staff

Phil is a true son of the Pacific Northwest and understands the needs of Washington families. Phil spent his younger years in logging communities in western Washington and southeast Alaska, the son of a log scaler and a fifth-grade teacher.

After graduating High School in Everett (Go Seagulls!) Phil received his undergraduate degree at Western Washington University and began working at the Boeing facility in Everett as an Industrial Engineer. Several years passed, and Phil found himself in a position to follow his dreams and become a lawyer.

In 2011 he left Boeing and enrolled at the University of Washington School of Law. While at the University of Washington, Phil began working for one of the leading Elder Law attorneys in the state. After learning and mentoring for several years, Phil decided it was time to come home to Whatcom County and help folks avoid the pitfalls of standard retirement planning. Phil and his wife live in Bellingham and had their first child, Harrison, in 2021.

When he is not in the office, you can find Phil and his wife, along with their two children and chocolate lab, Augustus, golfing, fishing, hiking, and enjoying all that western Washington has to offer.

As the Managing Director, Elisa oversees all business operations including Human Resources, Business Development, and Community Relations.  With almost 2 decades of experience working at Marriott hotels in General Manager, and other management roles, Elisa brings highly refined leadership skills to the firm.  When the pandemic impacted the hotel industry, it allowed Elisa the opportunity to shift gears and support Phil in creating and growing Safe Harbor Legal Solutions.

Elisa was born and raised in Washington and is an alumnus of WWU.  When she and Phil first met, they were both living in the Seattle area but connected on their love for Bellingham and desire to return to this great community.  They dreamed of building a family and growing a business, and almost 10 years ago took a leap of faith and made the move back “home”.  Now with 2 small children and a growing business, they are living out their dreams of being a family focused business run by family!

Kristine has been with Safe Harbor Legal Solutions since October 2022. Prior to joining our team, Kristine worked as a Probate and Guardianship Paralegal. In 2020 Kristine was working as a Legal Assistant in the felony division of the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and had worked as a Trial Clerk for Whatcom County Superior Court for five years. During Covid, Kristine decided to go back to school to obtain an Advanced Paralegal Certificate from Edmonds Community College so she could purse her desire to work one on one with clients. Her prior education includes an Associate of Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. Kristine is currently working in our Estate Planning, Crisis and Probate departments and especially enjoys helping our clients through difficult circumstances.

She has two adult children who recently graduated from college and have left her and her husband official empty nesters.  In her time off she enjoys walking her 11-month old Siberian Husky, Sasha, with her husband at Birch Bay State Park.