Adrienne D. McEntee
Of Counsel | Seattle
Areas of Practice
Adrienne McEntee is a seasoned trial lawyer with more than two decades of courtroom experience. She has successfully represented clients in high-stakes trust and estate litigation, and consumer and commercial disputes, bringing her blend of trial skill and strategic judgment to every matter. Adrienne has tried approximately 50 cases to verdict and has briefed, argued, and prevailed before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Washington State Court of Appeals.
Adrienne has practiced in the area of trust and estate litigation since 2009. She has guided individuals and families through difficult and sensitive conflicts, including will contests, disputes regarding trusts, breach of fiduciary duty claims, financial exploitation allegations, disagreements over durable powers of attorney, other matters brought under the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act (TEDRA), and actions filed under the Vulnerable Adult Protection Act. Adrienne has achieved favorable results in trust and estate matters at trial, arbitration, and mediation.
Adrienne graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003, where she was a member of the Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal and Moot Court Honor Board. She obtained her LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law in 2008. Prior to joining Stokes Lawrence, she was a member of Terrell Marshall Law Group, PLLC for 11 years. Before entering private practice, Adrienne worked with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted a broad range of crimes, including the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.
Across her career, Adrienne has earned a reputation as a trusted advocate who combines rigorous preparation with the ability to connect with judges and juries alike, making her a powerful ally for clients facing complex disputes.
Admissions
- Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Second Circuit Court of Appeals
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Federal Circuit Court
- United States Tax Court
Education
- University of Washington School of Law, LL.M. in Taxation
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University of Washington School of Law, J.D.
- Articles Editor, Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal
- Executive Board Member, Moot Court Honor Board
- Executive Board Member, Student Bar Association
- University of Washington, B.A.
Recognition & Honors
- Selected for inclusion as a Washington Super Lawyer, 2018-present
Representative Work
Trust & Estate Litigation
- Prevailed in trial court on behalf of trust beneficiaries in removal of trustee accused of financial exploitation.
- Represented adult children of vulnerable adults in action against sibling accused of financial exploitation and emotional abuse, resulting in settlement that protected the vulnerable adults’ interests.
- Represented adult child in probate dispute in which deceased father was accused of transferring assets to child to avoid creditors, eventually settling at mediation.
- Represented siblings in probate dispute against personal representatives accused of self-dealing that led to receiving more of deceased parent’s business, resulting in favorable settlement.
- Represented surviving spouse in dispute with brother-in-law after Department of Retirement Services notified her that deceased husband’s estranged brother was named beneficiary of decedent’s retirement plan, eventually settling at mediation.
- Represented trustee in contest initiated by her sister to challenge amounts their deceased mother left to trustee’s children, eventually settling at mediation.
- Represented vulnerable adult in action against her son who was accused of having misappropriated nearly half a million dollars from her, eventually settling at mediation.
Real Estate/Commercial Disputes
- Prevailed on appeal on behalf of business owner accused of breaching an easement agreement, resulting in loss of access to a drive aisle on a commercial parcel. The Court of Appeals rejected the plaintiff's argument that a building on the business owner's property should be torn down because when compared to the hardship of tearing down a permanent structure, the hardship of losing the right to access one of the drive aisles pales in comparison. White Water Inv., LLC v. Cool Beans Eastlake, LLC, 2015 WL 1453458 (Div I March 23, 2015) (unpublished).
- Represented homeowner in judicial foreclosure action by bank. Successfully precluded bank’s motion for summary judgment in arguing genuine issues of material fact surrounded bank’s duties under Truth in Lending Act, resulting in favorable settlement.
- Represented developer in jury trial regarding breach of contract claim against seller who refused to close after receiving valuable option payments. Following jury’s verdict for developer, trial court entered million-dollar judgment against seller.
- Prevailed at trial in easement dispute on behalf of developer where adjoining landowner alleged breach of easement and sought to enjoin construction of multi-million-dollar mixed-use development.
- Prevailed at trial in defense of homeowner association and individual board members, after seven homeowners sued board and its members for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
- Represented developer at trial in breach of contract dispute over option to purchase multi-million-dollar commercial building, recovering developer’s option payments, hundreds of thousands of dollars in feasibility investments, and attorneys’ fees.
- Represented car dealership in breach of contract and receivership action by bank seeking recovery of several million dollars on flooring line. Shortly after successfully defending against bank’s petition for receivership, bank dismissed its lawsuit.
Consumer Litigation
- Pursued class action litigation on behalf of millions of consumers who received telemarketing calls on their cellular and residential telephones without their prior express consent, resulting in aggregate court-approved settlements of more than $40 million.
Publications & Presentations
- "Committed Intimate Relationships: What Every T&E Litigator Needs to Know," Washington State Bar Association, 20th Annual Trust & Estate Litigation Seminar (Apr. 2023)
- "The Initial Hearing: Preparing for & Attending," King County Bar Association, TEDRA ON TAP: Half-Day Primer for Trust and Estate Litigation in Washington (June 2018)
- "The Bench and the Experts Weigh In," Washington State Bar Association, 14th Annual Trust & Estate Litigation Seminar: A Statewide Perspective on Trust and Estate Litigation (Apr. 2017)
- "Characterization of Retirement Assets," Probate Litigation: Non-TEDRA Causes of Action and Alternatives CLE (2015)
- "Case Law Updates with Insight from the Appellate Bench," Washington State Bar Association, 12th Annual Trust & Estate Litigation Seminar (2015)
- "Mine, Yours, Ours? Dissecting the Character of Assets Post-Death," Washington State Bar Association, Real Property, Probate & Trust Section Newsletter (2015)
- The Failure of Domestic and International Mechanisms to Redress the Harmful Effects of Australian Immigration Detention, 12 Pac. Rim L. & Policy Journal 263 (2003)
Professional & Community Activities
- Washington State Bar Association
- Real Property Probate and Trust Section
- Elder Law Section
- Washington Women Lawyers
- Judicial Evaluation Committee
- Flying House Productions
- Board of Directors, Former Member
Background & Interests
Outside of the office, Adrienne enjoys time with her family and fur babies.
