Meet Your Experienced Team
Palace Law is built on the idea that every client deserves a competent team of legal professionals to handle all aspects of their case. At Palace Law, every client is assigned a team to work on each case. Our teams are comprised of attorneys and legal professionals. Please take a moment to learn about the attorneys at Palace Law and the legal professionals that make up our legal teams.
- Sandra Garrison, Paralegal
- Cheryl Gorder, Paralegal
- Stacey Malaspino, Paralegal
- Tanya Mitchell, Litigation Paralegal
- Brittany Noren, Litigation Paralegal
- Marianne Powers, Litigation Paralegal
- Kristi Richardson, Paralegal
- Brian Smalley, Paralegal
Sandra Garrison
Sandra Garrison was born in Montana, but soon after, her family moved to Aberdeen, Washington, where she lived until she moved to the Seattle area in the early 80s. Sandra has always been very creative and started her career sewing custom bridal gowns, eventually transitioning into retail sales of wedding dresses.
After the birth of her son, she re-evaluated what she wanted out of a career and decided it was time for a change. Sandra started working for a major insurance company as a customer service representative. Working for the insurance companies, she realized it was hard to make an impact and often felt like she was fighting an uphill battle. In 1994, Sandra enrolled in Lake Washington Technical College and obtained her Legal Secretary Certificate.
Sandra has been a workers’ compensation paralegal for over 20 years and provides endless knowledge to Palace Law. She is dedicated to customer service and has spent her career specializing in claimant’s workers’ compensation cases. Sandra works diligently to ensure that her clients receive all the benefits that they are entitled to from the Department of Labor and Industries. She successfully handles all issues in claims such as; back time loss, employability issues, vocational meetings, Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals mediation conferences and resolution of claims with appropriate permanent partial disability awards. Her favorite part of her job is being of service to our clients, and she loves the relationships she is able to build through helping people.
Although Sandra’s son is now grown, she was a single mother who understands the challenges of living off one income and the necessity of perseverance. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family and friends. But of course, she still loves to get her creative juices flowing with sewing, crafts, and scrapbooking.
Cheryl Gorder
Cheryl Gorder is a workers’ compensation paralegal at Palace Law. She is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice and also belongs to the Washington State Paralegal Association.
Cheryl is the Palace Law “black box” that gives our trial team the winning edge. There is no substitute for her decades of trial support. She is dedicated to, and passionate about, the work she does on behalf of client’s cases and the legal process itself. She enjoys the client contact and the day to day interaction with the attorneys and staff that she is working for and with, as well interaction with opposing counsel, court staff, various medical administrators, and physicians, as well as experts, brought in to assist in cases.
Outside of work, Cheryl is a grandmother to 3 and wants her grandchildren to grow up with two very important qualities: a sense of adventure and a commitment to the well-being of others.
Stacey Malaspino
Stacey is a paralegal in the personal injury department of Palace Law. Stacey started her career in personal injury over 20 years ago as a claims adjustor for an insurance company. Through this experience she re-evaluated her moral compass and has since dedicated herself to serving injured people and helping them recover from their injuries, losses, pain and suffering.
Stacey is passionate about helping others and lends a caring ear to all that need her empathy and compassion. She understands firsthand how daunting litigation can be. She prides herself on helping injured people understand the process, giving them the confidence to stand up for their rights, and fighting for them all the way to full resolution. She embodies Palace Law Core Values.
Stacey was born and raised in Seattle. Her children and grandchildren are her life. Her oldest daughter is a successful Real Estate Agent in the North Sound and youngest daughter works in the health care industry. She is a Gold Star mom to a Marine that was KIA in the Iraq war. Her youngest son followed his brother’s footsteps and is a recent graduate of the USNA and now an Officer in the Marine Corp in the Intelligence Sector. She is very proud of her family. Stacey has 3 grandchildren she absolutely adores.
Tanya Mitchell
Tanya Mitchell is a worker’s compensation litigation paralegal at Palace Law. She is the right-hand supporting attorneys in appeals and other litigation. Tanya is a fierce defender and strong advocate for the injured people she works for. She is the “momma bear” for the many injured people whose case she helps manage. She is the indispensable force that runs the Palace Law litigation schedule and supports our attorneys in trial. With over a decade of service to injured workers, Tanya represents Palace Law’s Core Value of “Relentless, Persistent and Self-Motivated.”
Tanya was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington and graduated from Pierce College. Tanya and her husband raised two sons in Tacoma and now have the pleasure of spending time with their grandson.
Tanya loves to read, do puzzles and has a love for all animals.
Brittany Noren
Brittany was born in Seattle and raised in Mill Creek WA and has lived in the Mill creek area for over 30 years. After high school Brittany attended Central Washington University where she gained her Bachelor of Science. Due to Ms. Noren’s exceptional organizational skills, she really enjoys her work, taking a case from beginning to end. Brittany started work at Kadish Twersky Law firm 8 years ago and has worked her way up the ranks from being a legal assistant to a litigation paralegal. Her favorite part of working in the legal field is working closely with her clients and knowing that what she does really makes a huge difference in their lives. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her nephew and family, exploring the beautiful PNW, wine tasting and making lasting memories with friends and family.
Marianne Powers
Marianne was born, raised and educated in Snohomish County WA, where she lives with her husband of 33 yrs. With over 42 years in the legal field, Marianne has a wealth of knowledge which she brings to every client she helps. Marianne has worked with the Kadish Twersky Law Firm for over thirty-three years, she is one of our most experienced personal injury litigation paralegals here at Palace Law. Marianne really enjoys interacting with her clients, helping them successfully navigate through their personal injury journey. When Marianne is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her children and 3 grandchildren and can routinely be found with her husband working in the garden or remodeling their home. One of Marianne’s favorite places to visit (other than with her family) is Maui with her husband. They have been several times and still enjoy getting away when they can. Palace Law is extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful addition to the Palace Law family.
Kristi Richardson
Kristi Richardson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. After graduating from high school, she had a strong interest in the nursing field and completed two years of college while working in the office of an orthopedic surgeon. Kristi worked her way up through the doctor’s office for 10 years, learning how to file, do reception work and to deal with all types of patients and injuries. Ultimately, she attained the position of orthopedic assistant and got a real-world view of medicine and patient care. It was during these years that Kristi also began to see the hoops the workers’ compensation patients had to jump through just to see a doctor and to get their bills paid.
As a result, in 1999, Kristi made the decision to leave the medical field and join the legal field where she thought she could have a greater impact on her patient’s lives. She was right. Kristi has been a paralegal now for over 15 years now, almost exclusively managing workers’ compensation cases on behalf of injured workers. She manages all aspects of a workers’ compensation case.
She participates in cases at all levels including at the Department of Labor and Industries, before Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, and in the Superior Court. She has worked on and been an integral part of the settlement of cases in excess of six figures. Kristi is well-respected by the claims managers of both state and self-insured companies and those in the medical profession because of her years of working in the medical field and because of her understanding of medicine and medical conditions. Outside of work, Kristi manages a five-acre farm with chickens and ducks, has a wonderful husband who runs a construction company and joyfully raises her baby daughter.
Brian Smalley
After leaving school, Brian spent the next 30 years in the commercial real estate finance industry in Seattle and New York City. In 2010, after returning to Chehalis to care for a family member, he made a career change to the legal industry to help injured workers receive their entitled benefits in workers’ compensation claims. His well-developed negotiation and organizational skills allow him to stay on top of his client’s claims and to effectively manage the increasingly complex nature of claims with the Department of Labor and Industries. He manages State and self-insured claims from beginning to end.
Brian Smalley graduated from high school in Chehalis, WA, and attended Washington State University where he graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance. While at the university, he was elected to Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society.
Brian is an avid touring cyclist and traveler. He has traveled the world by bicycle, logging over 25,000 miles through 13 countries on his trusty touring bike. He also enjoys hiking, cooking and reading.
