Of Counsel

Sherry Peterson is a Washington native and family law attorney at Elise Buie Family Law Group, who brings extensive experience as a trial attorney, mediator, and administrative law judge.

Sherry began her legal career in Tacoma, Washington, where she maintained a diverse practice including family law, personal injury, criminal defense, and limited estate planning. She also served as a small claims court mediator, a mediator with the Pierce County Dispute Resolution Center, and as a guardian ad litem in family court matters.

In 2009, Sherry was appointed as an administrative law judge for the State of Washington, a position she held for 12 years, during which she presided over complex administrative proceedings.

Following her retirement from the bench, Sherry turned her attention to disaster recovery and consumer advocacy. After the Maui wildfires destroyed Lahaina and parts of Kula, she volunteered to assist survivors with FEMA Individual Assistance appeals.

That work led to her role establishing a disaster case management program and her selection as an Equal Justice Fellow with United Policyholders, a national consumer organization supporting policyholders seeking insurance benefits.

Philosophy and Background

Sherry’s approach to law has always been rooted in problem-solving and respect for the people at the center of each dispute. Whether advocating for clients in private practice, mediating, or presiding as a judge, she favors an approach of transparency, patience, and careful listening. Sherry sees conflict as something to be understood rather than won at any cost and believes everyone deserves to be treated with fairness and dignity.

That same outlook serves as the cornerstone of the family law work Sherry does at EBFLG, where she treats every case as both legal and deeply personal, recognizing that families need more than technical answers and legalese. With this in mind, she makes a point of listening closely, explaining options in plain language, and helping clients make decisions they can feel confident about when they look back.

Her years as a mediator and judge inform Sherry’s belief that families benefit when their attorney focuses on workable solutions rather than point-scoring. Her time supporting disaster survivors only further underscores Sherry’s philosophy that the legal system should meet people where they are.

In family law matters, that often means guiding parents through unfamiliar rules, advocating for the best interests of children, and promoting outcomes that allow families to move forward with confidence and plan for the future. For Sherry, family law is the intersection of legal skill and care.

Sherry earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington before attending Harvard Law School, where she completed her studies while raising her two young daughters as a single mother.

Role in the Seattle Community

Sherry was born and raised in Seattle and has been a lifelong resident. She has been a foster parent, worked with homeless youth, and volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

In her free time, Sherry follows her curiosity wherever it leads her. She once trained and hunted Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, and her male made it to the Westminster Dog Show — twice. She has bicycled from Prague to Dresden and from Vienna to Krakow, never quite sure if she would find the night’s lodging or have the stamina to reach it, and has ridden from Seattle to Portland twice, before deciding that was plenty.

When not bicycling, Sherry loves horses and has horsebacked through the Maroon Bells in Colorado and the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana, hunting deer, elk, and grouse along the way. She enjoys fishing with either fly or gear and spends many weekends exploring in her 21-foot red Winnebago. Her miniature schnauzer, Lucy, also answers to the terrorist and Lucifur (the spelling thankfully a play on words).

Away from the outdoors, Sherry loves poetry and has been working on a memoir for more than 30 years. She knits, embroiders, gardens, reads, walks beaches in search of shells, and never turns down a long nap. She appeared on Oprah Winfrey twice and still talks about it with a smile. Her favorite book is “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki, and her favorite movie is “Everything Is Illuminated.” Most of all, Sherry enjoys spending time with her grandson, who lives with her along with her daughter.