Justin Aanenson, Adoption Attorney in Seattle, Washington

Justin Aanenson is the founder and owner of Truce® Law, a family law firm he established in Seattle, Washington, on February 14, 2018. As founder, he holds full responsibility for the firm's leadership, operational structure, technology, and client experience — a role he has occupied exclusively since stepping away from active legal work in August 2025. That structure reflects a deliberate philosophy: attorney service improves when legal professionals and firm management operate as separate, dedicated functions, each with its full attention where it belongs.

Truce was built around a specific operating discipline: be the most reasonable people in the room, when everything around a case wants to escalate. In practice, that means resolution before litigation — working as hard to keep a family out of court as to win in it — and reducing the burden on people already carrying too much, not adding to it. Seven years in, that approach has held. Truce has grown from a single Seattle office to four locations across Western Washington and in 2025 was ranked #12 on the Law Firm 500, a national index of the fastest-growing law firms in the country.

Education and Bar Admission

Justin earned his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 2012, where he was admitted as a Washington State Scholar — an honor extended to the top 1% of the applicant pool. He completed additional study in international law at Temple University Beasley School of Law in Rome (2010) and holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Washington Foster School of Business (2008). He was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2012.

Recognition

During his years as a practicing attorney, Justin was recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Washington for five consecutive years — 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. The Washington State Bar Association awarded him its Pro Bono Publico Service Commendation in 2020. He holds a certification as a mediator through Volunteers of America Western Washington, having completed the Basic Professional Mediation Training and the Collaborative Law Basic Training in 2019.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

Washington State Bar Association (2012); Collaborative Professionals of Washington; King County Collaborative Law; Collaborative Law Professionals of Pierce County; International Academy of Collaborative Professionals; Domestic Relations Attorneys of Washington; American Bar Association.

Firm Structure and Practice

Justin's transition out of active casework represents a considered decision about how to build a firm capable of serving clients without depending on any single practitioner. His legal training and seven years of active practice inform how Truce is structured, staffed, and operated — but his work today is entirely on the management side. The legal work is handled by experienced Washington family law attorneys he has recruited and developed, several with decades of practice in Washington family courts. Justin's attention as founder is directed at the people, systems, and culture that make their work possible.

Truce's practice spans family law, collaborative law, and mediation — including collaborative divorce, private settlement processes, uncontested matters, and contested litigation when a case requires it. The firm serves clients across King, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, Mason, Lewis, Thurston, Clark, and Cowlitz counties from offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Vancouver.