Our Team

Sharon Lee Schwartz, Attorney and Mediator

Sharon Lee has been practicing law since 1995, is a mediator, a collaborative law practitioner, and a certified divorce financial analyst. Early in her career, she clerked for the National Center for Youth Law, the Women's Legal Defense Fund, and researched legal cases about human rights through a UC Berkeley fellowship in New Delhi, India. Before moving to Oregon, she practiced law in tribal and state courts on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. She opened her private practice in 2013 after directing the Roseburg office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon for fifteen years.

Sharon Lee has published articles about and given presentations at national conferences focused on achieving social justice. She attended Davidson College and Georgetown University Law Center where she was Section Editor of the Georgetown Journal on Fighting Poverty.

Sharon Lee co-founded the Umpqua Valley Time Exchange, is a past president of the Douglas County Bar Association, and has served on boards including AFS, a foreign exchange program for high school students, UCAN, Neighborworks Umpqua, the League of Women Voters, and Common Ground Mediation Program. She participated in the Douglas County Family Law Advisory Committee, the Douglas County Family Violence Prevention Council, and was appointed to the Oregon State Bar Affirmative Action Committee.

Ann Vaughn, Paralegal

Ann Vaughn has over three decades’ experience as a paralegal, having passed the national paralegal bar exam. She has worked in both private practice and in the non-profit sector at Legal Aid Services of Oregon. Ann taught and developed materials for self-help divorce and custody classes and has supported clients in filing appropriate paperwork and preparing for court.

Ann spent part of the 1960’s touring the country in a Volkswagon microbus with her two collies, and later could be seen in San Diego with her goat, Otie, riding in the back of her car. She is an

accomplished gardener and former beekeeper.

She has been involved in the community through work on the local Family Law Advisory Committee, the Housing Authority of Douglas County Self Sufficiency Board, the SPCA Board, and in the Eastside Community Garden. She currently volunteers extensively for the SPCA.

Kimberly Phinney, Paralegal

Kimberly Phinney is in her third decade working as a paralegal, with a focus on family law. She skipped class one afternoon to apply for a job with a local law firm, and worked there for twenty-five years. She is a graduate of Eastern Oregon University with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Communication. She has certificates as a specialist in both Communications and Public Relations. Kim is past president, vice president, and secretary of the Douglas County Legal Secretaries Association, and is a small business owner.

Kim enjoys photography, has received local recognition for her work, and lends her skills to a local middle school. She is an outreach volunteer for Douglas Soil and Water Conservation District, volunteers with youth organizations including Future Business Leaders of America, Douglas County 4-H, and youth sports. She has also supported firefighter organizations in Washington and Oregon.

Bertrand and Vincent, Therapists and Rodent Patrol

Bertrand and Vincent appeared in 2019 when Bert climbed through a window, followed by Vince soon after.