Megan D. Card

Megan D. Card is a driven and determined advocate at Budd Bay Law, P.S., where she focuses her practice in the areas of family law, criminal defense, and general civil litigation including firearm restoration and vacation of criminal records. Megan became a partner of the firm in 2013. Born and raised in Olympia, Megan graduated from Black Hills High School in 2003 where she was very active in soccer. She previously worked for the firm as a legal intern during the summer of 2008. Prior to being hired as an associate attorney, Megan served as an extern for Chief Justice Debra Stephens of the Washington State Supreme Court where she assisted in drafting court opinions and internal memoranda in preparation for oral arguments and en banc hearings.

Megan understands that family law cases are very personal, emotional, and difficult for her clients. Whether it be a divorce, separation, parenting of a child, financial support of a child or a former spouse, or relocation of a child, these cases often present the most challenging times in a person’s life, and Megan is committed to aggressive and compassionate representation. She holds the experience and knowledge necessary to form the best strategy for your situation. Megan has represented over 1,200 clients during her career and has extensive courtroom and trial experience. Megan has also worked on several appeals, including to the Washington Court of Appeals and Washington State Supreme Court, with successful results for her clients.

Having served as a Pro Tem (Latin “for the time being”) Commissioner and Judge in Thurston County Superior Court since 2018, Megan is intimately familiar with the court system and what a Judge expects to see and hear in argument. A background in representing criminal defendants has proved fruitful for Megan’s family law clients which often have overlapping issues involving domestic violence and protective orders.

Megan is committed to the advancement of the legal profession and is active in many local and statewide legal organizations. She has served as the President of the local Thurston County Bar Association and was the previous Chair for the Washington Young Lawyers Committee of the Washington State Bar Association. Megan is currently a member of the American Inns of Court which is a prestigious group of lawyers and judges dedicated to promoting the highest levels of professionalism in the practice of law.

Megan is also committed to public service and giving back to her community. She has participated in the Moderate Means program for the Washington State Bar Association, volunteered her time at Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services, and was a clinic coordinator in the Olympia area for the WA Vets Will Clinic and First Responders Will Clinic which provides free estate planning to Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and first responders. She currently serves as an advisory member to the Raise for Rowyn nonprofit and organizes her firm’s Adopt-a-Road program through the City of Tumwater.

A potential client contacted Megan to help negotiate a settlement offer in a child support modification case wherein the client was accused of fraudulently reporting business income. When negotiations fell through the day before trial was set to begin, Megan filed a last minute notice of appearance in the case. After spending the night preparing into the late morning hours, Megan represented the client in trial. Not only did the client obtain successful results with a finding of non-fraudulent actions, but in addition Megan successfully argued for an award of attorney’s fees for her client.

A parenting plan case was set for trial after mediation failed and numerous settlement offers were declined by the opposing party. The morning of trial, Megan attempted to settle the case one last time with a more than generous offer. The offer was declined despite Megan’s best efforts. Over a span of three days, Megan feverishly argued her client’s case at trial. The outcome of the trial was extremely favorable to Megan’s client. The judge ordered a parenting plan that gave the opposing party less time than what was offered by Megan and her client prior to trial. The judge also gave a full award of attorney’s fees after Megan successfully argued intransigence by the other party.

A client came to Megan after the child was taken away based on not all the pertinent facts being presented to the court. Megan filed an emergency motion and the court ordered that the child be returned to Megan’s client. Despite attempts to settle the case, the case was set for trial. Megan’s client prevailed at trial and the child was placed primarily with her client.

A long-term marriage resulted in a dissolution case. Negotiations were unsuccessful and trial was set. Megan and her client continued to make settlement offers which were declined. Megan’s arguments persuaded the judge to rule in her client’s favor and the opposing party ended up paying more spousal support than what Megan and her client had offered to settle the case.

A complex and contentious parenting plan modification was set for a six-day trial. After numerous witnesses testified, Megan successfully argued to the judge that the parenting plan should be modified in her client’s favor.

Megan’s client purchased a house prior to marriage. During the marriage (which lasted over 25 years), Megan’s client and the opposing party refinanced the home and took out loans against it. The client also signed a Quit Claim Deed on the real property transferring it to the opposing party. At trial, Megan was able to successfully argue that the home was her client’s separate property obtained prior to marriage and that it should be awarded solely to her client.

A client was accused of sexually assaulting their child. The allegations against Megan’s client did not make sense and there were allegations that the opposing party had been coaching the child. Child Protective Services made a founded finding of sexual assault against Megan’s client and the client’s time with the child was reduced to supervised Skype visits. After a multiple day administrative hearing, Megan successfully persuaded the Administrative Law Judge to reverse the CPS finding of sexual assault to unfounded.

Megan’s client was accused of wrongfully withholding the child under the parenting plan from another state. The client was ordered to return the child and pay all the fees and costs to the other party. After complex legal research involving novel issues, Megan submitted multiple briefs to the court addressing the jurisdictional issues. A commissioner ruled against Megan’s client and ordered additional fees against her client. Megan appealed the issue to a judge pro bono (Latin meaning “for the public good” or legal work done voluntarily and without payment) and was successful. The case was then dismissed, and Megan’s client was not ordered to pay any fees or costs to the other party.

A client was served with a domestic violence protection order and charged with assault in the fourth-degree domestic violence. The client’s child was placed primarily with the opposing party in an accompanying parenting plan case. Megan successfully argued that the domestic violence protection order should be dismissed and was able to show that the opposing party was not being truthful to the court. Megan was then successful in having the child placed primarily with her client.

A client was charged with driving under the influence based on the officer’s report which indicated the client was swerving back and forth between the skip lines. After reviewing the discovery and video of the stop, Megan filed a motion to suppress based on the evidence which showed the client barely touched the skip line and that the officer pulled the client over within a mere 30 seconds of observing the vehicle. After a suppression hearing wherein Megan cross examined the officer on the illegality of the stop, Megan succeeded in having the charges against her client dismissed due to her diligence and superior understanding of the law.

I’ve used Megan for family law and I’ve referred her to many friends. Megan always does a great job and follows through on what she tells you she will do. One of the fastest and most quick witted I’ve ever seen in a court room. All of my referrals have been very satisfied with her. It took me going through 3 attorneys over a course of 7 years to finally find her. Her paralegal Amy is second to none. Amy is a gun slinger that is ready for anything and prepared to work hard. In short, Amy is on it. Highly recommend Megan and Amy.

Attorney Megan Card was hired for a child custody case. Ms. Card was honest, ethical, and fair. She informed me on a continual basis about the status of the case and she was always honest when explaining all aspects of the actions that occurred in the case and how it affected me. I always knew Ms. Card was doing her very best to represent me to the fullest extent possible. Ms. Card was also always ethical. She did not do anything that caused me to have any concerns about the way the case was being handled. She ensured that my interests were always considered at each court hearing while working toward a positive resolution of the case. Ms. Card was also very fair. She never caused me to have any concern about the amount of time she stated she worked on the case. You could not ask for a more honest attorney. To not be overcharged was a blessing. In closing, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND WITHOUT ANY HESITATION ENDORSE ATTORNEY MEGAN CARD!

Still fresh in my mind the day I first met you, as you walked towards me with your warm smile I told myself, I found what I was looking for. Thank you for your patience, compassion, your sincere honest advice, and how you firmly but gently guided me especially through times I couldn’t make up my mind. Thank you for your hard work, for giving me your professional best all the while keep your fees within my reach. Thank you for taking the extra time to process the quit claim deed and other paperwork. My deep appreciation for everything you’ve done on my behalf. With much gratitude.

Child custody cases are something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. The thought of your child’s life at the mercy of a judge who has never met them (or you for that matter) is terrifying. My child’s father was completely out of his life for over a year (over half of my child’s life). Then he met someone, who had a little boy, and all the sudden after over a year of no contact, I was served with custody paperwork. His dad now wanted to be a part of our child’s life. In his proposed parenting plan he wanted a 50/50 split of custody with us switching our child to a different home every other week. Though he had NEVER even had our child alone for even an hour in our child’s entire life! He had never changed a diaper, prepared a meal, given a bath, trimmed fingernails or taken our child to the doctor. Nor did he know we were regulars at Seattle Children’s Hospital due to our child being diagnosed with an aggressive autoimmune disorder which had required our child being put to sleep for steroid injections in multiple spots that were affected by this disorder. I was brought to tears multiple times when thinking about how the health and well-being of our child would be affected if a 50/50 split was granted. I immediately started researching lawyers in my area. I needed someone who would understand my fears and concerns. Someone who knew the law like the back of their hand and was able to be the strength i knew I needed, and I couldn’t be. Someone who was knowledgeable, ethical, intelligent and could help me decipher what all this legal jargon meant, what steps i needed to take and most importantly, how this case and the outcome of it would affect my child’s life. Everything I heard about Ms. Card was centered around great things she had done for people and our community (she set up FREE will clinics for veterans and first responders in our community partnering with other lawyers to serve as many veterans and first responders as possible). From her past clients I heard over and over again that she was a dedicated, passionate, hardworking attorney. Ms. Card had been a legal intern in college, worked an externship for Justice Stephens of the Supreme Court, is the Chair for the WA state young lawyers committee of the bar association. Ms. Card is on the board for the Thurston county bar association, serves as the chair for the young lawyer association of the local bar and is a member of the WA state association of defense lawyers. After researching many lawyers, I can honestly say, I’m so glad I chose Ms. Card! I couldn’t ask for a more amazing attorney. She had my child’s best interest at heart, and worked confidently and aggressively to make sure his best interest was always the focus throughout the court process. Ms. Card asked me what I was hoping for the final parenting plan to be, and, after my response she was brutally honest with me. She pushed me to see what was reasonable and obtainable in WA state, and still fought hard for what I had hoped the outcome would be. She never lead me astray or told me things that were not truly obtainable. She was quick to answer my questions and concerns as well as calming my fears. I felt safe and confident that she was always looking out for our best interest. In terms of cost, she is very reasonable. In fact, I would pay her weight in gold to have her represent me and my child again. After all, the decision to hire Ms. Card to represent my child and I was a life altering decision. I am thankful for my choice, and forever grateful for the dedication, time and energy Ms.Card spent making sure our outcome was what we had hoped for and most importantly, what was in the best interest of the health and well-being of my child. If you’re looking for an amazing attorney, Ms.Card is the one for you! Just ask my little boy who is adjusting very well to his twice a week dinner dates and every other Saturday overnight stays with his dad.

Working with Ms. Card was an absolute pleasure. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of the legal process, but she’s compassionate and empathetic as well. Ms. Card is professional, reliable, dedicated and informative. Because of these qualities, she made what can be an incredibly tumultuous and emotional situation, into something that felt doable. Ms. Card was legally aggressive when need be — while maintaining a friendly demeanor which made me feel at ease. I appreciate the fact that Ms. Card made me feel as if I was her only client. She was very quick to respond to emails and voicemails. I always felt as if Ms. Card had my best interest in mind and was very honest and trustworthy. I truly cannot say enough good things about my experience with her. If you are in need of an attorney for any situation I HIGHLY recommend Ms. Megan Card. She will go above and beyond to represent you and keep you informed along the way.

Megan is a fantastic lawyer who diligently works to achieve the optimum result for her clients. Megan has a fantastic reputation in the Thurston County community and is highly respected by lawyers and judges.

Megan is amazing and always looked out for what was best for me in my case.

Megan Card is awesome! My ex tried to paint a very untrue picture for a protection order to keep me away from my son. Megan spent many hours building my case and was very successful in exposing her lies in court. Whenever I had a question or concern Megan or her assistant were just a phone call away, and always very prompt in returning calls/emails. I will also have Megan take on my parenting plan because I wouldn’t trust anyone else!

I just want to say you’ve shown me such kindness and compassion through this process. It has been very emotional and very difficult for me and I know that my big mouth can get me in to a lot of trouble sometimes. This was my first experience with a lawyer and I really didn’t know what to expect. You were incredibly thorough, quick and patient while it took me some time to respond. Even though many of my friends suggested that I didn’t need an attorney, I’m glad I trusted my instincts. A lot was done in such a short amount of time and I really could not have done this alone. I think I can rest easy now, find peace and let the healing process finally begin. You’ve been wonderful. Thank you again for everything. – [Client]

Dear Ms. Card, I would like to offer you my humble and heartfelt thanks for the work you provided in resolving my case with the City of Lacey. I am certain you must know more about the City’s noise laws now than you ever expected. I sincerely hope that I never again have to ask for yours or Saxon’s assistance in a matter as silly as a nuisance/noise violation. Respectfully, [Client]

Megan Card is the goddess of all that is right with our legal system. [Client]

Megan & Melissa, thank you both for your help and guidance in managing the estates and trust of my parents to closure. I do appreciate all that you have done! Thanks! [Client]

Thank you for working with the Seattle University School of Law community to advance equal justice. – The Access to Justice Institute Team

Dear Megan, thank you very much for taking care of the bail bond matter. Respectfully, [Client]

Megan, thank you for everything. You have been very kind to me. [Client]

Dear Megan, thank you for your efforts on my behalf. I’ll check in with you in four years! [Client]

The [Client] board wants to thank you for all the diligent, hard work you put into our court case against [Opposing Party]. We hope to continue our future legal relationship with you and your firm. Again, thank you.

Megan, thank you for your insight and support. Your leadership is such a valuable asset to the Washington Young Lawyer Division. – Brian, Washington State Bar Association

Megan, thank you for everything you have done for the boys and I. I truly appreciate all your hard work. [Client]

Megan, thank you so much for organizing this event and the opportunity to volunteer. I really appreciate the referral and hope to have a chance in the future to work with you again. All the best, Kimberly

Can’t thank you enough Megan. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. [Client]

Thank you so much!! Amazing! Happy Holidays! [Client]

Megan and family, blessings to you and yours. Thanking you for being you. Kindest wishes, [Client]

Thank you so much for all your work in helping me through this process. Take good care. [Client]