By Loretta Story
As Mary Sakaguchi prepares to step into the role of KCBA President, she brings with her a career defined by service, collaboration, and care for families navigating difficult transitions.
Mary graduated from Loyola School of Law in 2002 and practiced family law in California for the subsequent five years. She took her Collaborative Law (CL) training in California in 2005 and began practicing CL thereafter. Notably, California introduced CL to the practice of family law in the 1990s, some ten years before Washington did.
Mary relocated to Washington state in 2006 and soon began practicing family law. Unique in her practice, she approaches all of her cases — whether it be litigation, mediation, or Collaborative Law — with the basic goal of assisting the client and the family, rather than “winning” or “getting the most” for her client.
Over the 20 years that I have personally known Mary, I have been fortunate enough to work with her in various capacities, including as opposing counsel in litigation, as the mediator, and as the other party’s attorney in Collaborative cases. In each and every case, Mary has represented her client to the fullest, identifying all the legal issues and having her client well prepared. She demonstrates professionalism and is always respectful. Yet she also has the ability to show compassion and understanding for the other side.
“I’ve had the opportunity to witness Mary’s thoughtful leadership and collaborative spirit,” said Cynthia B. Jones, founding attorney at Jones Legal Group, LLC. “She brings both vision and humility to her work, and I know the KCBA is in exceptionally capable hands with Mary at the helm.”
In addition to practicing law, Mary manages to find time to volunteer in the legal community, and the breadth of that commitment is remarkable.
She championed the low-bono family law program for WSBA, a model that sits between traditional pro bono (free) and standard-rate legal services, allowing attorneys to take on family law clients at reduced fees. The program is designed to reach families whose incomes put them just above the threshold for free legal aid, yet still far out of reach of typical attorney rates — a gap that so often goes unaddressed. For families in the middle of a divorce or custody dispute, having even limited access to a skilled family law attorney can be the difference between a fair resolution and an overwhelming, lonely struggle through the court system.
She has also served on the Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) Board for ten years, including one year as president, and continues to volunteer for ELAP’s Family Law Clinics. Founded in 1989, ELAP is a nonprofit dedicated to making the legal system more accessible to those most in need, providing free or low-cost civil legal services to low-income residents of East, Northeast, and Southeast King County, as well as to domestic violence survivors throughout the county. For many clients, it may be the only time they have ever spoken with a lawyer. For Mary, showing up to staff those clinics year after year is simply part of the job.
She continues to serve in the Collaborative Law community by sitting on the King County Collaborative Law (KCCL) Board, as well as chairing and participating in various committees. KCCL is a nonprofit association of independent Collaborative Law practitioners whose mission is to help its members successfully provide Collaborative Practice services to their clients by building community, expanding public awareness, and fostering professional excellence. The Collaborative Law process is a way of helping people resolve disputes by working together respectfully to find their own interest-based, equitable resolutions. This approach aligns naturally with Mary’s foundational belief that the goal of family law is not to “win,” but to help families move forward.
Mary was also instrumental in the passage of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act (UCLA), RCW 7.77, which took effect in Washington in 2013. The Act governs how the Collaborative Law process is conducted, requiring parties to sign a participation agreement stating their intention to resolve their matter collaboratively, and establishing that once the process begins, it operates as a stay of any pending court proceeding. Critically, the law also enshrines protections for the process itself, including confidentiality provisions and disqualification rules that ensure Collaborative lawyers cannot later appear as adversarial counsel, preserving the integrity of the Collaborative approach. Mary was already an experienced Collaborative Law practitioner when she moved to Washington and worked tirelessly for nearly three years to see the UCLA signed into law. Her journey is a testament to how deeply she believes in giving families a better path through one of the hardest seasons of their lives.
Mary is also a member of the statewide Collaborative organization Collaborative Professionals of Washington and served on its board. She is currently co-chairing “Access to Collaborative,” which is a program for parties to enable participation in a Collaborative Law divorce when their income or assets would typically not allow them access to the Collaborative process. In addition, she served on the KCBA Board as the Eastside Representative for a partial term when the Honorable Susan Amini was appointed to the bench, and then was elected to serve a full term. She has also served as 2nd Vice President and then 1st Vice President over the past two years.
Mary and her husband, Joe, have two children, Ellie and Chloe. Ellie just finished her freshman year at the University of Hawaii and Chloe is a junior at Juanita High School. Both girls were involved in club volleyball, which includes tournaments around the state. With a focus on balancing family and her law practice, there was little time left for hobbies. However, she and Joe have their eyes pointed toward travel. Not long ago, Mary promised their daughter Ellie that if she became fluent in Japanese while in high school, she and Joe would take the whole family to Japan. Mission accomplished! Summer 2025 marked the family’s first international vacation to Japan and they are now hoping for more.
As incoming president, Mary’s primary goal is to have KCBA continue to make a difference in our community. She wants to further promote the development of that lofty ambition and extend it to reach our legal community while continuing our incredible history of making a memorable impact on those we serve.
“Mary is an outstanding leader with a rare combination of traits,” said Sidney Tribe, previous president of KCBA. “She leads and participates in discussions with a measured, inclusive, and empathetic aspect, but when it comes to expressing her own viewpoint and reaching decisions, she is passionate and powerful in her advocacy. She knows the best results come when leaders are both open-minded listeners and also strongly principled.”
Mary’s presidency represents a great opportunity for KCBA as she blends her unique value system with a history of compassion, access to justice and collaboration as well as service to the community. It is with great honor that I have the opportunity to share Mary’s background with KCBA members and give a bit of insight into a truly exceptional leader and a wonderful role model.
Loretta Story is the founder of Story Law in Bellevue where she focuses on Collaborative Family Law and compassionate dispute resolution.
