Joanna Posey

Attorney Joanna L. Posey is the founder and owner of Posey Legal, PC in Portland, Oregon. The firm provides services in the areas of family law, estate planning, and probate.

Ms. Posey is a collaborative attorney and mediator with extensive experience and training in a variety of alternative dispute resolution techniques.  Her practice has been focused exclusively on family law and domestic relations issues for the last ten years, including divorce, support and custody modifications, high asset/complex cases, and adoption. She also has experience litigating cases with overlapping probate and domestic relations issues.

Jo’s approach to resolving family law matters is centered around her clients ’goals.   She works diligently with her clients from the onset of their cases to help them identify their own substantive and procedural goals, then guides them toward the process option that is best equipped to achieve as many of their goals as possible. 

She places equal importance on both client education and client advocacy, ensuring that her clients have the information and support they need to make informed decisions every step of the way.  She focuses on helping clients preserve or rebuild relationships so they can become effective co-parents with their former spouse on the other side of divorce, and she takes pride in helping families create lasting agreements tailored to meet their unique circumstances.  Her goal is to leave her clients with the necessary tools to resolve future disputes without going to court.  

Areas of Practice

• Family Law/Domestic Relations
• Divorce
• Mediation
• Collaborative Divorce
• Legal Separation
• Independent Adoptions
• Select Contested Litigation

Education

• Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College
  Juris Doctorate, 2009
• University of Memphis
  Bachelor’s Degree, Philosophy, 2004

Bar Admissions

• Oregon State Bar Association

Organizations, Activities, Committees, and Awards

• Super Lawyers, Rising Star Award Recipient (2014‒present)
• Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Leadership Academy (2018‒2019)
• Oregon Association of Collaborative Professionals, Member and Past President (2015–present)
• Oregon State Bar, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Executive Committee Member (2021)
• Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (2017–present)
  • Guardian of Civil Justice (2018–present)
  • Family Law Section Chair (2018‒2020; 2021‒present)
  • Leadership Academy (2018–2019)
• Gus. J. Solomon Inn of Court, Barrister (2019‒present)
• Clackamas County Bar Association (2017‒present)
• Multnomah Bar Association (2015‒present)
• Oregon State Bar New Lawyer Mentoring Program, Volunteer Mentor (2021)
• The Commons Law Center, Attorney Mentor (2017‒2020)
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member (2017‒2019)
• The Commons Law Center, Volunteer Attorney Mentor (2017‒2020)
• Client Satisfaction/10 Best Female Attorneys Award, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (2016)
• Top 40 Under 40 Award, The National Advocates (2016)
• Pro Bono Award, Lewis & Clark Law School (2009)
• Volunteer Honors Award, Lewis & Clark Law School (2009)
• Bridges Collaborative Divorce Solutions

Publications

• Posey, Brittle, Kehoe, & Deering, ADR in Oregon, Chapter 27, Collaborative Law. Oregon State Bar (2019)

Speaking Engagements and Training Provided

• Panel Speaker, Spousal Support, Divorce Alliance (2021)
• Panel Speaker, Alternative Dispute Resolution Options in Family Law, Family Law Society, Lewis & Clark Law School (2020)
• Co-Trainer, Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Law (2018)
• Speaker, Collaborative Practice: A Better Approach to Conflict Resolution, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, Family Law Section (2016)

Select Certifications and Training

• Bill Eddy, Managing High Conflict People in Collaborative Practice, CPW (2020)
• Catherine Conner, Figuring Out Family Finances, OACP (2019)
• Gary Friedman, Inside Out Mediation, OACP (2018)
• Woody Mosten, Collaborative and Mediation Practice, OACP (2015)
• Kim Gordon, Basic Collaborative Training (2015)
• Intellectual Property Law Certificate, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College (2009)

Other Activities and Interests

Outside of work, Jo enjoys spending time with her husband Josh and their dog Nelson, exploring Portland’s amazing food scene, hosting friends for dinner (Josh cooks, she sous-chefs), and video chatting with her family back in Tennessee.  She loves exploring her creative side on the weekends and recently took up watercolor painting. She is a former American Pool Association league player.