A Day in the Life at Elise Buie Family Law Group: Meet Attorney Garrett Filetti

I know this sounds terrible, but I was working a job that was sort of sucking the life out of me. I liked my employer but was seriously considering leaving that firm to start my own practice in Island County so that I could have more control over my own schedule and workload. That was the plan, anyway. 

Then, I came across Elise Buie in a Facebook group. I knew she had started a remote law firm, and so far, liked everything I heard she was doing. If I was going to run a law firm like her, I figured I might as well talk to Elise and get her perspective.

But then she posted that she was hiring an attorney. And suddenly, I had to ask myself: Do I really want to run a business? Or would I rather be an employee and have the flexibility without the burdens of managing an office and all the extra work that comes with being a business owner? I decided to apply, got the job in May 2022, and started that June.

Since then, my role has evolved. When I first joined, I was practicing solely in Island County, but since then, I have expanded into King County and Snohomish County and even handled cases in Pierce and Whatcom counties. My geographic area has grown, and so has my experience in a team setting. 

Before this, I was the only one of two attorneys at the firm. Now, I get to be part of a larger collaborative team, and over the last three years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with new attorneys — something I didn’t get to do before. I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned and exchange ideas about our approaches to practice. It’s been great.

Before joining Elise Buie Family Law, I was juggling different practice areas — criminal defense, family law, real estate — just about anything that walked in the door. I eventually realized that criminal defense wasn’t for me, nor was real estate or general practice. But I didn’t understand why until I started focusing exclusively on family law.

With criminal defense, there were cases where there simply wasn’t much you could do. If someone was caught on surveillance shoplifting from a store, for example, the legal options were limited. But in family law, there’s room to be creative. 

If two people are willing to agree on how they want their post-divorce family structure to look, we can make that happen. If someone wants to keep the house and the other person is open to it, we can find a way. We can help craft a parenting plan that actually fits each unique family unit. There’s an acknowledgment of the humanity of the people involved. That’s what drew me in — helping people restructure their lives after divorce or separation in a way that works for them.

One case in particular reinforced that I needed to leave criminal defense. It was an unfair situation where I felt as though the prosecutor didn’t see my client as a human being. They weren’t interested in understanding how my client ended up in that position, only in the charges. That case was my breaking point. I realized I wanted to work in an area of law where I could acknowledge my clients as people and help them move forward. I began shifting my practice to primarily family law while I was at my old firm. 

However, beyond finding my practice area, I still had to figure out if I was working in the right environment. I was experiencing burnout, and I wasn’t sure if it was the emotional nature of the family law cases I was handling, or if it was the environment I was in. I started wondering: Do I even want to be a family law attorney? Or is it just that I’m in the wrong place?

When I applied for the job with Elise, I told myself I’d give it a year or two. Then, if I felt the same, I’d know that family law wasn’t for me. Looking back, it’s obvious — the issue wasn’t my career. It was where I was working.

This job has given me my life back. I’ve remembered how to be a person outside of work. Before, I felt like I went to work, came home, ate dinner, slept, and then woke up to do the same thing all over again. Today, I have time for hobbies. 

I grew up riding horses but had to stop during law school because I didn’t have the money or the time. Once I started at Elise Buie Family Law, I finally had the flexibility to take riding lessons again. If someone could teach me at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, I could adjust my schedule. That small shift — having time for something I love — has brought me so much happiness.

And then there was a much bigger shift. My husband and I separated, and I wanted to move back near my family. This job has made that possible. I was able to buy a house, move across the country, and still keep my position. I didn’t have to worry about losing my income or taking time off to pack up my entire life. The kind of flexibility Elise offers, especially when everything in my personal life felt uncertain, has meant everything to me.

Beyond that, the camaraderie here is something I’ve never had before. I had no idea that when I changed jobs, I would find “the other half of my brain” in my paralegal, Emily. Not only is Emily an amazing teammate at work, but her support outside of the office has been so important to me. When she learned that I was going to have to move, she immediately sent me a TikTok video about these big plastic duffle bags — perfect for packing. It was such a small, silly thing, but it reminded me how different this work environment is. How we support each other in and out of the office.

Since coming to work here, I can’t believe how much my perspective has changed. I thought I wanted to run my own law firm. I thought I needed to be in control to be happy. But what I actually needed was balance — work that I care about, an environment where I feel supported, and a life outside of the office. And thanks to Elise and the rest of the team, I have all of that.