his commercial-litigation experience to a practice focused on families.
He wanted to avoid the pressure he had experienced at larger firms, particularly the expectation that attorneys must continually find new clients to justify their positions.
He developed an intake system that separated client acquisition from the legal work attorneys were trained to perform. He also took responsibility for ensuring that the firm generated sufficient work for its lawyers.
Attorneys could concentrate on preparing cases, communicating with clients, developing strategies, and practicing law.
As Chief Executive Officer, Scott continues to guide major business decisions while overseeing the firm’s legal practice. He supervises attorneys, evaluates difficult legal questions, and helps develop litigation and appellate strategies. He also reviews incoming appellate matters and personally handles selected appellate representations.
His role is primarily one of leadership, supervision, and specialized appellate work rather than personally representing the firm’s ordinary divorce clients in trial court.
The firm has grown considerably from its beginnings, but the purpose Scott found in family law remains close to the experience of that father at Disneyland.
A legal dispute may involve complicated statutes, financial calculations, and contentious negotiations. Its consequences, however, are lived outside the courtroom.
Professional Background
Education
- J.D., Cornell Law School, 1993
- Managing Editor, Cornell Law Review, 1992–1993
- B.S., Economics, summa cum laude, Central Washington University, 1990; minor in English
Bar Admissions and Courts
- Arizona, 1993
- Washington, 2004
- Idaho, 2025
- Admitted to practice in multiple federal district and appellate courts, including the Fifth Circuit, D.C. Circuit, Federal Circuit, and Eastern District of Washington
Selected Appellate Cases
- Cromer v. Thorn (Washington Court of Appeals, 2015). Represented the prevailing party in an appeal resulting in reinstatement of a child-support judgment.
- CoBiz Bank v. Grace Capital (Arizona Court of Appeals, 2012). Represented the prevailing bank in a commercial appeal concerning loan obligations and guarantees.
- Braspetro Oil Services Co. v. MODEC (Fifth Circuit, 2007). Served as counsel in federal appellate litigation involving international commercial contracts and a forum-selection dispute.
- World Resources Company v. Roosevelt Irrigation District (Arizona Court of Appeals, 2012). Represented the appellant in litigation concerning pre-litigation privilege and claims arising from environmental liability disputes.
Selected Publications
- Wolfgang W. Franz and Scott T. Ashby, “Calculating Future Fringe Benefits in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Cases,” Journal of Forensic Economics, Vol. 4, No. 2 (1991), pp. 245–246.
- “Pre-Bankruptcy Foreclosures After BFP,” The Practical Lawyer (1995).
- “Construction Dispute Resolution,” Arizona Registrar of Contractors Newsletter (2005).
Professional Service and Recognition
- Washington State Bar Association, Disciplinary Board, 2023–2026
- Washington State Bar Association, Editorial Advisory Committee
- Collaborative Professionals of Washington, board service
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, member
- The Best Lawyers in America, Collaborative Law: Family Law, 2027
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent peer rating
Personal
Scott has been married for more than four decades and is the father of six children. His family, including his grandchildren, remains an important part of his life.